Doughnut Thinking for Young Social Entrepreneurs

How we explored Doughnut Economics, and why

What if entrepreneurship were measured not only by the value it generates in the market, but also by the difference it makes in people’s lives?

That question sits at the heart of social entrepreneurship, and it connects closely with Doughnut Economics. Developed by economist Kate Raworth, the Doughnut asks how economies can meet people’s needs while respecting the limits of the living planet: a safe and just space for humanity. For aspiring social entrepreneurs it offers a different starting point. Instead of asking only whether an idea is commercially viable, young people can ask whose needs it addresses, who benefits, whether it is accessible to underserved communities, and how its impact can be sustained over time.

For MasterPeace Netherlands, this fits a broader commitment to empowering young people as active changemakers. Through its relationship with the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL), MasterPeace draws on a wider community of practitioners exploring how Doughnut Economics can move from theory into practical action.

MasterPeace first explored the link between Doughnut Economics, youth engagement and social entrepreneurship through its educational work. In “MasterPeace as a Driver of Transformation”, published on the DEAL platform, the approach moves from engaging young people and helping them understand their communities, to empowering them with tools: systems thinking, the City Portrait methodology and the Social Business Model Canvas. Participants use these to analyse local challenges, develop ideas for positive change and communicate their proposed business models to potential supporters.

Taking it further with Halan We Grow

Halan We Grow is an EU-funded Erasmus+ capacity-building project bringing together six organisations from Croatia, the Netherlands, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia. It strengthens youth work in the Southern Mediterranean through non-formal education materials and innovative learning approaches. Its three thematic methodologies cover Doughnut Economics, social entrepreneurship and AI, and artivism. Together, they give youth workers different ways to engage young people with social challenges and to support them in exploring responses within their own communities.

Within this approach, the Social Entrepreneurship & AI handbook turns entrepreneurial thinking into a structured learning experience. Its seven-session programme helps facilitators guide young people through identifying a challenge, developing an idea and exploring how digital tools can support a potential social enterprise.

The methodology includes a Social Business Model Canvas, lesson plans, impact-assessment checklists and guidance on the ethical use of AI. These help participants move from a general ambition to make a difference towards considering the people they want to serve, the value their initiative could create, the resources it might require and how its social impact could be assessed. The emphasis is on learning by doing: social entrepreneurship becomes a process through which young people can test ideas, collaborate and develop practical skills.

What we have learned so far

• Doughnut Economics encourages learners to understand the wider systems shaping a community, and to consider social and environmental needs together.
• Social entrepreneurship provides tools for translating that understanding into a structured initiative.
• AI adds possibilities for research, planning and communication, alongside important questions about responsible use.

For youth workers and civil society organisations, the combination offers a practical way to support young people who have strong ideas but limited access to entrepreneurial education, professional networks or resources. The aim is not simply to encourage more young people to start businesses. It is to broaden how they think about entrepreneurship: beginning with community needs, considering who benefits, developing viable solutions and examining the impact those solutions could have.

What’s next

The handbook, available through Jamaity Academy, gives facilitators a structured resource they can adapt to their own learning environments. The next step is to see how young people and youth organisations apply these tools in practice, adapt them to local realities and develop initiatives that respond to the needs they identify. Because entrepreneurship can be about more than creating a product or generating revenue: it can also be about creating opportunities, addressing inequalities and building solutions that help communities thrive.

Where to find out more

• Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL): https://doughnuteconomics.org/
• MasterPeace as a Driver of Transformation (DEAL story): https://doughnuteconomics.org/stories/masterpeace-as-a-driver-of-transformation
• Halan We Grow learning materials: https://www.ldn-lb.org/news/halan-we-grow-project---nfe-material
• Social Entrepreneurship & AI facilitator handbook: https://jamaityacademy.com/courses/nfe-material-handbook-a-facilitators-guide-to-understanding-and-teaching-social-entrepreneurship-ai/