As you read this, nomads roam across the Asian continent – but unlike the Mongols under Genghis, these wanderers are vivaciously doing research on social enterprise.

What design processes do social ventures use? How do creative and design processes influence innovation and social value? How do business models influence design and creative processes? These were the questions asked during their wanderings.

Join us on Friday, Dec. 1, as we invite Alessandra and Francesco, founders of ABCity.org, a travelling project conducting research on social enterprise, to tell us of their marvellous search for creativity and social value over their two months of travelling from London to China and places in between.

Put together two people, their curiosity for what is new, and their belief in human capacity to use creativity and make good and one will get an idea of what ABCity.org is about.

Over the past two months, Alessandra and Francesco, originally from Italy, based in London, have travelled to Berlin, and then across Russia, Mongolia and China. They plan to continue to Southeast Asia in the near future. Over the course of their trip they have researched social impact; so far, they have interviewed over 20 social entrepreneurs and innovators who are engaged in making the world a better place. They met and chatted with many more.

On their journey, they have shared ideas, provided services and enjoyed themselves. Travelling from one social enterprise to another, they ignited a dialogue between different cultures – the cultures of design and international development; corporations and non-profits; Asian and European; as well as the cultures of travelling and working.

During their journey, they have learnt lessons about the countries they have visited, what it means to be a social entrepreneur in each of the countries, and why the role is valued there. On Friday, they will share lessons they have learned about the vision, community and determination of social entrepreneurs.

ABCity.org is a nomadic programme, based on two loves and with one condition. The condition is that a letter from any alphabet represents each of the programme’s initiatives. The two loves: social value and design.

A letter is a simple sign, and they believe it is simple to do what makes us human: creatively help each other. The first letter the couple made was a “Y” across the city of London. The second was a “C” in Milan. They did this by roller-skating a path through the city in the shape of these letters raising awareness about a specific cause. In London, it was the Ebola virus; in Milan, it was Crohn’s disease.

Fresh Start warmly welcomes all to attend, listen and ask questions.