(Photo from PBS)

Before getting to this week's social entrepreneurship awards, it should be noted that PBS has a program out on social entrepreneurs called The New Heroes, which will air this summer on June 28th and July 5th. It's hosted by Robert Redford, and:

The New Heroes tells the dramatic stories of 14 daring people from all corners of the globe who, against all odds, are successfully alleviating poverty and illness, combating unemployment and violence, and bringing education, light, opportunity and freedom to poor and marginalized people around the world.

Also known as "social entrepreneurs," they develop innovations that bring life-changing tools and resources to people desperate for viable solutions. What is possible? You'd be surprised. Take a journey into a world where people take action to make a big difference.

I'll be in India at the time it airs, but may be back to catch the July 5th show.

Now on to the awards for this week. I was calling The Robin Hood Awards, though I've decided to just simply call it the Audeamus awards. Audeamus means 'Let Us Dare' so it seems appropriate enough that we name the award after this site. Second, I'm not getting enough people voting in this, so if I don't have more voting, I'll have to figure out another way to highlight these social entrepreneurs.

From last week, we had only one vote, and that was mine. So the only person who advances from last week to this one is our first SE:

*Irshad Manji, author and reformer called "Osama Bin Laden's worst nightmare" by the New York Times. Manji has set up something called Project Ijtihad, an initiative to develop the world's first leadership network for reform-minded Muslims.

*HeathCliff Rothman, a journalist turned social entrepreneur who founded Film Your Issue (FYI) in 2004. FYI gives young filmmakers the chance to showcase their best short-video work on social issues.

*Next is Nat Henshaw, President of CEI Ventures, Inc., who recently received the Practitioner of the Year Award from the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance. Henshaw founded CEI Ventures, Coastal Enterprises, Inc.'s first CDVC fund, in 1994. Making investments from the two investment vehicles it manages, CEI Ventures seeks to create quality employment opportunities, to promote progressive management practices, to support socially beneficial products and services, and to enrich distressed communities. CEI Ventures is a leader in the industry in measuring the social impact of its investments and in providing innovative services to the workforces of its portfolio companies.

*Fourth and final this week is Bunker Roy who founded Barefoot College in 1972, a school for teaching skills for both life and work to underserved people in India, "washouts, copouts, and dropouts." More on Bunker Roy at the Social Entrepreneurship Portal.

Please vote for who you think deserves the Audeamus Award for this week in the comment section below. Whoever gets the most votes will advance to the following week, and onward and upward.

In other social entrepreneurship news:

*The BBC checks in with a story on the booming field of SE's with this story "Young, gifted and not for profit" ...

*What kind of social entrepreneur are you? Activist, change agent, market pioneer, market influencer? The Columbia Business School's Research Initiative on Social Entrepreneurship (RISE) in partnership with Investors' Circle and the Social Venture Network, will soon release a report on this. It says January 2006 on the website, so it seems they are a little late in getting it out.

*Finally, the Do Something Brick Award is calling for nominations to honor young social entrepreneurs under the age of 18, and between 19 and 25. Deadline is October 25, 2006.

**In one last note, it is World Press Freedom Day. Sixty-five journalists were killed worldwide in 2005 while doing their work. The following is from the IPI:

On average, in 2005, a journalist was killed every 5.6 days. The most dangerous region for journalists is the Middle East and North African region where 26 journalists died, and Iraq continues to be the most hazardous country in the world with 23 journalists killed. Nine journalists were murdered in the Philippines and overall, Asia, with 20 deaths, is a region of impunity where the authorities habitually fail to properly investigate killings. In the Americas, there were 11 deaths, with Brazil (2), Colombia (2), Haiti (3) and Mexico (2) the most dangerous countries. Africa and Europe saw 4 deaths in each region.