Social innovators, disruptors in service of others work under intense pressure in chronically under-resourced environments. As they seek to address the needs of the most vulnerable, marginazlised and the forgotten, social entrepreneurs and their staff often overlook their own inner wellbeing. The result: high incidences of burn-out, serious mental health issues and personal relationship breakdowns, which have a severe impact on organisations and the whole social change sector. New research increasingly shows that prioritising individual wellbeing has a positive ripple effect across organisations, improving innovation, collaboration and social impact capacity—that is, wellbeing inspires welldoing.
Social entrepreneurs inspire us with their humanity and their commitment to those they represent and serve. The path of social entrepreneurship is still lonely, however, and as they address the needs and traumas of others, their own wellbeing is often neglected. The Schwab Foundation has always prioritized the wellbeing of social entrepreneurs, and will continue to do so especially during these dynamic times.
—Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder & Chairperson, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
This article series presented by Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, The Wellbeing Project, Skoll Foundation, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and India Development Review, explores the integral link between individual wellbeing and transformational social change. Contributors include researchers, funders, practitioners, cultural leaders, and innovators from around the world who share their personal journeys, strategies, and practical advice relating to inner wellbeing.
This series aims to be a resource for all those in the social change sector looking to nurture greater individual, organizational and societal wellbeing and welldoing.
- This is how wellbeing drives social change and why cultural readers need to talk about it (Pavitra Raja, World Economic Forum)
- Its time for a new myth of the social entrepreneur (Gary Cohen, Skoll Foundation)
- Integrating individual and organizational well-being (Alana Cookman & Gayle Karen Young Whyte, Stanford Social Innovation Review)
- Supporting well-being in resource-scarce environments (Rohit Kumar, Indian Development Review)
- Finding meaning is an art, and making meaning is art (Lynette Wallworth, World Economic Forum)
- A Table for Two at Tostan: Organizational Wellbeing and Leadership Transition (Molly Melching & Elena Bonometti, Skoll Foundation)
- Bringing Organizational Well-Being to Life (Linda Mitz Sadiq, Stanford Social Innovation Review)
- Productivity at the cost of well-being (Manak Matiyani, Indian Development Review)
- How art can help us heal and make sense of the world (Hrund Gunnsteinsodottir, World Economic Forum)
- Art for Solidarity (Nancy Kapoor, Stanford Social Innovation Review)
- YouthBuild’s formula for well-being (Dorothy Stoneman, Skoll Foundation)
- The Politics of Mental Health and Well-being (Divya Kandakuri, Indian Development Review)
- Art therapy: How the arts can sharpen mental health research (Ken Arnold, World Economic Forum)
- This is how to harness the power of human imagination for social change (Refilwe Nkomo, World Economic Forum)
- How arts and culture can serve as a force for social change (Pavitra Raja & Linda Peterhans, World Economic Forum)
- Social Change Starts with Personal Justice: Rhonda Magee on the Role of Self-Care in Movement Building (Annah Mason, Skoll Foundation)
- Lessons from My Journey of Serial Social Entrepreneurship (Chris Underhill, Skoll Foundation)
- The problem with resilience as we know it (Ruchita Chandrashekar, Indian Development Review)
- Who is 'self-improvement' for? (Sadaf Vida, Indian Development Review)
- Equity and Inclusion: The Roots of Organizational Well-Being (Mary-Frances Winters, Stanford Social Innovation Review)
- Here’s how your mental health depends on collective wellbeing (Geoff Mulgan, World Economic Forum)