Upcoming Projects: >>Young leaders for business

Projects & Center for hospitality and social entrepreneurship in Bhutan

See the presentation of the project at TEDxchange on youtube

Young leaders for business, A taster
The taster is an initiative of Dr. Rieki Crins in collaboration with Leading2 change and Phuensum Gyalwang Bhutan

Background
Within four decades Bhutan has been successful in putting in place a modern education system from community primary schools to tertiary institutes and has reached a school enrolment ratio of more than 90%. The country is on track in achieving the Millennium Development Goal number 2 in assuring that the children, boys and girls alike, complete a full course of primary schooling and the country is moving from a low to a medium Human Development country (UN index). Despite these trends, Bhutan is still one of the least developed economies in the world and the question arises what employment opportunities educated Bhutanese children will have as private sector development is not keeping pace with education. As development started late in Bhutan, young people lack role models and examples of being creative and utilizing economic triggers within society. Bhutan is unique in having a national development vision of Gross National Happiness, initiated by the fourth King of Bhutan, which aims at sustainable development and wellbeing of people.

Social business is way of doing business that fits within Bhutan’s national development vision of Gross National Happiness (GNH). “A social business may be positioned between traditional profit maximizing business and not-for-profit businesses, such as CSOs. Social businesses are making money while at the same time addressing social issues; it is real trade with real paying customers and generating products and services which create new opportunities for people who are usually left out”.

Context
The proposed project will be linked to the establishment of 4 star eco hotel and the community hospitality school. The initiative is to tap into local knowledge and the school can guide young people ( next to teaching a vocation) how they can become entrepreneurs and starting to create a structure for (social) entrepreneurship.

Download PDF 'Young leaders for business'

Additional projects will be initiated and implemented after consultation with multi-interest groups in Bhutan with a focus on sustainable eco- projects.

Lefoundation is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political, non-religious, non-sectoral social organization