Individuals and organizations interested in eliminating poverty worldwide are meeting this week at BYU.

The Center for Economic Self-Reliance will host the 12th annual Economic Self-Reliance Conference Thursday and Friday at the BYU Conference Center. Researchers, practitioners, faculty and university students are invited to participate.   

“There are a lot of students who want to get into this area or are interested in learning more about it,” said Brad Hales, assistant to the director for BYU’s Economic Self-Reliance Center and in charge of the logistics for the conference. “As a student, whatever your major is, you can include social entrepreneurship. You get to interact with these social entrepreneurship organizations, understand what they are doing and what you can do as a student that can lead down a similar path.”

The conference will highlight leading research and practices of social entrepreneurs that are creating positive changes both domestically and internationally. Breakout sessions will focus primarily on the intersection of social entrepreneurship and the fields of education, engineering and business.

“We are tying to make the conference a rallying point for people who are interested in social entrepreneurship,” said Todd Manwaring, managing director of the center. “That is the conference theme for this year. The conference is an excellent opportunity for people to collaborate and network.”

The conference will also include two events free to students. Jim Fruchterman will speak on using technology to benefit society on Thursday at 11 a.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The BYU Net Impact club will also host a career panel featuring various conference participants on Friday at 1 p.m. in 260 TNRB. These events are good resources for students who want to learn or understand more about social entrepreneurship.

“If students have any interest in social entrepreneurship or international development as a career or post-graduate education in these areas, then they should be paying and attending the whole conference,” Manwaring said. “It is the cheapest resource of its caliber.”

Featured presenters include representatives from pioneering economic development organizations, such as the Grameen Foundation Technology Center, Unitus and VisionSpring.

The Social Innovator of the Year award will be presented to Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech, a nonprofit that focuses on creating technology for underserved communities, during a banquet on Thursday night.

Online registration closes today Those interested in attending can find more information, including a schedule and registration costs, at esrconference.byu.edu. Students who register in a group of three or more pay $30 instead of $40 to attend the conference.