SoochnaPreneur- New Age Digital Infopreneur
Who is a SoochnaPreneur?
SoochnaPreneur is a Digital Rural Social Entrepreneur selected and enabled by Empowerment Foundation (DEF) since 2016. The SoochnaPreneur framework is a multi-pronged approach to build and strengthen the local digital ecosystem through information service delivery, access to entitlement, digital literacy, digital services, financial services through setting up micro, nano and small digital center. Under this entrepreneurship model, SoochnaPreneur are selected from rural as well as semi-rural/semi-Urban regions of India to work not only as digital social entrepreneur (providing service) but as a community change agent (serving). Through the center, SoochnaPreneur reach and connect with the unconnected primarily women, children, elderly, and differently abled.
Why become a SoochnaPrenuer/ CIRC operator?
To build and strengthen the local digital ecosystem in rural communities in India, especially in the backward districts to support and empower the unconnected, vulnerable, and marginalized population overcome the information poverty and eventually improvement of their socio-economic conditions.
Objectives
- To promote new age social entrepreneurship scope, possibility, and exploration in rural information service among unemployed youths in India as a social venture using digital tools and applications.
- To build and strengthen access and connectivity in backward districts.
- To bridge the information divide through information decentralization and Democratization.
- To overcome the real and serious gaps in public schemes information and services access and delivery and eventual citizen entitlements in backward districts in India.
- To provide doorstep digital services, digital services, scheme
Support from Digital Empowerment Foundation
- Support to get inducted into Digital social entrepreneurship journey.
- Digital infrastructure support on membership basis.
- Support to get inducted into Digital social entrepreneurship journey.
- Regular capacity building support.
- Create social and knowledge buffer in the form of SoochnaPreneur peer group.
- Content support for community digital capacity building.
Selection Process
1 Needs Assessment -The assessment is done with an intention to access the profile of the interested candidate who wants to take up the digital center. Along with personal profile info which includes location detail, educational qualification, gender, disability (if any), social category information regarding the space availability as well as asset requirement is collected. (For detail info about the assessment questionnaire, please refer to Annexure 1)
2 Personality Assessment– The assessment is done to gauge the inclination of the interested candidate towards entrepreneurship. It is a self-assessment where an interested candidate assesses him/her vis-a vis-goal achievement, Resilience, empathy towards client group etc. Please refer to Annexure 2 for the questionnaire.
3 Skill Assessment– Skill assessment is done to get an understanding about the interested candidate soft and basic skill which is required to take up the digital entrepreneurship venture.
4 Aspiration Mapping – After the initial three assessments, once the candidate is found good to take up the digital social entrepreneurship role, the aspiration mapping of the candidate is done through a one–to -one interview. Interview session is conducted to get a firsthand understanding about the aspiration and plan of the candidate behind opting for the digital entrepreneurship. The interview is done in a language which is preferred by the candidate. DEF head-office team as well as field team is involved in the interview
Once the candidate passes all the assessment, s/he gets on-boarded as a SoochnaPreneur.