Social Business Innovation Program in Cape Town, South Africa

Social Business Innovation Program in Cape Town,
South Africa

Cape Town (South Africa)
University of Rosebank Business School
3 weeks
Language: English

Context

Due to the increasingly global and changing political, economic and social context, there is an urgent need to create ethical and sustainable actions that have a positive impact on unemployment, poverty and inequalities.

Social entrepreneurship helps to generate responsible and transformative business models. In addition, it proposes innovative business solutions based on social justice and on economic and environmental sustainability.

Currently, Cape Town is one of the most cosmopolitan cities on the African continent. It has an excellent quality of life, an open and diverse society and with great projection for economic growth. For this reason, it’s an ideal place to develop social, economic, sustainable and environmental projects which will transform the lives of millions of people in the world.

This program offers a 360º overview of the global economic system and the types of business and different formats that are being referenced, from a sustainable and an economic point of view, as well as the most effective digital marketing and communication tools. The program is framed from a South African perspective in a global world.

Learning Outcomes

You will understand the economic system and its business development from the perspective and situation of South Africa today, recognizing needs and opportunities to participate in a global market that takes into account parameters of sustainability and equity.

You will broaden your vision of current economic, social and environmental issues and develop your skills to generate ethical, fair and innovative business models.

You’ll work practically on identifying, formulating and resolving conflicts, applying sustainability and social responsibility measures.

You will understand the global impact of sustainable development and acquire competences to generate agile, critical and innovative thinking, enabling you to develop a responsible entrepreneurial attitude.

You will develop competences in the intercultural field, in the analysis of systems and in the transversal application of sustainable measures in business design and in the creation of companies.

Program Structure:

The program is structured around four fundamental pillars that areorganised as follows:

Academic, dynamic and experiential content at Rosebank Business School.
Professional internships in companies and with local entrepreneurs.
Volunteering in NGOs in Cape Town townships.
Continuous process of research and critical reflection on the experience and content acquired.
You will have previously trained at the Global Youth Academy, the online school where you will discover how to actively participate in the 2030 agenda and you will be able to become certified in Global Competencies with the AFS Global Competence.

Online training:
All our programmes include online training through our Global Youth Academy e-learning platform that addresses the themesof the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Internship Experience:
During your stay, you will intern in small companies with social impact and support small entrepreneurs in their social projects in order to jointly develop strategic documents for the organisation; such as marketing plans, sustainability and/or financial evaluation and increase their sustainability, measuring the social impact of their programmes versus investments, fundraising campaigns or a Corporate Social Responsibility strategy to present or implement in companies to increase sustainability and impact and connections within local communities.
You will spend 3-4 days a week working in the field with the assigned project according to your profile, getting to know the day-to-day activity, the challenges faced and the impact generated.

Volunteering:
You will join the local team of Action Change, an international non-profit organisation based in Cape Town. Action Change develops its mission in the area of sustainability by supporting long-term local projects around the world.
Its aim is to raise awareness and create projects that address global issues locally. Since its inception, Action Change has contributed over £2 million to more than 50 projects around the world, currently working with partners and projects in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The group of students will be supervised by Action Change’s African Development Manager.
During the internship experience, you will work one day a week at Action Change’s headquarters with the local team on their projects so that you can understand how an international non-profit organisation is managed, funded and sustained.

Critical reflection workshops:
You will participate in workshops and spaces generated in order to reflect on relevant and innovativetopics related to this transformative experience.

Cultural activities:
Weekends are reserved for relaxation and fun while exploring a new country and culture. For this reason, highly recommended cultural activities are incorporated:

Cape Town Peninsula Nature Park Tour with Specialist Guide.
Concert with local musicians.
Hiking on Table Mountain with an ecology specialist.
Safari.
Wine tasting in the Stellenbosch wine region.
Intercultural evening.

Acquired Skills

Technical and academic skills

The global market, new trends with a view towards sustainability.
The South African perspective, good practices and reasons for its new positioning in the global market.
Communication and marketing in the African context and its impact on the global market.

Intercultural competence

Competencies to work and interact with different cultures.
Expand self -knowledge by recognizing strengths and weaknesses.

Systemic Analysis

To understand the world as a system; the interrelationships,
dependencies and North-South effects.
To develop the ability to establish the connections and subsequent
alliances necessary to create innovative projects.

Sustainability and impact measurement

To understand the capacity for action on the 2030 Agenda.
To develop indicators to measure impact from an economic, social
economical and sustainable value.

Innovation in sustainable companies

To increase the innovative capacity to find solutions to social, economic and sustainable problems.
To learn the following methodologies as tools to address economic and social entrepreneurship: Lean Startup, Theory of Change in Business Model Canvas, ChangeMaker.

Expected Results

Train the next generation of leaders for the creation and management of social and sustainable companies.

Train students to develop creative and innovative actions in the business field that solve economic, social and environmental problems with a global and multicultural vision.

Equip students with the necessary skills to identify and solve business problems in an ethical and sustainable manner; and empower them to develop an entrepreneurial spirit based on critical, responsible, committed and creative thinking.

Development of indicators to measure the economic, social and environmental impact of its actions.

Deep understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda and their transversal application in economic and business activity.

Training
complementary

Global Youth Academy is Lea Global’s e-learning platform that offers training on the United Nations 2030 Agenda and how to adhere, through action, to the different SDGs. All projects include 120 hours of training at the Global Youth Academy, as well as continuous online support on the subject developed.