Babson College Completes Third Module of U.S.-Saudi Women's Forum on Social Entrepreneurship

BABSON PARK, Mass., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for Women's Leadership at Babson College, along with The Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, Dar Al Hekma College, and ICF International, will complete the U.S.-Saudi Women's Forum on Social Entrepreneurship March 2-3, 2010 at Dar Al Hekma College in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Forum's mission is to teach college-age women in Saudi Arabia how to design and launch sustainable social enterprises by helping them build their businesses and leadership skills in order to solve social problems.

In the final module, "Social Entrepreneurship Awards," six teams of 30 undergraduate women from Saudi Arabia will present their plans for social entrepreneurship ventures to a panel of judges. Three winning teams will receive $9,000 in seed money to help make their launch plans reality.

Dr. Janelle Shubert, Babson's Director, Center for Women's Leadership, will moderate a student-led panel on Social Entrepreneurship, and Dr. Kristin Hibler, Senior Advisor, ICF, will facilitate a panel on Cross-cultural Differences in Mentoring.

Since April 2009, faculty from the partnering institutions have worked with the Saudi students to refine the skills they need to create real plans for entrepreneurial ventures, including how to navigate the challenges of designing and delivering social entrepreneurship programs, enhancing leadership skills, and cultivating the creative processes necessary for success.

In addition, several successful female entrepreneurs with ventures in corporate social responsibility, traditional not-for-profits, and social entrepreneurship shared their experiences during the program's speaker series component.

For more information on the U.S.-Saudi Women's Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, visit: www.us-saudiwomensforum.blogspot.com.

This program is funded through the Middle East Partnership Initiative.

The Center for Women's Leadership at Babson College creates, supports and disseminates best practices for women's entrepreneurial leadership through educational excellence, innovative professional development and outreach and research that translates data into knowledge and knowledge into action. The Center is focused on women at all stages of their careers, as well as on organizations that are committed to leveraging the talent and market power of women. Its programs, outreach activities and research all promote the use of innovative approaches that enable women and organizations to develop and act on opportunities that create value for stakeholders and society. www.babson.edu

The Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College

For 35 years, scholars from the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) at Wellesley College have helped drive positive social change through their social science research projects and training programs. Work at WCW addresses three major areas: the status of women and girls and the advancement of their human rights both in the United States and around the globe; the education, care, and development of children and youth; and the emotional well-being of families and individuals.

Dar Al-Hekma College as a learning community is committed to the furtherance and enhancement of creativity, excellence, intellect and independent thinking among its students. The graduates of Dar Al-Hekma will be capable of bringing about positive change for the betterment of self, family, society and humanity with the aim of serving and pleasing the Creator. The College awards bachelor's degrees to students who successfully complete a four-year, college-level curriculum. The degrees are awarded to those who successfully complete two years of a bachelor's degree program. The College is managed and operated by highly qualified Saudi and expatriate faculty and staff to provide the highest standards of academic services.

ICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI) partners with government and commercial clients to deliver professional services and technology solutions in the energy, climate change, environment, transportation, social programs, health, defense, and homeland security markets. Since 1969, ICF has sought to provide lasting solutions to society's most challenging management, technology, and policy issues that protect and improve the quality of life. More than 3,000 employees work worldwide in service areas that include strategic communication, human capital management, and management consulting.

The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), located within the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, assists efforts to expand political participation, strengthen civil society and the rule of law, empower women and youth, create educational opportunities, and foster economic reform throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

SOURCE Babson College