2009 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship

March 25-27, 2009
Saïd Business School, Oxford University, England

Each year nearly 800 delegates from more than 60 countries convene for this premier gathering of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. Prominent figures from the social, academic, finance, corporate and policy sectors engage for three days and nights in a series of debates, discussions and work sessions focused on accelerating, innovating and scaling solutions to some of the world’s most pressing social issues.

Social entrepreneurs tend to operate where markets and governments – structures for allocating economic and political power – have failed. Yet social entrepreneurs, themselves, usually start with extremely limited power: They have few financial resources, no hierarchical power of position, and limited political power. Instead, they tap two levers of power – innovation and persuasion – to reach their goals.

With this in mind, the 2009 Skoll World Forum will facilitate discussion, debate and critical questioning around the theme of Social Entrepreneurship: Shifting Power Dynamics- explore how social entrepreneurs access, navigate and influence power dynamics in their approach to change.

Experience the 2009 Skoll World Forum as it happens, with this live video of key sessions. You can also browse audio and video coverage each day. Sessions range from the Opening Plenary to ‘Capital Markets In Crisis’ and ‘Tomorrow’s News: Models for an everyone-is-media world’. The Skoll World Forum is also captured in pictures, blogs, tweets and Facebook and covered in our online community Social Edge.

In addition to plenary and theme-related sessions, additional programme elements include ‘Evergreen’ and ‘Innovators in Action’ sessions plus workshops and ‘Consultancy Clinics’ designed to address practical challenges faced by social entrepreneurs.

For information about the 2009 Skoll World Forum, click here.

The Forum is a joint venture between The Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and The Skoll Foundation. Both organisations share a commitment to understanding, expanding and supporting the field of social entrepreneurship.

Click here to learn more about the 2008 Skoll World Forum.

Click here to learn more about the 2007 Skoll World Forum.

Click here to learn more about the 2006 Skoll World Forum.

Click here to learn more about the 2005 Skoll World Forum.

Click here to learn about the 2004 Skoll World Forum.

Click here to learn about the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship.