Here's a story about how members of the Changemakers community are promoting education reform in Latin America:
Ask Raúl Collazos about the fruits of Maestra Vida, his groundbreaking educational experiment in the villages of El Tambo, and he may tell you that one of his biggest successes is precisely that—the delicious fruits grown by school children and their families in an impoverished corner of southwest Colombia.
Read more about this solution, or discuss this topic below.
If we want to have a smarter tomorrow, if we want to reform our education system, we must get smarter in sharing information and change the way we interact with data. ISN will connect the reality of life to our digital life and integrates our voices with information at its best.
Created on 12/25/2012 by Alex Blum
Reality Construction and Consulting wants to influence the distribution of information. We will begin with a website, phone application, and bus tour. Once rich and famous, we will expand and provide the actual technology and education to those who lack it. These efforts will redefine the world's infrastructure.
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideName Your Entry
Reality Construction and Consulting
Country where this project is creating social impact
Is your organization a
Hybrid
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideThe Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
With the proper infrastructure, information can make the world more just, free, and sustainable. However, information, like any resource, does not get distributed equitably. My vision is to create an infrastructure for a more equitable distribution of information.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Obviously, this is a broad vision and will require many components. To begin, I will implement three: One, a phone application with live inventory and GPS tracking to produce analytics for an organization's best practices (of course, "best" depends on the organization). Two, a website, "GroupThink" for crowdsourcing ideas. Individuals can post ideas or problems and the internet community can refine the idea collaboratively. Three, a national bus tour to promote sustainable business and entrepreneurship (similar to what "Invisible Children" does. Profits from all these endeavors would go towards providing the technology and education (phones, to start) for accessing information to those who presently cannot.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
Phone App Example: Whole Foods has two hundred pounds of organic onions and 100 pounds of chicken in Southern California that will, presently, spoil if not sold that day. Instead, a soup kitchen can view this inventory dilemma and offer to buy the onions and chicken at 10% of their value. Whole Foods minimizes profit loss and the soup kitchen has more food to offer. A homeless person can look up where the food will be and reserve a seat.
Website: A college student from California wonders why in Massachusetts, where he attends school, there in insufficient signage for navigating suburban streets. He posts this observation and suddenly government employees, private business, and creative thinkers can collaborate on finding solutions. Since this is done publicly, any malicious exploitation of this dilemma becomes much more difficult.
Bus Tour: A bus shows up at Harvard University at the beginning of fall semester. A young, intelligent, and passionate team exits the vehicle and talks for 15 minutes to an advanced economics class. Sitting in the class, John Doe, a college senior currently applying to I-Banking positions and extremely busy with school work, learns about the incredible, and little known, opportunities that have only just come into existence. He realizes he can make money to pay off is college loans and actually do good too. Instead of working at Goldman Sachs, he takes a job with LGT Venture Philanthropy.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Our competition is any person or group that can profit from controlling information. For example, a hedge fund using insider information for investments. We will use our power to publicly share and deliver relevant information to the world.This information could range from a free concert in the park happening that night to methods of navigating censored websites for Chinese citizens.
The challenge is that though information is free, the resources to spread information are not. Those with that power presently want to continue to hold that power, like we all would. New technology, especially phone apps, are like the wild west right now. The successful colonizers of this new world will define the future of humanity.
Created on 12/25/2012 by Alex Blum
Reality Construction and Consulting wants to influence the distribution of information. We will begin with a website, phone application, and bus tour. Once rich and famous, we will expand and provide the actual technology and education to those who lack it. These efforts will redefine the world's infrastructure.
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideName Your Entry
Reality Construction and Consulting
Country where this project is creating social impact
Is your organization a
Hybrid
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideThe Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
With the proper infrastructure, information can make the world more just, free, and sustainable. However, information, like any resource, does not get distributed equitably. My vision is to create an infrastructure for a more equitable distribution of information.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Obviously, this is a broad vision and will require many components. To begin, I will implement three: One, a phone application with live inventory and GPS tracking to produce analytics for an organization's best practices (of course, "best" depends on the organization). Two, a website, "GroupThink" for crowdsourcing ideas. Individuals can post ideas or problems and the internet community can refine the idea collaboratively. Three, a national bus tour to promote sustainable business and entrepreneurship (similar to what "Invisible Children" does. Profits from all these endeavors would go towards providing the technology and education (phones, to start) for accessing information to those who presently cannot.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
Phone App Example: Whole Foods has two hundred pounds of organic onions and 100 pounds of chicken in Southern California that will, presently, spoil if not sold that day. Instead, a soup kitchen can view this inventory dilemma and offer to buy the onions and chicken at 10% of their value. Whole Foods minimizes profit loss and the soup kitchen has more food to offer. A homeless person can look up where the food will be and reserve a seat.
