The Tribune

A Bahamian entrepreneur this week paid a courtesy call on the US Embassy’s charg� d’affaires, Lisa Johnson, following his recent participation in the US State Department-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Programme.

Jaime Lewis, founder and president of Islandz Tours, participated in the ‘Changemakers: The Impact of Social Entrepreneurs in the US’ event from August 10-29.

The professional exchange programme focused on government initiatives that support civic engagement and innovation.

Through his tourism company, Mr Lewis works directly with local entrepreneurs to promote tourism. During the meeting with Ms Johnson, Mr Lewis discussed how he will apply his experiences from the professional exchange in the US to make a positive impact in The Bahamas.

Mr Lewis was joined by counterparts representing Australia, Bangladesh, Belize, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Hungary, India, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay.

During the programme, the participants visited several US cities including Washington D.C., Burlington, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Cleveland, where they examined the rise of social entrepreneurship in the US and how innovation can drive social and environmental change.

Through analysis of successful models of social entrepreneurship, the participants explored the impact of new and social media on traditional methods of fundraising, grassroots mobilisation and strategic collaboration.

The group also discussed how social entrepreneurs identify problems and apply market-based solutions to organise, create and manage ventures that engage the community to solve social problems.

As a follow-up to the programme, Mr Lewis will facilitate a 90-minute presentation on ‘The Impact of Social Entrepreneurship’ at the American Corner located in the Harry C. Moore Library at the College of the Bahamas on Thursday, October 30, at 2pm. Admission to the event is free and open to the general public.