3 Units
This course prepares students to learn from the emerging practices of social innovations and innovative practices in tackling local and global challenges and uncertainties. Special attention will be given to the innovation and practices performed by social workers and social service agencies. Social innovation means accomplishing more with less, working together, leveraging resources, sharing data, and creating models for change that are sustainable. Social innovation is a broad concept and practice that could be implemented through social intrapreneurship or social entrepreneurship. Innovative practice means the introduction of new ideas, services, processes, procedures or structures into a system or organization to make a change for good. The innovative practice is a process moving internally designed or externally created knowledge into action. The essence of social innovation and innovative practice for social work is a process of planned social change in creating social values while its ultimate goal is to induce significant social impacts for the betterment of people’s quality of life.
In this course, students will acquire knowledge, strategies and practice models of social innovations, social intrapreneurship, and social entrepreneurship. The scope of social innovations includes those in NGOs, non-profit organizations, communities, business and public sector. Experiential learning, such as site/ programme visits, dialogue with social entrepreneurs, social intrapreneurs or service users, will be integrated along the course delivery. The course will provide inspirations as well as know-how for students who would like to develop innovative actions to change society.