ISEE Chile 2004

An intensive seminar on social enterprise in emerging market countries for graduate students and mid-career professionals.

NESsT hosted the first International Social Enterprise Exchange (ISEE) in Chile, January 4-10, 2004. “ISEE Chile 2004” was an intensive, weeklong seminar focusing on the development of social enterprise among human rights and social justice organizations. Designed specifically for graduate-level students and mid-career professionals in business administration, nonprofit management and international development, ISEE Chile 2004 combined classroom study, field/casework, and eco/adventure tourism experiences to provide participants with an intensive introduction to social enterprise development in the emerging market context. Participants will benefit from the experience of an international faculty of leading thinkers and practitioners in social enterprise and human rights/social justice. They saw first-hand how human rights/social justice organizations were managing social enterprises; gained practical skills in social enterprise development and management; and engaged in exchange with peers -- all while enjoying the breathtaking beauty of one of South America’s most culturally and ecologically diverse countries.

Read more:

- Human Rights and Social Justice in Latin America

- Who should attend ISEE Chile 2004?

- What will I get out of ISEE Chile 2004?

- ISEE Chile 2004 Faculty and Speakers

- ISEE Chile 2004 Agenda

- ISEE Chile 2004 Participant Fees

- How to apply for ISEE Chile 2004

- About Chile

Human Rights and Social Justice in Latin America

Participants in ISEE Chile 2004 will learn about the human rights/social justice movement in Latin America, the consequences of the former military dictatorship, and the subsequent democratic transition in Chile.   Today, while Chile is considered one of the economic success stories of South America, the transition to democracy is ongoing and has not been without tremendous tradeoffs. Human rights and social justice organizations continue to battle against structural barriers and marked socio-economic differences in defending the equal rights of marginalized populations, such as indigenous people, low-income communities, women and sexual minorities.   

ISEE Chile will examine how CSOs, especially those working on topics of human rights/social justice, have been marked by the transition to democracy, and how the socio-economic and political situation has shaped their strategies for survival. Although democracy has recognized the legitimacy and importance of these CSOs, this has not translated into a sufficient level of financial support for their work, leaving many dependent on international sources of funding. Meanwhile, international assistance to Chile has drastically decreased since the early nineties, and local philanthropy is still at low levels in relation to the growing needs. Social enterprise represents one strategy for human rights and social justice organizations to generate some of their own resources while maintaining their financial autonomy and independent voice.

Who should attend ISEE Chile 2004?

ISEE Chile 2004 is specifically designed for mid-career professionals and graduate-level students of business, nonprofit management and international development. The curriculum offers participants a unique educational opportunity to explore the theoretical underpinnings and practical facets of social enterprise in emerging market countries -- combining classroom study, fieldwork and eco/adventure tourism experiences in one of the most culturally and ecologically diverse countries of South America. ISEE Chile 2004 is ideally suited for those who wish to complement their studies with a practical field/study experience or for those mid-career professionals looking for a unique professional development or mini sabbatical experience.

What will I get out of ISEE Chile 2004?

As a participant in ISEE Chile 2004, you will leave with both theoretical and practical tools to help you better understand and prepare for the challenges of social enterprise development. You will have the opportunity to study in the classroom with an international faculty of leading experts in human rights and social justice, social enterprise, venture philanthropy and venture capital/private equity investment. You will combine classroom learning and interactive small-group sessions with your peers, experiential field-based study and eco/adventure tourism to explore how social enterprise works for human rights and social justice organizations:

•  classroom learning and workshops:

ISEE Chile guest faculty and local experts will help you to learn about and understand all aspects of social enterprise development from theory to practice.

You will learn:

- how to assess the readiness of CSOs for social enterprise;

- the process of conducting pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for social enterprise;

- how to prepare a business plan specifically tailored for social enterprise start-up and management;

- legal, tax and accounting issues in social enterprise;

- alternative funding, financing and investment strategies for social enterprise; and

- how social enterprise can be applied to support the work of human rights and social change organizations.

In addition you will learn about Chilean history and key socio-economic issues that have played a role in the development of social enterprise in Chile. One of the most rewarding results of the ISEE Chile experience will be the exchange you will have with other participants and local practitioners – a widely diverse, international group of peers with whom you’ll exchange professional/academic experience in small-group, interactive classroom workshops.

•  field-based study:

You will examine the various stages of social enterprise development by working on “live cases” within the NESsT Venture Fund portfolio in Chile. You will work side-by-side with leaders of CSOs in Chile to understand how they started their social enterprise and how they manage and finance it today.   In addition you will see what leadership skills are involved in managing these “hybrid” organizations. You will visit and learn from cases of social enterprise from a wide diversity of fields (e.g., preservation of indigenous cultures, environmental protection, eco-tourism, and women’s rights) to learn about the various challenges and opportunities for social enterprise in different contexts/realities.

The following social enterprises from the NESsT Venture Fund (Fondo Nido) portfolio in Chile are cooperating as ISEE Chile 2004 "live cases":

Flores del Sur (Canete)	Flores del Sur is a flower cultivation business operated by women's NGO Pachamama to employ low-income women in the industrial coal mining district of Chile.
Parques para Chile (Pucon)	Parques par Chile promotes environmental conservation and operates a consulting enterprise to  train owners of private reserves and parks in management and sustainability strategies.
La Morada (Santiago)	La Morada works to overcome discrimination, change sexist practices, and improve the quality of life for women. La Morada operates a psychological services enterprise to provide women from low to mid-income levels with psychological attention services.

