abc* Foundation Announces the Program for the 2014 Continuity Forum

MIAMI, Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Americas Business Council Foundation (abc*) today announced the lineup for its fourth annual Continuity Forum. The abc* Continuity Forum brings together an elite group of more than 500 business, media, and political leaders with social luminaries and introduces the next class of social entrepreneurs in order to promote radical innovation in social development across the Americas and around the world. This year, it will take place in Miami at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on November 13 and 14.

Guest speakers include:

• Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner in Economics
• Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times
• Mira Awad, singer, songwriter, actress, and humanitarian
• Peter Diamandis, CEO of X PRIZE Foundation
• Emilio Azcárraga, CEO of Televisa, president of the Televisa Foundation, and co-chair of abc* Foundation
• Angelica Fuentes, President and CEO of Grupo Omnilife and co-chair of abc* Foundation
• Steven M. Wise, president of the Nonhuman Rights Project
• Sir Ken Robinson, TED celebrity author and educator
• Madison Stewart underwater filmmaker and shark advocate
• David Broza, Israeli superstar singer/songwriter and humanitarian performing the Healing Power of Music
• Vik Muniz, Academy Award nominated artist and photographer

Co-chairs of the abc* Foundation; Emilio Azcárraga, President and Chairman of Grupo Televisa; Angelica Fuentes, President and CEO of Grupo Omnilife; Jorge Vergara, Chairman of Grupo Omnilife; and Mario Scarpetta, Chairman of Grupo Azurita; will set out to uncover opportunities for social progress and zero in on the constant of change and how social entrepreneurs are embracing that change to profoundly impact the lives of millions.

The abc* Foundation's mission is to identify, replicate, and improve the most innovative global solutions to social and environmental challenges facing the Americas. Going well beyond traditional philanthropy, abc* chooses its portfolio of initiatives by identifying organizations who can have a tremendous impact in the Americas once they receive abc*'s support, financial assistance and data-driven planning.

With hands-on help from the abc* Foundation, the initiatives will have the capacity to be scaled up or replicated to achieve specific objectives with measurable goals that help solve critical challenges in the Americas.

"At abc* Foundation we believe that organizations have the greatest impact when everyone works together – from corporations to non-profits to individuals. That's why we are so excited about bringing together brilliant business, political, and media experts with grassroots leaders to identify and implement substantive solutions to some of the most pressing issues we face," said Emilio Azcárraga, Co-Chair of the abc* Foundation. "The compelling stories of these social entrepreneurs make an enormous difference and we are proud to host and support them to generate further social good, backed by our incredible partner Ashoka and Knight Foundation."

Now in its fourth year, the Continuity Forum is the preeminent event for sustainability and social entrepreneurship focused on the Americas. The theme of continuity is critical since far too many social and environmental projects are short-term fixes where the investors in the project are disconnected from its implementation, growth and evaluation.

Past speakers have included Nobel Laureates Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Muhammad Yunus and Kofi Annan, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Strategist David Axelrod, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Environmentalist Jane Goodall, Richard Branson, and economist Larry Summers.

The event weaves in the inspiring stories of keynote speakers with an introduction to the next class of 23 social entrepreneurs who hail from Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Spain, France, Austria, and who are all Fellows of Ashoka, the world's foremost organization for social change. These social entrepreneurs were selected among thousands of other established Ashoka Fellows to present their ideas and address issues ranging from poverty and food security, to environmental sustainability, community building and social justice at the Forum for a chance to earn one of three $100,000 grants and a two-year collaborative partnership with the abc* Foundation. The abc* Foundation will choose three initiatives to receive funding and intensive advisory, media and marketing support from abc* and its partners over the next two years. These partnerships will involve a continuous transfer of knowledge, resources, and access that creates lasting, innovative solutions.

The 2014 abc* Continuity Forum aims to break new ground, offering concrete hope for some of the most challenging social and economic challenges in the Americas.  

To view the full list of organizations from the Ashoka network chosen to present their projects, visit: http://www.abccontinuityforum.com/program/entrepreneurial

To see the full event schedule and purchase event tickets, visit http://www.abccontinuityforum.com.

Join the conversation

Join the conversation during the conference by using #abcforum and following @abc_foundation. Like the abc* Foundation on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/abcfoundation

LiveStream

To view the event live online, visit:
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/477936/events/3493585/player?width=640&height=360&autoPlay=true&mute=false

ABOUT THE CONTINUITY FORUM

Join hundreds of elite business, media, and political leaders at the preeminent event for sustainability and social entrepreneurship focused on the Americas.  23 leading social entrepreneurs from the Ashoka network will pitch their ideas to address issues ranging from poverty and food security, to environmental sustainability, community building and social justice. Going well beyond traditional philanthropy, abc* will choose three social entrepreneurs to join its portfolio of supported initiatives by identifying who can have a tremendous impact in the Americas once they receive abc*'s hands-on support, financial assistance, and data-driven planning.

For more information on the abc* Continuity Forum, visit: http://www.abccontinuityforum.com

ABOUT THE AMERICAS BUSINESS COUNCIL FOUNDATION

The abc* Foundation is a think-do tank that identifies and supports high-impact initiatives and leaders in the Americas striving to promote peace, sustainability and prosperity.

We support projects that promote innovative, long-term and sustainable solutions to social and environmental challenges. We believe that empowerment and hands-on engagement, rather than distanced charity, is the key to successful philanthropy.

For more information on abc*, visit: http://www.abcfound.org/

ABOUT ASHOKA

Ashoka is known for its relentless insistence on finding people with a new vision of what is possible. Founded by Bill Drayton in 1980, Ashoka has supported more than 3000 social entrepreneurs in 85 countries: individuals with powerful new solutions to today's most difficult challenges, who possess the skills and drive to create new patterns in their fields. Today, we are working to shape an Everyone a Changemaker world: one in which all people are equipped with agency and empathy, teamwork, and leadership skills to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

For more information on Ashoka, visit: http://www.ashoka.org/

SOURCE abc* Foundation

Related Links

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