It is a question we all ask ourselves, one that flits through each of our minds at some point in our lives, ‘Can I be the next Bill Gates?’. It is a question that we think about, smile about, daydream about, but ultimately forget about – for it is one of those unattainable aspirations that remain as questions lingering in the backs of our minds.
But what if we are taught the means to achieve this dream? The Institute for Philanthropy and LSE IDEAS, the centre for international affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science have devised a way to teach us just that; they have devised a contest in which two of the UK’s leading philanthropists will address students on how to spend money in ways that improve the world. For the first time, students at one of the world’s best universities will – over the course of three seminars – learn many of the same skills in strategic philanthropy that are taught to participants in The Philanthropy Workshop, the Institute for Philanthropy’s international education programme for wealthy individuals.
The Sheikh Zayed Theatre will, on 10th March, become the podium for ‘The Philanthropy Challenge: Could you be the next Bill Gates?’ Competing teams of students will be invited to work out how (if they were philanthropists) they could make a practical and permanent difference to any of the planet’s most pressing international problems. It will be launched with a public panel discussion on Wednesday 10th March, in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, during which students will hear from two of the UK’s most successful executives and philanthropists. They will be addressed by Dame Stephanie Shirley, the Government’s Ambassador for Philanthropy, who started technology group Xansa from her dining-room and built it into a FTSE 250 company; and by Nicholas Ferguson, chairman of the Institute for Philanthropy and private equity firm SVG Capital. There will also be addresses from Professor Arne Westad of LSE IDEAS on the intersection between philanthropy and global politics, and Dr. Salvatore LaSpada, the Chief Executive of the Institute for Philanthropy, who advised the Rockefeller family on their giving and who directs The Philanthropy Workshop.
The panel discussion will be followed later in the year by three seminars, to be led by the Institute’s Chief Executive Dr. Salvatore LaSpada. Here, teams of students will develop projects as to how, with a sum of money provided, they can make a permanent difference in today’s global society. The winning team’s projects entry will be published as an academic paper by LSE, and a sum of money will be made as a grant to a non-governmental organisation selected by the winners.
Professor Arne Westad, co-director of LSE IDEAS, said: “This is a novel and extremely imaginative challenge which we think will stimulate our students and push their thinking in new directions. Whoever wins will have to understand not only some of the complexities of international relations and government but also the philosophy and strategy of targeted giving that that the Institute for Philanthropy is promoting.”
Dr Salvatore LaSpada, chief executive of the Institute for Philanthropy, said: “Given LSE’s international renown, this is an excellent opportunity for us to work with some of the finest young entrepreneurial minds from around the world, several of whom we hope will form the next generation of engaged and strategic philanthropists.”
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