Description: The enthusiasm of the participants in attending the Eco-Sociopreneur Academy (ESA) Workshop on December 22, 2024, at Daekin University & Lancaster University Indonesia, Bandung (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
Bandung, December 22, 2024 – The trend of becoming a sociopreneur, or social entrepreneur, is rapidly growing in Indonesia. According to the British Council, in the last five years, sociopreneurial activities in Indonesia have increased by 70%. A total of 67% of the 1,388 social organizations and businesses surveyed are led by millennials and Gen Z. This sector contributes 1.91% to Indonesia’s GDP, equivalent to 19.4 trillion Rupiah, with the creative industry being the largest contributor.
However, amidst this development, environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, and ecosystem destruction remain urgent global challenges. In this context, the role of sociopreneurs is highly relevant, especially in inspiring real action to protect the environment. Therefore, there is a need to cultivate eco-sociopreneurs—economic actors who are socially and ecologically responsible, particularly among the youth.
The Eco-Sociopreneur Academy (ESA) aims to address this challenge. The program’s goal is to create a socially and ecologically sustainable society through businesses grounded in social justice and environmental preservation principles. In the long term, ESA is committed to empowering youth to become socially and ecologically responsible economic actors.
Eddy Aqdhiwijaya, Chairman of the Islamic Love Indonesia Foundation (Gerakan Islam Cinta – GIC), who serves as the coordinator of the Eco-Sociopreneur Academy (ESA) activities, stated that ESA is the result of a collaboration between Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah, Gerakan Islam Cinta, Peace Generation, and Daekin University & Lancaster University Indonesia. “This collaboration aims to create a larger impact in the development of environmentally friendly and socially responsible entrepreneurship among the youth,” he said. ESA is attended by 100 youth from Bandung who are interested in self-development, entrepreneurship, and environmentally friendly social development.
Description: Sianne Sari, Irfan Amali, and Eddy Aqdhiwijaya served as mentors during the first session of the Eco-Sociopreneur Academy (ESA) Workshop (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
Selection Process, Workshops, Coaching, and Mentoring
The Eco-Sociopreneur Academy (ESA) is open to young people aged 15-35, both male and female, who are active in entrepreneurship and community social activities. Participants must also have an interest in self-development, entrepreneurship, and environmentally friendly social development, as well as a commitment to follow the entire ESA program, from pre-training to mentoring stages.
Registration for ESA was open from December 10 to 18, 2024. After the selection process, the successful participants had the opportunity to attend a pre-workshop on December 20, 2024, online, and the main workshop on December 22, 2024, which was held at the Daekin University & Lancaster University Indonesia Auditorium in Bandung. This workshop featured mentors who will accompany ESA, including Irfan Amali, Hening Parlan, Jonathan Gultom, and Arto Biantoro.
Irfan Amali, Founder of Peace Generation Indonesia, explained the importance of experience in shaping individuals. “What changes someone is experience. That’s what Peace Generation does, teaching peace and experiencing peace. Learning must be enjoyable. Start with why, and then how,” he said. Irfan added that ESA uses an experience-based learning approach so that participants can learn in an enjoyable and meaningful way while developing critical thinking to create positive impacts in their environment.
Description: Irfan Amali, shared his best practice managing Peace Generation. (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
Hening Parlan, Director of Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah, also shared her thoughts on the importance of environmental preservation. “Environmental science is not a distant subject; it is very close. From the moment we wake up to the moment we sleep, the environment is near,” she said. According to Hening, the growing environmental damage is due to human greed. Therefore, preventing environmental destruction must come from the heart and our values and beliefs. “Religion or belief must speak out and spread the importance of preventing the climate crisis, the importance of nurturing the relationship between humans and nature. If the relationship between humans and nature is damaged, the relationship between humans and God will also not be good,” she stated. “Thus, the role of an entrepreneur is not to become rich, but to eliminate our ego to help nature and others. That is part of Jihad Al Maun,” she added.
Description: Hening Parlan said that from the moment we wake up to the moment we sleep, the environment is near. (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
Sianne Sari, Director of Student Recruitment at Daekin University & Lancaster University Indonesia, also emphasized the social and ecological impact of entrepreneurship that addresses environmental challenges. “The social and ecological impact of entrepreneurship dealing with environmental challenges is enormous. Green solutions for climate change, waste reduction, and resource conservation are very relevant,” she said. “We can also inspire a greener economy by promoting the circular economy and responsible consumption,” she continued.
Description: Hening Parlan as one of the speaker of the Eco-Sociopreneur Academy (ESA) Workshop. (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
Jonathan Gultom, an entrepreneurship program practitioner, also added his view on the importance of a business’s main goal. “The main task of a business is to solve customer problems. The job of business is not to seek profit. Seeking profit is the result of happy customers. You will be happy in your customer’s happiness,” he said. “The same goes for socio-entrepreneurship; if the customer is not happy, it won’t sustain,” he added. According to Mr. Jo, his familiar nickname, mapping the right segment is crucial. “A segment is like sand, so make your segment. Hold on to the right sand, so when it shakes, it won’t slip away,” he added. Mr. Jo emphasized the importance of focusing on solving customer problems and understanding the right market segment to ensure business sustainability.
Description: Jonathan Gultom said that seeking profit is the result of happy customers (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
Arto Biantoro, a branding practitioner, added the importance of a holistic approach to building a strong brand. “A good brand must involve all five senses; it can’t just be digital. All of it is called touchpoints—everything we do builds the brand with all five senses. Everything is designed by the brand as a differentiator, and this differentiator must carry the message we want to convey,” he said. According to Arto, business ideas must start from problems around us and be developed consistently. “A strong brand starts with a strong community, and consistency is key in creating an impactful brand,” he concluded.
Description: Arto Biantoro said that business ideas must start from problems around us and be developed consistently. (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
Participant Impressions
Kiblat, a 9th-grade student from Pesantren Welas Asih, expressed his excitement about attending the workshop. “The materials presented by the mentors were amazing. We were taught to sort information well, distinguishing between hoaxes and facts. The specific targeting for the market was also interesting. For me, as a 15-year-old, receiving this material and experience is incredible. I hope this activity continues to grow and benefit many people,” he said.
Aisyah, another participant from Ina Speak Up, shared a similar sentiment. “Youth are the builders of civilization. Here, we learn how to settle and make an impact. Through the relationships at this forum, I hope we can contribute to our community. This knowledge is priceless, and I may not get it anywhere else. This is the best gift for me at the end of this year,” she stated.
After the workshop, 20 selected participants will receive mentoring through coaching sessions. The coaching sessions will begin on January 11, 2025, with the theme Peace Partnership, Environment, and Social Entrepreneurship, followed by Business Plan, Product, and Service Design on January 14, 2025, and concluding with Branding & Marketing on January 18, 2025.
Description: The enthusiasm of the participants in attending the Eco-Sociopreneur Academy (ESA) Workshop on December 22, 2024, at Daekin University & Lancaster University Indonesia, Bandung (Doc. @ecobhinneka)
(Farah, Eddy)
