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Workshop in Development Practice: Endeavor
In emerging markets, like Mexico and other Latin American nations, starting a business is a tall order, especially a business that could employ thousands of people and generate millions of dollars in wages and revenues. There are many cultural and political barriers to entrepreneurship - barriers that can stunt the growth of local and national economies. One organization seeking to break down a society’s barriers to success is Endeavor. Endeavor works to transform the economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting high-impact entrepreneurs, those with the biggest ideas and most ambitious plans.
In its mission to widen the understanding of its work in emerging markets, Endeavor turned to students in SIPA’s Capstone Workshop program. The team of students from the Economic and Political Development and International Media and Communications Concentrations worked under faculty supervision with Endeavor to produce a video, which will be used to educate clients, partners, donors, and the public about the organization and its impact.
SIPA’s workshop consultancies allow students to apply practical skills and analytical knowledge to a real-world issue. The students working with Endeavor included Shubha Bala, Brock Boddie, Isabela Echeverry, Juan Pablo Morales, Jake Rollow and Sara Schonhardt. They traveled to Mexico City to analyze entrepreneurship, its role in economic development, and Endeavor’s role in the process.
“Because we were making a documentary, we had to talk to a lot of the different players in Mexico,” said Shubha Bala (MIA ’09), a member of the workshop team. “It was a great way to get an overview of the country, the problems, and the potential solutions. The workshop helped me understand the complexities of helping entrepreneurs as a method of development.”
That complexity is why Endeavor opted to produce a video. “We often have a hard time telling our story. It’s difficult to paint the picture of entrepreneurship and the impact of our work,” said Rebecca Plofker from Endeavor’s marketing and communications department. “We thought the students were very thorough; we were very impressed. We look forward to working with SIPA again.”
As explained in the team’s final report, “… entrepreneurship is looked at negatively in Mexico; entrepreneurs are seen as poverty stricken men and women who open a business because there are no other jobs available or business people looking to take advantage of others.” After initially considering telling the story of a single entrepreneur, Endeavor and the team expanded the scope of the video, to explain Endeavor’s work in a way that would excite potential donors and future entrepreneurs.
“I came to SIPA to work towards development communication,” said Bala. “For my workshop, I wanted to take a complex development issue and find a way to communicate it to the general public. I hope to work on documentaries, and am certain my Endeavor workshop will represent the start of that career.”
“I hope I get to use the experience,” said Isabela Echeverry (MIA ’09). “Previously, I had experience in digital storytelling. Get it on video, tell the story. So when I saw this project, I was extremely excited. I got to learn the editing program, FinalCut, and how to operate cameras and lighting. I would be excited to use this experience in my future work.”
Endeavor plans to use the video in a variety of ways, such as on the organization's YouTube channel and Web site.
View the team's video here. 
View pictures from the team's visit to Mexico here.