Named after a famous Indian king of long ago, the Ashoka network was created as an agency to help and offer support to people who have a dream – people who want to build on their ideas, accomplish things and to make the world a better place one step at a time.
Ashoka is a network of social entrepreneurs who have all benefitted from the relationships they have had with other changemakers throughout the group – receiving their encouragement, advice and assistance.
This book looks at sixteen individuals who have accomplished amazing work from lighting jungle villages to building the perfect playground. The network offers mentorship and financial help to people from around the world so they can accomplish even more with their ideas and plans. It has helped more than 3000 social entrepreneurs in more than 70 countries through its mentoring programs including:
- Amy Barzach of South Windsor, Connecticut whose “Jonathan’s Dream” program creates accessible playgrounds;
- Chris Balme of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania whose “Spark” apprenticeship program helps high school students in danger of dropping out;
- Joaquin Leguia of Lima, Peru whose “Children’s Forests” program teaches children about planting and becoming stewards of the land;
- and Tomas Lang of Burnaby, British Columbia whose program encourages schools to change the way they handle waste with an emphasis on “reduce, reuse and recycle.”
In addition to the inspirational features on the sixteen changemakers, Ashoka includes a section on how to get started being a changemaker along with a list of the things that can be done right now – to make a difference in the world we all live in.
