In The Field

The on-campus residencies at MACS are seven to ten days each semester.  During each residency we experience the world of cultural sustainability through incredible field trips.  This week in our Models of  Social Entrepreneurship course we visited the Affinity Lab in Washington, DC.  to research the intricacies of co-working social enterprises.  Affinity Lab is the innovative brainchild of Phillipe Chetrit, Berit Oskey and Charles Planck.

As a creative membership model, Affinity presents brilliant solutions to issues that start ups and small social enterprises may inure.  It is a flexible blend of shared office space, incubators, and an entrepreneurial club.  Phillipe explained, "the space is always about the people." Other key dimensions are collaborative programming, communications tools, and space design.  Currently the 10-year old Lab hosts 65 members.

My colleagues and I benefitted from engaging and stimulating conversations with Ian Fisk of The William James Foundation; Chris Bradshaw of Dreaming Outloud; and, Freeman White of Launcht.com.  The exchange engendered critical assessments toward our goals as scholars and cultural workers.

To explore possibilities for launching your social entrepreneurial dream visit Affinity Lab and research co-working spaces in your local area.

Models of Entrepreneurship is taught by co-director of the MACS program, Tiffany Espinosa in collaboration with Rebecca Saltman.