Inkululeko is requesting funding to expand its social enterprise unit. The directors of the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service at Syracuse University write this letter of recommendation to endorse Inkululeko and its executive director Jason Torreano. They describe how their partnership began in 2010 and has led to many collaborative projects between Inkululeko, SU students and faculty across multiple departments. The letter emphasizes Jason's commitment, vision, organizational skills and ability to create reciprocal relationships that have expanded opportunities for both Inkululeko and SU. The directors strongly recommend funding Inkululeko to continue the promising work of impacting communities in South Africa and the United States.

1. To: To Whom It May Concern
From: Pamela Kirwin Heintz, Associate Vice President & Director
Elizabeth Armstrong, Associate Director for Community Engagement
Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service (Shaw Center)
Re: Letter of Support and Recommendation for Inkululeko
Date: February 26, 2016
It gives us great pleasure to write this letter of support and recommendation on behalf
of Inkululeko’s request for funding to “build out its mission-focused social enterprise unit.”
Inkululeko well-describes its intended project in its application, so the goal of our
recommendation is to provide insight into the viability and soundness of the organization;
endorse Inkululeko’s ability to achieve and sustain its goal and program; and, most importantly,
convey our respect for and trust in its leadership.
It was pure happenstance that brought Jason Torreano, Inkululeko executive director,
into the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service (Shaw Center) at Syracuse
University in 2010. Working for a Syracuse nonprofit at the time, he was accompanied by his
director on a visit to the center seeking mentors for their program. Since Jason’s vision of
Inkululeko was always bubbling up in his head, he subsequently contacted the Shaw Center for
help achieving his vision. Everything snowballed from there.
One of the main goals of the Shaw Center when it was launched in 1993, was to serve
as a resource for making critical connections between the campus and community. Our
partnership with Jason and Inkululeko is one of the best examples of the kind of reciprocal
relationships we envisioned. All stakeholders in the collaboration have participated in the
development of this most incredible NGO, forging relationships and making an impact that no
doubt will outlast us all. And through this amazing process, students from across the globe
have touched and impacted each other’s lives in ways neither Jason nor we could ever have
imagined. And we are just getting started! Faculty have been re-invigorated, students have
changed lives - at SU and on the other side of the world - and none of us will ever be the quite
the same again! How incredible and marvelous!
We began to work with Jason in 2010, as he shared his vision, talked about the
practical steps he knew he needed to take, and we explored how the Shaw Center and SU
might become viable partners. As part of academic affairs, it is necessary for the Shaw Center
to connect community requests and needs to specific colleges, departments, courses and
faculty. It was clear to us, Jason’s vision and Inkululeko had numerous connecting points to
the University that we needed to parse one at a time at the start. We made connections with a
faculty member in our nationally ranked Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises program
in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management (Whitman School). The idea for including
Inkululeko as one of the SU Abroad Programs was hatched by one of the student teams in his
class, and as they say, the rest is history. Along the way, we were able to connect Jason to
courses, projects and centers in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Maxwell

2. School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics,
and the SU Law School, to name a few of the SU partners. During this process, we watched
Jason work with students, faculty and staff, and were impressed by his organizational ability,
commitment to his vision, and persistence often in the face of significant challenges, and his
ability to mentor students.
There were numerous meetings, negotiations, cross-campus connections, and
requirements involved in the many different projects Jason was working on with SU for
Inkululeko. Jason’s day job during this time was with two local nonprofits. He paid equal
attention to his job commitments, connecting each organization with the center and class
projects that could benefit them. These projects provided resources and increased capacity for
the local social enterprises, as well as additional learning opportunities for SU students and
faculty. Jason’s ability to focus on more than his own goals demonstrates his authentic
personal commitment to and interest in reciprocal relationships and building social capital
wherever he happens to be, as well as his personal sense of responsibility. His has a deep
commitment and passion to being engaged where he is, and addressing real world problems by
focusing on what you can actually do at that time.
There is no doubt in our minds that Jason and Inkululeko will continue to grow and
thrive with the continued support of existing partners together with your support.
Inkululeko provides Grahamstown youth the opportunity to address the challenges in
their lives and communities on a more equal footing. Jason continues to pursue collaborations
across the globe, as well as sustain his partnerships right here in Central New York.
Syracuse University and the Shaw Center intend to stay committed to partnering,
continuing to explore how best to continue our work together, as well as how we can best
engage other campus colleagues along the way. Jason has helped SU make important
connections to Rhodes University, more specifically the Allan Grey Center for Leadership and
Ethics at Rhodes, and expanded the reach of the work of the Shaw Center. Clearly, this is a
partnership and an enterprise that has great promise to continue impacting those on both
sides of the globe.
We strongly recommend consideration of the request from Inkululeko for support to
build out its mission-focused social enterprise unit. Please let us know if you have any other
questions or concerns.
Pamela Kirin Heintz
Associate Vice President & Director
Elizabeth Armstrong
Associate Director for Community Engagement