Global Innovation for Village Entrepreneurship (GIVE) Capstone

Global Innovation for Village Entrepreneurship (GIVE) Capstone Global Innovation for Village Entrepreneurship (GIVE) We propose to develop and deliver a new 9-credit hour Capstone1 Sequence and subsequent Certificate Program in Global Innovation for Village Entrepreneurship (GIVE) at Arizona State University (ASU). The overarching goal of this program is to develop sustainable, entrepreneurial solutions that address the needs of villagers living in poverty. The capstone is a direct result of the goals and successes of GlobalResolve (GR), a sustainable social and technological entrepreneurship program founded at ASU in 2006 with a focus on alleviating poverty through village-based entrepreneurship initiatives. Since its inception, GR has launched projects focusing on clean-burning fuels, water purification, non-grid lighting, and sustainable economic development in Ghana (A description of GR accomplishments can be found in the appendix). In order to carry out these projects, GR has involved over 100 students, and over thirty faculty members from three ASU campuses and three overseas universities as project team members in project courses. This program will enable GR to grow through identifying new needs at the village level and developing and implementing entrepreneurial solutions. It is designed to accommodate rotating cohorts of students in a continual cycle of development and implementation (see Figure 1). This capstone trains students in basic skills to conduct needs assessments, design products, and develop a business plan; takes them into a village to conduct a needs assessment and survey local technologies; and brings them back into the classroom to develop solutions to water and energy issues as project-based service-learning (PBSL).