Kissing the Tiger: The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Building Peace and Cultural Tolerance

If you're interested in the role that social entrepreneurship can play in preventing violence, building peace and strengthening tolerance and empathy around the world, this group is for you.

In the Fall of 2004, 14 Ashoka Fellows from 5 countries in South Asia gathered in New Delhi to share ideas and best practices, and to explore ways of collaborating to address the biggest obstacles to preventing violence in South Asia. At this meeting, an Ashoka Fellow from northeast India, a Catholic priest, commented that one of his deepest learnings had been that "True peacebuilding means having no enemies, to yield to being kissed by a tiger."  

This quote exemplifies the spirit of the social entrepreneur. It is what we are now trying to do. With climate change, resource scarcity, and economic turmoil all projected to increase violent conflict in the years ahead, it has never been more important to learn how to live and work together. Ashoka is embarking on an unprecedented effort to scale up the contribution and role of social entrepreneurship in meeting these challenges. We invite you to join us.