Blogs

I Spy Occupy

Created: 10/28/11 by Anonymous


via

Editor's note: This post was written by Alison Craiglow Hockenberry, contributing editor at Ashoka Changemakers®, and originally featured on the Huffington Post.
 
The threat level in the United States has been raised to yellow, but this time it's not the Department of Homeland Security raising the alarm. It's a private initiative that is monitoring the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations on behalf of corporations -- called The Occupy Movement Corporate Threat Advisory.
 
A fusion of public relations vigilance, the latest search technology, and a dose of old-fashioned paranoia, the advisory is the creation of a private social media monitoring company called ListenLogic, that counts Fortune 500 companies and banks among its clients. According to its Occupy Threat Center, the company's "Social Listening Intelligence Center (SLIC) is actively following Occupy in open social media and has issued a threat advisory to large U.S. corporations. The Threat Center is a comprehensive resource for up-to-date information on the movement."
 
SLIC. Now that's slick.

China’s Cultural Crisis – Bystander Apathy and Empathy

Created: 10/28/11 by Kristie Wang


via

Last Friday, YueYue, the toddler that was run over twice in China and ignored by 18 passersby, died from her injuries. The incident was caught on closed circuit camera, and the online video of YueYue lying bleeding in a gutter while pedestrians and bikers swerved to avoid her went viral and garnered over 1.5 million views on Youku video, a popular video sharing site.  
 
Nationwide, newspapers and online communities have continued to discuss how such horrifying inaction might reflect a deeper cultural problem in China. While many Internet commentators have pointed to the possibility that in China, ethics have been left behind in the wake of economic development and urbanization, I think there’s more to the issue.

Just for GRINS: An Interview with Gram Vaani’s Zahir Koradia

Created: 10/27/11 by John Converse Townsend


via

A large proportion of mobile phone users in India prefer voice communication to SMS or written interactions. Why? Because literacy rates affect how users interact with mobile quite a bit. 
 
Clearly, if you’re illiterate—and more than 450 million people in India are—SMS offers little value. Community development institutions and social enterprises in the Indian subcontinent are turning to voiced-based technologies to connect users to their world.
 
One such example is Gram Vaani’s flagship automation system, GRINS, an entrant in the Changemakers Citizen Media competition, supported by Google. Gram Vaani is a participatory media organization that has built a nationwide network of community radio stations, proudly broadcasting on FM frequencies; telephony applications allowing the social sector to better engage with the public; and a voice-based rural news serviced powered by the mobile phone.
 
GRINS helps Gram Vaani realize its mission to develop solutions that give people a greater say in community matters by facilitating engagement between everyday citizens and established institutions like the government and development organizations. 
 
Changemakers recently spoke with Zahir Koradia, Gram Vaani’s lead developer, to find out why the venture has been so successful—even landing a $200,000 grant from the Knight Foundation in 2008. (Hint: Gram Vaani is more than a single, popular mobile app or affordable tech feature—it is an entire network of action, information and accessibility to communication services.)

Your Solution May Be The Key To Improving Health Care Around The World

Created: 10/26/11 by Changemakers Blogger

Countries around the world are facing a common crisis: the lack of accessible and affordable health care. 
 
Nations everywhere are facing severe challenges, including fragmented health care ecosystems, high costs, inconsistent quality of care, inefficient systems, and barriers to access. These surprisingly similar obstacles to accessible and affordable health care exist across borders – and so should their solutions.  
 
To catalyze these solutions, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio is partnering with Ashoka Changemakers to launch a new competition: Innovations for Health: Solutions that Cross Borders.

Voice of Chhattisgarh: A CGNet Swara Origin Story

Created: 10/24/11 by John Converse Townsend


via

The citizen media movement is built on one key premise: Everyone deserves to be heard. 
 
However, freedom of expression is often limited by a lack of access to the press; too often, expression is a right exercised only by those in power. No money? No voice.
 
But thanks to a free voice-based portal accessible by even the simplest mobile phones, even those citizens living on just a few dollars each day can report and discuss the top news stories in their region. The project democratizes media by enabling marginalized communities to manage their own content.
 
This is particularly important in areas of rural India where, in many cases, half of the population is illiterate, offline, isolated, and at the mercy of the mainstream media’s top-down power — and spin.

An Artsy Fartsy Mom Gets All Techy: Why I Embrace Science and Math

Created: 10/21/11 by Changemakers Blogger

Editor's note: This post was written by Alison Craiglow Hockenberry, contributing editor at Ashoka Changemakers®, and originally featured on the Huffington Post.

