Edited by Torino Social Impact

Policy & Practice

The international debate and best practices from around the world

15 February 2021

Everyone a Changemaker, Ashoka’s mission

torino social impact

The history and activities of the international organization that will bring 400 social innovators from Europe to Torino in November 2021.

Born in 1981 in India from the will of the current CEO Bill Drayton to support social entrepreneurs, Ashoka works to build a world in which all citizens can act as agents of change.
In Italy, the activities have started in 2014 with the opening of the Rome’s office, which operates mainly on the promotion of social entrepreneurship, school projects, teenagers, and on the integration between third, public and business sectors models.
The method of work of this organization involves the identification of social entrepreneurs, Ashoka fellows, who can become bearers of positive transformation. Over the years, it has involved hundreds of individuals who have contributed to create the international community and build a network of exchange of practices and collective growth.

Ashoka began its expansion in 1986 with the election of fellows in Brazil and again in 1987 in Mexico, Bangladesh and Nepal. In the Nineties, it continued to expand into Asia, Africa, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe. By 1988, Ashoka had elected 100 fellows and by the end of the 1990s there were more than 1,000. Today, Ashoka operates in 90 countries on every continent and has elected more than 3,000 Ashoka fellows worldwide.

In December 2021, Turin will host the Ashoka European Changemaker Summit, whose last physical edition took place in 2019 in Barcelona. The meeting is dedicated to enhance social innovators by identifying the best European experiences. The approach to the event will involve the whole ecosystem of Torino Social Impact, which will find in the event a new opportunity to present the city as one of the most dynamic and interesting places for the development of new models of impact economy.