•  eco/adventure tourism:

As an integral part of the ISEE Chile experience, you will take part in an   eco-tourism adventure – you’ll visit and hike in a private nature reserve operated as a social enterprise of a local environmental CSO. You’ll visit Region IX, one of Chile’s best-kept secrets -- an area filled with Andean national parks, snow-capped volcanoes, indigenous communities and natural hot springs. You’ll enjoy Chilean culture and folklore by visiting local markets, tasting Chilean wine and listening to folkloric music. You may even extend your stay in Chile and visit the world famous Torres del Paine National Park in the southern tip of Chile, or the Atacama Desert, one of the world’s driest deserts in Chile’s northern districts, or explore the lakes, vineyards, islands and fjords of Chile.

ISEE Faculty and Speakers

ISEE Chile participants will benefit from the experience of an international faculty of leading thinkers and practitioners in human rights/social justice and social enterprise development.

ISEE Chile 2004 faculty include:

- Nicole Etchart, Co-Founder & CEO, NESsT

- Juan Pablo Iribarne, Enterprise Development Associate, NESsT Venture Fund (Fondo Nido), Latin America

- Kristin Majeska, Founder and President, Common Good Ventures (see faculty profile, right)

Other confirmed ISEE Chile 2004 speakers include:

- Paola Berdichewsky, Avina Foundation

- Gonzalo de la Maza, Harvard Fellow and Executive Director of the Citizenship and Local Management Initiative, Fundación Nacional para la Superación de la Pobreza

- María Isabel Hamilton, Fundación Ashoka (Chile)

- Mónica Jiménez, Director, Participa

- Anthony Parkes, Managing Director, Explorador Capital

- Cynthia Roberts, Director, FUNDES

- Mirjam Schöening, Director, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

- Emmanuel Schweikert, Vice President, LatinValley

- Hugo Vergara, CEO, TELA Foundation

ISEE Chile 2004 Agenda

(to view the full ISEE Chile 2004 agenda, click here)

DAY 1- Santiago

• Orientation, Program Goals and Agenda

• The State of Civil Society Organizations in Chile (en español: Perspectivas internacionales sobre el emprendimiento social de las OSC)

• definiciones, modelos y mejores prácticas

• Welcome Reception

DAY 2- Santiago

• International Perspectives: Social Enterprise as a Strategy for Sustaining Human Rights and Social Justice Organizations

• Human Rights Legacy Tour and Lunch with Human Rights Advocates

• Depart for Temuco

DAY 3- Temuco

• Assessing Readiness for Social Enterprise (workshop with case study organizations)

• The Social Enterprise Development Process

• Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples (the Mapuche Movement)

• Typical Mapuche Meal and Cultural Activities

DAY 4- Canete

• Social Enterprise Site Visit: Flores del Sur

• Social Enterprise Case Study Debriefing

DAY 5 – Pucon

• Social Enterprise Performance: Managing the Double Bottom Line

• The Environmental Movement and Social Enterprise

• Case Study: Parques para Chile

• Eco-tourism Excursion

• Traditional Patagonian Barbeque

DAY 6 - Santiago

• Return to Santiago

• Lunch with Legal Experts

• Regulatory and Legal Issues in Social Enterprise

• Social Enterprise Investors Circle: Donors, Business Leaders and Universities

• Chilean Wine Tasting

DAY 7 - Santiago

• Women’s Rights and Social Enterprise

• Social Enterprise Site Visit: La Morada

• Opportunities for Fostering Social Enterprise

• Farewell Lunch

   

• Flight Home

ISEE Chile 2004 Participant Fees

Note: A limited number of partial scholarships are available for emerging market country participants.

* Price Includes:

• Nonrefundable deposit

• Double-room hotel or guest house accommodations

• All meals

• All local transportation within Chile to and from programmed activities

• Reading materials

• Admission to all group activities (e.g. wine tasting, eco-tourism excursion, etc.)

• Translation (Spanish – English) Note: The working language of ISEE Chile 2004 will be English. Simultaneous translation will be provided when necessary.

How to apply for ISEE Chile 2004

Space in ISEE Chile 2004 is limited to 20 participants.   To reserve your space please send the following no later than December 1, 2003 (for Early Registration discount of US$50, send on or before November 17):

1. Complete the application form in Word and e-mail as an attachment to Annabel Ipsen, ISEE Coordinator, at aipsen@nesst.org

2. Send one letter of recommendation (see page 3 of application form).

3. Send a nonrefundable deposit of US$200. (Remaining balance due on or before December 15).  

Payment methods:

- US$ bank checks: to pay with US$ bank checks, make checks payable to NESsT and send to:

NESsT USA

c/o Lee Davis

563 Garden Gate Way

Turlock, CA 95382 USA

- Credit cards: to pay by credit card, click here.

(Note: Credit card payments are processed through our secured, on-line "Donate.net" account).

About Chile

Chile is a stable democracy with  a population of roughly 15 million inhabitants, five million of which live in the capital city of Santiago. It is one of the safest countries in Latin America, with a stable economy and an excellent infrastructure.

Chile is a country of extremes, stretching from the arid north to the glacial south with a coastline of over 2500 miles (roughly the distance from New York to San Francisco). It is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers in search of excellent hiking, impressive icebergs and world famous national parks.

For those looking for a more relaxing vacation spot, there are numerous retreats -- from quaint villages to posh spas -- where one can simply enjoy the mild Mediterranean climate, the delicious seafood and acclaimed Chilean wines. Santiago is a bustling and cosmopolitan city with the unique advantage of being nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountain range, allowing visitors to enjoy the Pacific beaches, the temperate wine valleys or the ski slopes of the Andes within a mere hour and a half.