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For many of us, we are not aware of the world’s most dynamic problems. For instance, it is estimated that there are approximately 27 million slaves around the world, at least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day, HIV is the leading cause of death and disease among women aged 15–49 years worldwide, more than 226 million people are affected by disasters every year, and the list goes on. Did you know all those things were going on? Sadly, there are many who are disconnected to these truths, but thankfully, there are passionate problem solvers ready to take action. This is where Be Social Change steps in.

Be Social Change is an entrepreneurship education non-profit empowering and connecting passionate professionals (like you) to build careers that create bold and innovative social impact. At Be Social Change, they believe that to solve the world’s toughest problems, we need to increase the number of entrepreneurial problem-solvers in the world.

This week, Conscious took a moment with the Founders of Be Social Change to talk about their work to empower and educate problem-sovlers. At Conscious, these types of conversations are important to us, as we desire to explore how individuals can use their talents and skills to pursue social-entrepreneurial pursuits.

Rachael Baxter: What inspired Be Social Change?
Marcos Salaza (Co-Founder): When we [Allie Mahler, Co-Founder] met in May 2011, we were both searching for a community with purpose. We were looking to connect with passionate change makers, who were making a difference in their local communities. At the time, this type of community didn’t exist in New York. Rather, we found the city to be a place of missed connections and undirected passions. We saw an opportunity to create a space where people could share their ideas for change and collaborate on new forms of social impact with their peers.

We soon launched Be Social Change on Meetup.com and built a vibrant and diverse community through the use of online tools and offline collaborative events. Our community grew rapidly, and soon, we were hosting large-scale panels, workshops, interactive networking events, and building resources (such as our weekly Social Good Events Guide).

Through building Be Social Change as a grassroots effort, we’ve seen a growing desire from our community to pursue meaningful work. At the same time, there is a gap between intention and action. The Makers Institute, our in-person and online learning platform, is designed to answer the question that so many passionate people ask: How do I apply my skills and talents to create a better world?

RB: What types of challenges did you face as you began building Be Social Change?
MS: One of the biggest challenges we have faced is figuring out where we can create the greatest impact. Our community is so diverse and comes from all professional backgrounds. It has been hard for us to try not to be everything to everyone. After speaking with our community and researching their needs, we found that the greatest impact we can make is by creating professional development programs and opening networks that guide people in building careers, where they can do good and do well in today’s rapidly changing working world. We believe that to solve the world’s toughest problems, we need to increase the number of entrepreneurial problem-solvers in the world. This includes people pursuing careers as social entrepreneurs creating the next generation of socially conscious businesses and scalable non-profits, as well as social intrapreneurs driving innovation within start ups, non-profits, corporations, and government. As a result, we have focused our efforts to build Be Social Change as an entrepreneurship education non-profit empowering and connecting passionate professionals to build careers that create bold and innovative social impact.

RB: What type of companies are part of Be Social Change?
MS: The companies that are a part of Be Social Change include individuals who’ve started their own consulting practices to people who work within big companies to social entrepreneurs who’ve started their own ventures. Examples of these companies include: We Did It, Rubina, Kno Clothing, Lloyd Advisors, NYC Government, Tythe Design, etc.

Are you passionate about something but don’t know how or where to help?  Connect with Be Social Change and support their Makers Institute Campaign. The Makers Institute is a 21st century education platform for passionate professionals looking to create bold and innovative social impact through their work. Think of the Makers Institute as the next evolution in business school and career training at a fraction of the cost. Their skill-building classes and project-based courses will develop the entrepreneurial skills needed to build an impact-driven career, socially conscious small business, or scalable non-profit.

A B O U T 
Be Social Change is an entrepreneurship education non-profit empowering and connecting passionate professionals – like you – to build careers that create bold and innovative social impact. They focus on Social Entrepreneurship Education, Idea-Exchange and Sharing of Best Practices, Community-Building, and Resource-Sharing Tools.

C O N N E C T
Learn more about Be Social Change.
Connect via Facebook and Twitter.

F R O M   T H E   E D I T O R:
At Conscious, we are about producing purposeful media that empowers others and provides them with the tools to create impact. You can find more stories and resources like this when you pick up your copy of Conscious Magazine. Subscribe today via our Conscious Shop.