Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University sign 3-year MOU on social entrepreneurship and sustainability

_{Standing before the iconic De La Salle building lit up in the colors of both schools. Left to right: Dr Norby R Salonga; Ms Fritzie Ian P De Vera; Dr Robert Roleda; Brother Bernard S Oca, FSC; Fr Roberto Yap, SJ; Dr Maria Luz Viches; Ms Ana Marina Tan}

Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University, through the centers Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship (ACSEnt) and the Lasallian Social Enterprise for Economic Development (LSEED) Center, signed a 3-year MOU on social entrepreneurship and sustainability at De La Salle University's Henry Sy Sr Hall on Tuesday, 5 Sept 2023.

The MOU was signed by Fr Roberto C Yap, SJ, Ateneo President; Brother Bernard S Oca, FSC, De La Salle President; Dr Maria Luz C Vilches, Ateneo VP for Higher Education; and Dr Robert Roleda, De La Salle Provost. Witnessing the signing from Ateneo were Dr Roberto Galang, Dean of the John Gokongwei School of Management; and Ms Ana Marina Tan, Director ACSEnt. From DLSU, present were Dr Laurene Chua-Garcia, VP for External Relations and Internationalization; Ms Fritzie Ian P De Vera; VP for Lasallian Mission; and Dr Norby R Salonga, Founding Director of LSEED Center.

The partnership seeks to collaborate in the areas of social entrepreneurship and sustainability through:

• The promotion and advocacy of social entrepreneurship and sustainability
• Mobilization of internal and external stakeholders for cooperation-building, resource generation, and capacity-building endeavors; and
• Sharing of good practices in the fields of social entrepreneurship and sustainability.

Social enterprises have been recognized as a vehicle that help towards the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The United Nations report on Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 agenda indicates how youth social entrepreneurship has the potential to make young people agents of change especially when nurtured in an enabling environment.

The collaboration of Ateneo and DLSU not only strengthens both schools' mission towards poverty alleviation and social justice but also supports in the achievement of the SDGs.