Website: A college student from California wonders why in Massachusetts, where he attends school, there in insufficient signage for navigating suburban streets. He posts this observation and suddenly government employees, private business, and creative thinkers can collaborate on finding solutions. Since this is done publicly, any malicious exploitation of this dilemma becomes much more difficult.
Bus Tour: A bus shows up at Harvard University at the beginning of fall semester. A young, intelligent, and passionate team exits the vehicle and talks for 15 minutes to an advanced economics class. Sitting in the class, John Doe, a college senior currently applying to I-Banking positions and extremely busy with school work, learns about the incredible, and little known, opportunities that have only just come into existence. He realizes he can make money to pay off is college loans and actually do good too. Instead of working at Goldman Sachs, he takes a job with LGT Venture Philanthropy.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Our competition is any person or group that can profit from controlling information. For example, a hedge fund using insider information for investments. We will use our power to publicly share and deliver relevant information to the world.This information could range from a free concert in the park happening that night to methods of navigating censored websites for Chinese citizens.
The challenge is that though information is free, the resources to spread information are not. Those with that power presently want to continue to hold that power, like we all would. New technology, especially phone apps, are like the wild west right now. The successful colonizers of this new world will define the future of humanity.
Created on 12/25/2012 by Alex Blum
Reality Construction and Consulting wants to influence the distribution of information. We will begin with a website, phone application, and bus tour. Once rich and famous, we will expand and provide the actual technology and education to those who lack it. These efforts will redefine the world's infrastructure.
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideName Your Entry
Reality Construction and Consulting
Country where this project is creating social impact
Is your organization a
Hybrid
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideThe Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
With the proper infrastructure, information can make the world more just, free, and sustainable. However, information, like any resource, does not get distributed equitably. My vision is to create an infrastructure for a more equitable distribution of information.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Obviously, this is a broad vision and will require many components. To begin, I will implement three: One, a phone application with live inventory and GPS tracking to produce analytics for an organization's best practices (of course, "best" depends on the organization). Two, a website, "GroupThink" for crowdsourcing ideas. Individuals can post ideas or problems and the internet community can refine the idea collaboratively. Three, a national bus tour to promote sustainable business and entrepreneurship (similar to what "Invisible Children" does. Profits from all these endeavors would go towards providing the technology and education (phones, to start) for accessing information to those who presently cannot.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
Phone App Example: Whole Foods has two hundred pounds of organic onions and 100 pounds of chicken in Southern California that will, presently, spoil if not sold that day. Instead, a soup kitchen can view this inventory dilemma and offer to buy the onions and chicken at 10% of their value. Whole Foods minimizes profit loss and the soup kitchen has more food to offer. A homeless person can look up where the food will be and reserve a seat.
Website: A college student from California wonders why in Massachusetts, where he attends school, there in insufficient signage for navigating suburban streets. He posts this observation and suddenly government employees, private business, and creative thinkers can collaborate on finding solutions. Since this is done publicly, any malicious exploitation of this dilemma becomes much more difficult.
Bus Tour: A bus shows up at Harvard University at the beginning of fall semester. A young, intelligent, and passionate team exits the vehicle and talks for 15 minutes to an advanced economics class. Sitting in the class, John Doe, a college senior currently applying to I-Banking positions and extremely busy with school work, learns about the incredible, and little known, opportunities that have only just come into existence. He realizes he can make money to pay off is college loans and actually do good too. Instead of working at Goldman Sachs, he takes a job with LGT Venture Philanthropy.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Our competition is any person or group that can profit from controlling information. For example, a hedge fund using insider information for investments. We will use our power to publicly share and deliver relevant information to the world.This information could range from a free concert in the park happening that night to methods of navigating censored websites for Chinese citizens.
The challenge is that though information is free, the resources to spread information are not. Those with that power presently want to continue to hold that power, like we all would. New technology, especially phone apps, are like the wild west right now. The successful colonizers of this new world will define the future of humanity.
Reality Construction and Consulting wants to influence the distribution of information. We will begin with a website, phone application, and bus tour. Once rich and famous, we will expand and provide the actual technology and education to those who lack it. These efforts will redefine the world's infrastructure.
Created on 12/25/2012 by Alex Blum
Reality Construction and Consulting wants to influence the distribution of information. We will begin with a website, phone application, and bus tour. Once rich and famous, we will expand and provide the actual technology and education to those who lack it. These efforts will redefine the world's infrastructure.