All parents want a bright future for their kids. Which is why this history major, French-poetry minor, writer mom wants her kids to ditch the artsy, literary track I once held as the height of achievement and make stuff. Invent, design, discover, and build actual things.
 
This surprising revelation is rooted in my vague understanding that the fields that are growing in this country are in science, technology, engineering, and math -- the STEM fields. And our country needs STEM experts to thrive. And, unlike the field of writing, there's money and stability in STEM careers.
 
I have been talking, mostly seriously, about wanting my kids to make stuff for a while, but suddenly I've got a child who is old enough to begin making decisions about her future -- and the future she sees for herself is in STEM. So I, like our whole country, need a serious attitude adjustment.

A New Paradigm for Biomedical Research

Created: 10/20/11 by Kristie Wang


via

In the world of biomedicine, a few trailblazers are envisioning a new way for researchers to share information and accelerate the progress of curing human disease. According to Stephen Friend, Ashoka Fellow and founder of SAGE Bionetworks, academic and commercial researchers typically work in isolation. They are “hunting and gathering,” accumulating data that becomes protected intellectual property. In this competitive atmosphere, research is often duplicated, and progress that could be accelerated by cooperation is stonewalled. 
 
SAGE Bionetworks is working to change that. The nonprofit hopes to create a new paradigm of cooperation through an open-source commons that incentivizes information sharing and, ultimately, benefits health consumers. 

Engineering a Way for Businesses to Partner with Schools: An Interview with Lila Ibrahim

Created: 10/19/11 by Kristie Wang

“Engineering students want to solve the world’s problems and to use engineering to do so.”
 
In this Ashoka Changemakers interview, Lila Ibrahim, an internationally-recognized leader in the field of engineering and business, discusses how she encourages women to become technologists, and how to build successful private-sector partnerships that strengthen science, technology, education, and math (STEM) learning in schools. 
 
Ibrahim is a partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), a leading venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Before joining KPCB, Ibrahim had a diverse 18-year career with Intel Corp, where she led the startup business of Intel's Emerging Markets Product Group, as well as Intel’s Digital Village Initiative, which delivered technology projects to advance entrepreneurship, health, education, and e-governance all over the world. Ibrahim was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was featured on the cover of ForbesWoman (2009) for her role in promoting women in technology.
 
During the past decade, Ibrahim has established and sustained three computer labs at the orphanage in Lebanon where her father was raised. She earned her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University, where she continues to guest lecture. 

Is Plagiarism a Necessary Evil of Citizen Media?

Created: 10/18/11 by Changemakers Blogger


via

Editor's note: This post was written by Kate Petty, writer and editor at Ashoka Changemakers
 
Citizen media platforms are solving problems that mainstream media can’t. These platforms do a better job than traditional models of giving everyone a voice in and access to relevant news — by definition, they empower anyone to participate. 
 
Yet there’s one, seemingly-intractable problem that mainstream and citizen media share: Plagiarism. And while plagiarism in mainstream outlets is usually blamed on “one bad apple,” the openness and inclusiveness of some citizen media projects has led to allegations that they’re turning a blind eye to plagiarism — or even encouraging it. 

Good News in Rwanda: Strong Strides in Maternal Health

Created: 10/17/11 by Kristie Wang

Just 17 years ago, civil war in Rwanda culminated in a horrific 100-day genocide that killed between 800,000 and 1,000,000 citizens. Today, however, the country is making notable strides towards the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, and against all odds has doubled the life expectancy of its citizens. Despite the scars left by decades of violence, Rwanda’s story is changing into one of hope and pragmatic determination at the local and national level.
 
Through an ambitious set of health reforms, the country is saving the lives of children and mothers. The backbone of Rwanda’s newly-decentralized health system is its vast network of over 45,000 local community health workers. Each village elects three members to serve as trained community health workers — one each for maternal health, child health, and community health. 
 
Because 85 percent of Rwanda’s people live in rural agrarian areas, more than an hour’s walk from the nearest health center, the presence of local health workers is vital, particularly for pregnant women.

Vote for Top 10 CNN Hero Elena Durón Miranda

Created: 10/14/11 by Changemakers Blogger

Ashoka Fellow and ChangemakeHERS rep Elena Durón Miranda is opening a world of opportunity for young people in the city of Bariloche, Argentina. After witnessing children in the local garbage dump looking for food and buried market items, Durón founded the social enterprise Fundación PETISOS so that disadvantaged Argentine youth, often victims of child labor practices, could lead more meaningful lives. Her foundation offers a means out of poverty and exploitation through counseling, after-school programs, and education, which is “how we start to break vicious cycles to give children a better future.” 
 
