Davos 2013 First official day … 

First official day of Davos 2013. I am here with Juergen Griesbeck, Founder/CEO, streetfootballworld, Germany and Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Europe, 2011. It has been 5 years since I last attended one and not much seems to have changed except I am no longer working as a staff and can actually enjoy it!

The theme of the 2013 Annual Meeting is ‘resilient dynamism,’ but what does that mean exactly? As Juergen writes in the Huffington Post “resilient’ may be understood to signify the ability to withstand market shocks and pressures, and ‘dynamism’ could imply the tenacity and creativity required to rise above these challenges.” These terms can be equally applied to social entrepreneurs and the concept of “venture philanthropy” – but rather than strengthening markets, we are strengthening communities; our capital is people, not just financial returns but also social impact and progress. And this mean we ALL must work together – governments, civil society, corporates, academic institutions, foundations and philanthropists – “We need to think collectively, moving beyond the ego-driven interests which are so ingrained within the current business mindset. We need to think beyond our own organisations and brands, even our own sector, and work as a team towards a common goal. We should see each other not as competition, but instead as allies in the fight for social justice.” (J. Griesbeck)

As iCats, that is exactly what we are doing!