To support the training of social entrepreneurs in underserved communities across Brazil, Insper takes part in the Projeto Crescendo em Rede (Networked Growth Project, in free translation). Created by the NGO Aventura de Construir (The Adventure of Building, in free translation), the initiative aims to train and advise future entrepreneurs so that they can work with social impact activities in the communities where they live.
“Through well-structured training, focused on the practical application of important theoretical concepts, it is possible to intensify those entrepreneurs’ learning, thus intensifying the potential to generate income and socially transform their communities. It is particularly essential in this critical moment we are living,” Insper professor Vinicius Picanço comments.
The project also has the participation of Catálise Social, a company focused on developing teams and catalyzing innovation in social projects. It was co-founded by our Advanced Program in Public Administration alumnus Tomaz Vicente.
“We have been working in this partnership with Insper using the design methodology to develop the class schedule. Its proposal is to boost the collaborative construction of solutions created by entrepreneurs who actually live the problems of the community daily and know people’s needs and desires in-depth”, Tomaz Vicente comments.
The Projeto Crescendo em Rede
The project is dedicated both to entrepreneurs who have a developed social impact project and to those who are not entrepreneurs yet and want to start this challenge.
Altogether, 100 seats are available for attending the training, which will be entirely online. The first training stage consists of 12 meetings over six weeks. After this phase, future entrepreneurs still will have four more weeks of group mentoring.
After the initial training period, entrepreneurs can register in a bid to compete for cash prizes ranging from R$ 3,000 to R$ 8,000. The objective is to provide an opportunity for participants to invest in their projects and transform their ideas into real businesses with an impact on the communities where they live. In addition to the amounts, bidders can also receive guidance on project acceleration and mentoring for impact measurement.
One of the differentials of Crescendo em Rede is the proposal of democratization of knowledge about social entrepreneurship. Before the definition of who will receive investments, all participants can take the class sessions and learn methodologies that boost their ideas.
Silvia Caironi, the founder and general coordinator of Aventura de Construir, stresses the importance of a project like this. “The peripheral communities need to think under social logic. The idea is democratizing for the largest number of people. The final bottleneck will be in the bid notice. The name Crescendo em Rede came for us to grow together, especially at a time like this. We will leave it as “us,” not as individuals,” says Silvia.
Course Concept
The teaching method used to train the group of social entrepreneurs is based on the concept of design. Therefore, Insper and Catálise have proposed techniques to encourage team collaboration, promoting classes, group dynamics, and workshops that facilitate the creation of ideas focused on solutions to a community’s actual problems.
“The workshops were designed so that attendees themselves, who know well the reality around them, come up with initiatives for promoting real solutions to the community via entrepreneurship,” comments Vinicius.
“The program is based on the design methodology, a field of knowledge focused on creating things that do not exist yet. The design uses a series of techniques to understand the pains and desires of people who live with the problem. Thus, solutions are created in line with the real needs of the group. The design is focused on people’s well-being,” says Tomaz Vicente.
Empathy, the dialogue process, and listening are the main guidelines of the workshops, which will also be based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
