Developing Adaptive and Entrepreneurial Reform Leaders: The Coalitions for Change Development Entrepreneurship Mentoring Program

In the Philippines, helping improve people’s lives sometimes requires changes to policies. There are areas that directly and tangibly impact people’s lives and which they want to have a say in—like waste management, consumer protection, biotech research or disaster risk management—but that can be daunting for most citizens and many local leaders who view the process as complex, nonlinear, and governed by formal and informal rules requiring a mix of technical and political skills.

In this ‘volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous’ setting, the Coalitions for Change (CfC) pioneered Development Entrepreneurship. This approach uses adaptive management and entrepreneurial logic to introduce transformative reforms. With the support of The Asia Foundation and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Philippines, CfC has championed reforms on economic growth, social development, and governance.

Building on its learning and success, CfC is now sharing the practice of Development Entrepreneurship through its six-month Mentoring Program. The Mentoring Program aims to build select organizations and local leaders’ capacity to apply Development Entrepreneurship to their chosen reform area.

On January 23, four organizations and ten reform leaders from civil society, academia, private sector, and government were inducted into the program. They will be closely mentored by CfC’s policy specialists and reform leaders. This first cohort will tackle reforms on challenging sectors such as sexual reproductive health, coastal reef management, and social protection for vulnerable groups.

The CfC Mentoring Program hopes to enable local leaders to champion grassroots reform—paving the way for civic participation and improved governance.