Banpu kicks off Banpu Champions for Change 8 Establishing SE School, an online platform for young people who set to bring change to society
Banpu Public Company Limited, a leading Asian energy company with a focus on social sustainability, in collaboration with Change Fusion, a non-profit institute under the Thai Rural Reconstruction Movement Foundation under the Royal Patronage, carry on their mission to create changes for the greater good for the society with Banpu Champions for Change 8 (BC4C#8). This year, new elements have been added to the project to respond to current trends and the interests of the young generation through an introduction of the SE School (Social Enterprise School). It is Thailand’s first online learning platform, specifically for those aiming to become social entrepreneurs and make changes for the betterment of Thai society. The SE School is open to anyone interested in learning about social enterprise and will be particularly useful for prospective candidates of BC4C#8, allowing them to learn key components to strengthen their social enterprise’s business model before submitting the business plan. The application is open from 1 February to 30 March 2018 to both individuals and teams of up to four people between the ages of 20 and 35 to win a chance to receive total initial funding of more than two million baht.
Mrs. Udomlux Olarn, Head of Corporate Affairs, Banpu Public Company Limited, said: “Over the past 7 years of the project, Banpu has provided holistic support to candidates through initial funding, workshops and social entrepreneur networks. Based on Banpu’s belief that ‘Learning is the Power of Change and Development’, this year, we are taking the project to another level with the launch of the SE School, an online learning platform co-designed by Banpu and Change Fusion. It aims to help young generation entrepreneurs interested in the program as well as the general public with the knowledge on social enterprise business models and operation. This online knowledge hub has then been created with the help of experts from various fields and experienced social entrepreneurs, becoming a space of opportunity for the young generation to build their social enterprises efficiently and successfully.”
The SE School will also ramp up the spices and fun of BC4C#8. Contemplating the lifestyles of the young generation and the changing world, the SE School has been designed to provide access to information anywhere and at any time. The knowledge of social entrepreneurship and social impact creation from the projects in previous years are being incorporated in SE School. This will accommodate new generation entrepreneurs to learn from their more experienced peers. This will also help spark their inspiration and reinforce their determination to create changes and positive impacts on society as a whole. The SE School’s contents will cover a wide range of topics relating to social enterprise operation including business creation, understanding of social problems, business models, financial management, market testing methods, goods and services value building along with the skills of entrepreneurship.
In addition to the knowledge gained from the platform, BC4C participants will have an opportunity to attend many workshops and mentor matching activities allowing them to exchange, learn and widen their connections. These activities will help participants create a strong and sustainable social enterprises that operate virtually by themselves as well as collectively build a network of social entrepreneurs.
After self-learning and testing through SE School and the submission of business plans with clear business, social and environmental objectives, 20 enterprises will be selected in the first phase to attend workshops to incubate and strengthen their businesses. Following this process, 10 social enterprises with outstanding plans and potential to leverage their social impacts will be chosen to receive initial funding along with the knowledge and skills trainings to accomplish their three-month plans. Finally, the top five social enterprises with the most distinguished and impactful operations and impacts will be awarded with further funding to support their long-term business operations. A total of more than two million baht of funding will be provided to these teams throughout the two phases of the program.
Application open: 1 February – 30 March 2018
Application forms can be downloaded at: http://bit.ly/2nswogD
SE School: https://se.school/
For further inquiries, please contact 087-075-4815 or email banpuchampions@gmail.com
For more information: www.facebook.com/banpuchampions
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About Banpu Public Company Limited
BANPU is a leading Asian energy company, operating business in coal, power generation, and integrated energy sectors in ten countries; Thailand, Indonesia, China, Australia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Singapore, Japan, the United States of America and Vietnam.
“Learning is the Power of Change and Development”
Banpu’s CSR activities are based on the firm belief that “learning is the power of change and development” for people and society by emphasizing the promotion and development of continued “learning” among young people and communities in a number of ways. Banpu supports sustainable development of communities and society through a variety of learning opportunities for both individuals and teams, ranging from daily real-life experiences both in- and outside the classroom, to hands-on practice that enhances capabilities and skills.
