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Abstract

This article examines the innovative integration of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) principles with social entrepreneurship, focusing on how this combination can be used to address significant societal challenges. The article highlights a course designed specifically for law students, which provides a comprehensive understanding of ADR mechanisms such as mediation, negotiation, and system design, while also encouraging students to develop entrepreneurial solutions to real-world conflicts. Inspired by the nonprofit organization R3solute, which trains refugees and locals as peer mediators, the article explores how students are equipped to create ADR-centered ventures that offer sustainable resolutions to social problems.

The article discusses the course’s emphasis on experiential learning, in which students collaborate in teams to develop, refine, and pitch business ideas that apply ADR strategies to social issues. By engaging with beneficiaries and stakeholders, students create ventures with practical, real-world applications in conflict resolution. Additionally, the article covers how the course develops leadership skills, public speaking capabilities, and hands-on experience in socially impactful projects.

Moreover, the article emphasizes how the course encourages empowerment by helping students discover their “why”—the core motivation behind their work. By fostering creativity, collaboration, and an understanding of how ADR can lead to systemic change, the article argues that the course prepares students not only for roles as future legal professionals but also as leaders and social entrepreneurs addressing global challenges. Through this integrated approach, the article illustrates how blending theoretical knowledge with practical skills enhances both personal and professional development, equipping students to become agents of social transformation.

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