Durón has been recognized as a top 10 CNN Hero for her efforts and successes championing children. Visit the CNN Heroes page to vote for Durón, the only social entrepreneur representing Latin America. Vote early and often — voting ends December 7, 2011. 

International Day of Rural Women

Created: 10/14/11 by Kristie Wang


via

Every October 15, the United Nations celebrates the International Day of Rural Women. Rural women make up nearly half of the world’s farmers, and in some countries represent over 60 percent of the agricultural labor force. When you consider that the world’s population is set to double by 2050, the importance of rural women for food security around the globe comes into sharp focus. 
 
Rural women are also arguably the backbone of many societies in the developing world. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, “across the developing world, rural women carry the main responsibility for providing the food, water, and fuel needed by their families. And the quality of the care that mothers give to their children and other household members influences the prospects for healthy and productive lives for all.”
 
By celebrating rural women, we recognize their invaluable role, as well as the need to address the obstacles that they continue to face. While men may have access to land, education, financing, and technology, women seldom have these same opportunities. 

The New Minimalism: Five Low-Cost Health Gadgets Express Genius in Simplicity

Created: 10/13/11 by Kristie Wang

Around the world, innovators are going back to basics. Since September, The New York Times has been running an ongoing segment, “Small Fixes,” featuring low-cost health solutions that have a big impact. 

The simple solutions include using vinegar to assist in removing pre-cancerous cervical lesions and folding a sari cloth four times to create a filter that reduces 99 percent of cholera in water.
 
The innovations featured in the NYT are remarkable in their simplicity, affordability, and cleverness. (The NYT did, however, include LifeStraw in its featured solutions, which has been under fire for the past year for its controversial incorporation of carbon credits to offset its steep production costs.)
 
With the simplest of solutions often proving to be the most effective (a la Occam’s razor), we at Changemakers have become fascinated with the new wave of low-cost health gadgets, which could dramatically reverse health care’s trend towards the more complex and expensive. Here are five more emerging health innovations — elegantly simple and affordable — to look for on the horizon. We think they’re pretty nifty, and hope you will, too.

A Convention for the Unconventional

Created: 10/12/11 by Changemakers Blogger

Editor's note: This post was written by Kate Petty, writer and editor at Ashoka Changemakers
 
Social entrepreneurs are nothing if not unconventional: To break new ground in social change, you’ve got to step off the beaten path. It’s a word that describes Sushmita Ghosh, founder and chair of Ashoka Changemakers, who pioneered the revolutionary concept of open and transparent problem-solving in the social sector, using a website that attracts funders and innovators from around the world. 
 
So it’s appropriate that Ghosh will be a panelist at Unconvention 2011, an annual conference in India which bills itself as “the largest networking and knowledge sharing platform for the Innovation and Social entrepreneurship ecosystem;” i.e., it’s a convention for the unconventional, the innovative, and the brave.   

Join Our Next #SocEntChat on October 18: Innovations in STEM Education

Created: 10/11/11 by Changemakers Blogger

It’s an exciting time in the Partnering for Excellence: Innovations in Science + Technology + Engineering + Math (STEM) Education competition, hosted in collaboration with Carnegie Foundation of New York and The Opportunity Equation. Solving the world’s most pressing challenges requires innovations in STEM education because these disciplines are at the very center of our quest to improve our lives and the condition of our world. The 24 innovations that were chosen from 265 total entries are now eligible for cash prizes and rewards, and it’s up to you to pick a People’s Choice winner from the ten competition finalists.  

Visit the competition site or use our slick Facebook app to vote for your favorite innovation that boosts STEM-rich learning in schools by 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. The entry receiving the most votes will receive The People’s Choice Award and a $20,000 prize, sponsored by the Noyce Foundation, in addition to our competition partners. Additionally, a panel of experts will grant Judges’ Awards, worth $30,000 apiece, to two of the top ten finalists.

The Future of Citizen Journalism: A Conversation with Brian Conley, Director/Co-Founder of Small World News

Created: 10/10/11 by Evagelia Emily Tavoulareas

The revolutions across the Middle East and North Africa have captured the attention of the world, and have inspired citizens everywhere to speak out against injustice. Yet many of these movements have felt the wrath of the regimes they are speaking out against – through violence, arrests, and massive censorship. 

