Prototyping social-focused experiences to solve social issues via social tourism.
A Special Europe Feature on Social Innovation – Interview with Elena Rodríguez Blanco, Co-Founder and Experience Designer, Authenticitys
In the morning of the day I was leaving Barcelona to London, I travelled up north from Parall-el Station, where I my Airbnb apartment was, to Fontana, an area where more locals stayed. Splitting up from my traveling pals, I took the metro and clutched on tightly to my personal belongings. Even my Sandelman’s walking guide, a seasoned Barcelona resident, had his stuff stolen just last month. Barcelona, my favourite city of the five I went to, was not without its defects, especially with the rate of unemployment hovering at 23.8% (Mar 2015), and 50.1% (Mar 2015) for youths.
For someone so accomplished and smart like Elena, I’m so thankful that she even wanted to meet me. She has bagged an MBA from SDA Bocconi and did her exchange in The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She also has a Masters in Development Management from the London School of Economics. She also worked as a project management expert for the European Central Bank (Frankfurt), and General Electric (Milan, Paris, Barcelona). She is currently a professor at the ESADE Business School, and at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona and a researcher for the Institute of Social Innovation of ESADE. On top of her accolades, she is also a facilitator, researcher and consultant for organisations and entrepreneurs. She has now started-up her third social enterprise, Authenticitys, as a way to solve some of Barcelona’s current challenges.
I arrived a little early and waited for Elena in the convenience store just at the station. To my relief, she showed up pretty soon after and all was good as we settled in a cafe. Over a typical Catalan breakfast of tomato-spread toast and coffee, the vivacious Elena shared her journey and experiences with me.
Halogen360 (H360): You have such varied experiences in business and development. How did you end up doing what you are doing now?
Elena Rodríguez (ER): When I was growing up (in a Costa Rican family) in El Salvador, I often helped out with translation for the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) personnel who were reaching out to do humanitarian assistance in rural underdeveloped communities. Through these experiences, I observed that intervention without a systemic approach, can actually aggravate a situation. Often, they did not take into account the different factors that were involved and the initiatives that were rolled out did not change or impact the root causes of the problems.
This was a major motivation for me to study the topic of development where I focused in micro-finance and tourism. Through the merit-based scholarships I received, I had the chance to travel, develop my curiosity and connect with many cultures. As the opportunities arose, I took up jobs in New York, Germany and Spain in order to get business and professional experience.
H360: In the work that you do, what guides you? What is your approach?
ER: I first seek out the different factors that affect and impact the triple bottom-lines (profit, people and planet). I then analyse the validity and impact of these factors. After which, I design and then evaluate the strategies in their long-term effectiveness of solving the root of the issues be it the types of incentives we use, our growth rate (growing too fast or slow), or the effect we are creating (a bubble or real impact).
H360: Tell me more about your latest venture, Authenticitys.
ER: Authenticitys is an online platform that connects conscious travellers with local changemakers through experiences with a positive, local impact. Unlike tour operators, Authenticitys allows travellers to visit and experience the city through the stories of social initiatives and enterprises that are committed to making the city better through at least one of our six dimensions of impact: Health, Education, Environment and Resources, Local Economy + Employability, Freedom and Equality + Happiness.
Authenticitys is built around current unmet needs of the conscious tourist and social entrepreneurs. For tourists, Authenticitys addresses the problems of i) a growing need for local and authentic experiences, and ii) the need to travel responsibly by having a positive impact on the local environment or society. Authenticitys also provides social entrepreneurs access to financing as well as publicity, which is currently difficult to find for these businesses. Authenticitys