View of Barcelona from Park Güell

Author: Ben Walworth | Major: Marketing | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Ben Walworth, and I am a junior Sam M. Walton College of Business student pursuing a major in marketing and minors in nonprofit studies and communication. During the January 2023 intersession, I had the opportunity to study social innovation (focusing on job-skill development and food security) through the Global Changemakers Barcelona faculty-led study abroad program. This was a particularly unique experience since Barcelona is one of only three cities in the world categorized as a Social Business City.

I first learned about this program in spring 2021 when I took Global Social Change (a past Honors Signature Seminar course) which discussed global integration, food security, and social innovation. From this, I decided to participate in the May 2021 intersession Virtual Global Changemakers Barcelona program (read more about my experience here). When I learned that this program would be offered in-person during the January intersession, I eagerly signed up. Even though the virtual version of the program was incredibly valuable, I knew the in-person experience would be a distinct experience. My knowledge of the selected topic areas had increased since participating in the virtual program, thanks both to academic courses as well as extracurricular and professional experiences. Also, the in-person experience would provide an opportunity for greater engagement, increased cultural understanding, and would continue to enhance my academic understanding of the topics discussed.

This study abroad program provided a well-curated blend of cultural activities (such as tours of several works by Antoni Gaudí, an excursion to the nearby town of Tarragona which is home to several ancient Roman ruins, and a visit to the Dalí Theatre Museum) with site visits to area nonprofits (such as the Barcelona Food Bank) as well as tours of businesses that were founded based on a social mission (such as La Fageda, a dairy farm that is dedicated to social integration and creating jobs for people with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses).

Many of the organizations we met with were focused on providing training, jobs, or more broadly on the integration of individuals that are considered “at risk of social exclusion”. While I was not able to determine an exact definition of this term, I understood it to broadly refer to individuals who are separated from and not able to fully participate in traditional society (for example: people with disabilities, individuals with mental illnesses, and people who are living in poverty are all usually included within this term). I found this term to be intriguing because it promotes the concept that these people should be a part of everyday society, but also recognizes that unfortunately these individuals are often left behind. Emphasizing inclusion creates a sense of duty or moral obligation to make sure that these individuals are given the tools and opportunities that they desire to be able to be a part of society.

There were several common themes I was able to discover after completing visits with the numerous organizations. First, almost all of the social businesses focused first on creating a stellar, high-quality product to drive success. They did not try to capitalize off of or heavily market their social missions of employing individuals at risk of social exclusion. They saw their business as a way to fund these social efforts, rather than using their social efforts as a primary marketing tactic for the business. Second, there was a strong focus on job creation rather than exclusively focusing on efficiency. Several businesses explained how they could automate certain processes, but they intentionally did not and would not do this in order to continue to provide a greater number of jobs (aligning with their core mission of social integration and providing opportunities to people who may otherwise not receive them).

I am very grateful I was able to participate both in the virtual and in-person versions of this pilot study abroad experience. I would recommend this program to students who are interested in broadening their perspective, especially in regard to what we consider the traditional business model and purpose of businesses to be within the United States. I would also recommend this program to students interested in learning more about how other countries and cities are approaching issues that we also encounter (although in a different scope and level) here in Arkansas.

This study abroad program allowed me to learn more about how business can be a force for good, build a global network of social innovation practitioners, examine local approaches to global issues, and to be exposed to different ways of thinking, which will all help me to promote meaningful change in my future endeavors.