“Making a Difference … on My Own Terms”: Motivational Factors of Youth Involvement in Social Entrepreneurship in Malaysia

Abstract

Recent interest in social entrepreneurship among young people has led to a heightened interest in new research. Few studies, however, have yet to investigate motivators of involvement, particularly from countries that are new to social entrepreneurship. The current study set out to better understand this phenomenon among young social entrepreneurs in Malaysia. In-depth one-to-one interviews with 12 young entrepreneurs were carried out to collect the data. Four themes and ten sub-themes emerged from the interviews, including early life experience (childhood experience and family experience), inspiration from clients and colleagues (interactions with the target group and exposure to social entrepreneurs), work-related experience (volunteer experience and job-related experience), and personal meaning (contribute back to society, desire for more meaning in life, and personal passions). The implications for policy-makers and interested parties are outlined in regard to enhancing participation and interest among youth for social entrepreneurship.

Citation

Ahrari, S., Krauss, S.E., Ariffin, Z. and Meng, L.K. (2019), "“Making a Difference … on My Own Terms”: Motivational Factors of Youth Involvement in Social Entrepreneurship in Malaysia", Dana, L.-P. and Ratten, V. (Ed.) Societal Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 227-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83867-471-720191015