In such environments, how can the media capture the stories unfolding on the ground?  
 
More and more recently, we are seeing mainstream media look to citizen media and citizen journalists to accurately capture the story.

Keeping Up With the Greens: I’m making a difference. Why aren’t you?

Created: 10/07/11 by John Converse Townsend


via

Just about everyone and everything is green these days. And it’s not enough to quietly turn over a new leaf; you’ve got to trumpet your transformation. 
 
In the United States, ballparks and sports stadiums are being celebrated for using environmentally-friendly materials and new, efficient technologies. In India, banks are publicly announcing the launch of green initiatives like paper-free banking, e-statements, and “green offices.” 
 
In Japan, building-top windmills actually have electric motors to keep them spinning when the wind stops (because they would look silly sitting idle). And yes, these windmills actually cost energy, but hey, they look great!
 
“The message is clear: Helping the planet is nice, but being seen helping the planet is really nice,” said Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the book Freakonomics and host of the WNYC podcast of the same name. “So, here's a question for you: How much value do people place on being seen leaning green?”

How I Will Remember Steve Jobs

Created: 10/07/11 by Evagelia Emily Tavoulareas

The news of Steve Jobs’ death spread like wildfire -- accompanied by tributes to his life -- by the very technologies he introduced to the world.
 
There are countless stories and tributes circulating about this brilliant man. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Fair Trade Revolution: How Solidarium Can Transform Our World

Created: 10/06/11 by John Converse Townsend


via

Tiago Dalvi is an Ashoka changemaker who is using his sharp business acumen to help improve the lives of thousands in his home country of Brazil by connecting local producers with established global retailers like Walmart, JCPenney, Whole Foods, and Target.

Dalvi is the spirit behind the award-winning Brazilian social venture and certified fair trade organization Solidarium: Transforme O Seu Mundo and one of the five winning entrepreneurs in the recent Powering Economic Opportunity competition, organized by eBay Foundation and The Opportunity Project. 
 
Unlike traditional fair trade models that tap into already-established, often grassroots-level fair trade networks, Dalvi connects producers directly with the world’s retailing giants.

The Tiziano Project Takes Home Award at 2011 Online Journalism Banquet

Created: 10/05/11 by Evagelia Emily Tavoulareas

A quick shout-out to The Tiziano Project, an entrant in the Citizen Media competition, for winning the Community Collaboration award at the 2011 Online Journalism Awards Banquet for their work promoting collaborative journalism in Iraq.
 
The project provides community members with the equipment, new media training, and global connections needed to cover and share underreported — and otherwise undocumented — stories of injustice in their lives.

Cast Your Vote for Innovations in Science + Technology + Engineering + Math (STEM) Education

Created: 10/05/11 by Changemakers Blogger

Voting has opened for the Partnering for Excellence competition! After careful deliberation, 10 top finalists have been chosen from 265 entries, representing the most innovative and scalable solutions for STEM education that best exemplify the goals of the competition. 

These cutting-edge initiatives and projects are boosting STEM-rich learning in schools by building partnerships that connect schools with STEM talent and re-envisioning how to engage students in STEM subjects. They will help students analyze today’s problems, imagine tomorrow’s solutions, and translate innovative ideas into action.
 
Check out the 10 finalists and vote for your favorite entry by visiting the competition site. (Or use our handy Facebook app!) Your vote will help determine the People’s Choice Winner, who will receive a cash prize of US $20,000.

Changemakers Judge Sanjana Hattotuwa: 'Citizen Media is Vital for the Global Population to Move Forward in the 21st Century'

Created: 10/04/11 by Evagelia Emily Tavoulareas

The Ashoka Changemakers Citizen Media competition (sponsored by Google) has attracted the attention and support of leaders in the citizen media space. One of the competition judges, Sanjana Hattotuwa, has dedicated himself to the complex (and often risky) field of citizen media in war-torn Sri Lanka. 

Now the founding editor of Groundviews, an award-winning web based citizen journalism platform, Sanjana took a moment to speak with us about his work pioneering efforts to leverage web based media to strengthen democracy, human rights, and a just peace.

Time for Innovation in Job Creation

Created: 10/03/11 by Changemakers Blogger

Editor's note: This post was written by Alison Craiglow Hockenberry, contributing editor at Ashoka Changemakers®, and originally featured on the Huffington Post.

We hear a lot these days about innovation and job creation. But when people talk about innovation and jobs, they're usually talking about innovations that may produce jobs -- as opposed to innovations in the way we increase employment.

Why not innovation in job creation?