Promoting transforming models at an international scale

So that the solutions to social problems may disseminate and gather the strength necessary to multiply and reach the majorities that most need them, CAF's Social Innovation Initiative has started an active agenda to promote these experiences, participating in forums, international meetings, and organizing workshops where multiple actors, such as entrepreneurs, investors with impact, public policy makers, universities, scientists, communicators, and the civil society, have met. 

The "Empresas B: redefiniendo el éxito en las empresas" (B Enterprises; redefining success in enterprises) forum was organized in Argentina jointly with Systema B and the bi-national chambers of commerce: Argentinean-Dutch, and Argentinean German. This forum was also organized in Colombia and Uruguay. 

Two editions of the "International Social Innovation Festival were organized in Chile and Argentina. A multitudinous audience gathered around the most important social challenges of the continent. CAF had a relevant participation in the Chilean panel, which focused the discussion on "How to construct social innovation ecosystems". 

In the United Kingdom, Ana Mercedes Botero, Director of the  IIS CAF, participated in the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. She also participated in the Second Social Innovation World Forum in Germany, which included the presence of Angela Merkel, who highlighted the need to promote and empower the civil society in search for solutions to the social challenges of the XXI century.  

With respect to the management of knowledge and the evaluation of innovation as essential components for the promotion of transforming models, the IIS CAF has carried out workshops with the methodologies of the universities of Oxford and Brighton, the Project Management Institute, and the Global Report Initiative (GRI).

In this line, CAF also promotes the "Iniciativa para el Desarrollo Humano y Reducción de la Pobreza" (OPHI) (Initiative for Human Development and Reduction of Poverty), jointly with Oxford University. This is an unpublished research that determines the dimesions that are lacking in the measurements of poverty, such as agency, social connection, and empowerment, among other factors, to understand the obstacles that stand in the way of overcoming it. This research will be published toward the end of 2015.