Dianka Diaby of Afrique Capable shares her experience studying social entrepreneurship. Due to COVID-19, she couldn't travel for her Master's studies and participated in the program online.
Using the project-based learning method, she participated in online classes and at the same time, she was building her business in Guinea.
She shares her experience in this short video.
My name is Dianka Diaby, and I am an alumnus of the SEMA program. I was enrolled in the SEMA program in 2020. But unfortunately, due to COVID, I was forced to study online.
Initially, I was afraid because I had never studied online before. And I didn't want to waste time, and I didn't want to waste my money.
But at the end of the day, this was a blessing in disguise in the sense that I was able to learn the critical aspects of entrepreneurship and, at the same time, start my business right away. So this was possible because of three main factors:
1. The first factor is the way the SEMA program was structured. It was structured in a way that every single day I had more or less the same number of hours of study time. So because of this, I could plan my business activities before or after my study time or both.
Another element of the structure was that everything I was learning could be implemented in real life, in real-time. For example, when we were learning about customer pain points, guess what? I was in the field, learning about my customer's pain points.
2. So, the second factor was also an efficiency factor. The tools I used to study were the same tools I used to run my business. For example, my computer, my internet connection, the desk, and the office space are all common. I didn't have to buy anything new.
3. And the third factor was that when I introduced myself as a student entrepreneur, I noticed people had a lot of empathy for me, making them flexible when it came to working with me.
So at the end of the day, studying online for me was an opportunity to gain theoretical knowledge and expertise in entrepreneurship. But at the same time, it was a factor that enabled me to achieve the results that I was paying for to begin with anyway, which was starting my business.
Credentials:
Dianka Diaby, Bsc, MA. Social Entrepreneur, Business Developer, Project Manager
Founder of Afrique Capable: https://acapable.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Afriquecapable
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
Courses
LIFE Project
Our inter-disciplinary approach comes to life. Ever thought of making a podcast about international sports? A policy for inclusive hiring? Or a brand video for a social enterprise? During the LIFE Project, you work with students from across all of Tallinn University’s faculties on a project that you are interested in. No previous experience is needed!
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Multi-disciplinary courses - 66 ECTS
Social Entrepreneurship uses a multi-disciplinary approach. You will learn about Contemporary Social Problems, Social Innovation, Civil Society, Social Capital, and Super-Diversity. The core courses of the program strengthen your academic knowledge of societal issues. You learn to identify the beneficiaries of your future Social Enterprise. And you learn how to support your goals with academic theories.
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Master’s thesis seminar - 6 ECTS
Just like any other master’s program, the Social Entrepreneurship program is concluded with a master’s thesis. If you’ve been working on your own social enterprise, you summarize the results in a project thesis. Alternatively, you can choose to contribute to the field of Social Entrepreneurship with your academic knowledge and finish your degree with a research thesis.
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