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about yourself/your team.
I am a highly motivated thinker. I recently moved from the jungle in Panama as a Peace Corps Volunteer to a gated community in Scottsdale, Arizona as a Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Consultant. Coupled with my other unique life experiences, I have a global perspective and a passionate desire to make a more just and sustainable world.
What makes you an intrapreneur? What are the skills, capabilities, and personality traits that make you an intrapreneur?
I don't respect authority, trust those with power, or listen well. I have the requisite arrogance, ignorance, and narcissism to believe I am meant to change the world. If standardized tests are a valid measurement of intelligence (SAT 1600, GRE 1600, IQ 165), I am a genius. Chance has placed me in the world with a wealth of opportunity, ability, and freedom. For me, it is a moral obligation to utilize these resources for the greatest good I can conceive of. Acting in my own self-interest, this work satisfies me more than all else.
Company Country
United States, AZ, Scottsdale, Maricopa County
Primary country where this project is creating social impact
Additional countries or regions
Industry
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
The Need: What social or environmental problem are you trying to solve?
With the proper infrastructure, information can make the world more just, free, and sustainable. However, information, like any resource, does not get distributed equitably. My vision is to create an infrastructure for a more equitable distribution of information.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Obviously, this is a broad vision and will require many components. To begin, I will implement three: One, a phone application with live inventory and GPS tracking to produce analytics for an organization's best practices (of course, "best" depends on the organization). Two, a website, "GroupThink" for crowdsourcing ideas. Individuals can post ideas or problems and the internet community can refine the idea collaboratively. Three, a national bus tour to promote sustainable business and entrepreneurship (similar to what "Invisible Children" does. Profits from all these endeavors would go towards providing the technology and education (phones, to start) for accessing information to those who presently cannot.
The Solution: Why is this solution innovative for your company and industry?
I believe that an organization based upon "equitable information" distribution hardly exists and only recently became possible with technological innovations like phone applications and satellite phone service.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities.
Phone App Example: Whole Foods has two hundred pounds of organic onions and 100 pounds of chicken in Southern California that will, presently, spoil if not sold that day. Instead, a soup kitchen can view this inventory dilemma and offer to buy the onions and chicken at 10% of their value. Whole Foods minimizes profit loss and the soup kitchen has more food to offer. A homeless person can look up where the food will be and reserve a seat.
Website: A college student from California wonders why in Massachusetts, where he attends school, there in insufficient signage for navigating suburban streets. He posts this observation and suddenly government employees, private business, and creative thinkers can collaborate on finding solutions. Since this is done publicly, any malicious exploitation of this dilemma becomes much more difficult.
Bus Tour: A bus shows up at Harvard University at the beginning of fall semester. A young, intelligent, and passionate team exits the vehicle and talks for 15 minutes to an advanced economics class. Sitting in the class, John Doe, a college senior currently applying to I-Banking positions and extremely busy with school work, learns about the incredible, and little known, opportunities that have only just come into existence. He realizes he can make money to pay off is college loans and actually do good too. Instead of working at Goldman Sachs, he takes a job with LGT Venture Philanthropy.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Our competition is any person or group that can profit from controlling information. For example, a hedge fund using insider information for investments. We will use our power to publicly share and deliver relevant information to the world.This information could range from a free concert in the park happening that night to methods of navigating censored websites for Chinese citizens.
The challenge is that though information is free, the resources to spread information are not. Those with that power presently want to continue to hold that power, like we all would. New technology, especially phone apps, are like the wild west right now. The successful colonizers of this new world will define the future of humanity.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
In a single day, I stopped living alone and adjacent a river with the Ngobe Indigenous Tribe in the Panamanian jungle and started living adjacent a golf course in a gated community in Scottsdale, Arizona - from The Peace Corps to Merrill Lynch. The experience produced original insights about the economy, technology, and the environment. Coming back to the states has exposed me to advances in technology that can serve the greater good. I didn't even know what Phone App was until this year!
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
So far I have bothered a lot of my friends on facebook and stopped being very productive at Merrill Lynch. I have also made contact with decision makers in large organizations and some have expressed interest. I am meeting with the CIO of a multi-billion dollar corporation in a few days.
What is your projected impact over the next 1 to 3 years?
22% increase in a Utopic world.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The potential profits that have and will continue to be possible for those who use technology to control information make for a lot of interested parties. I plan to overcome them by being more intelligent and benevolent and by smiling a lot.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideWhat is the benefit or value you're creating for your business?
How are you leveraging internal resources (funds, time, knowledge, etc.) to support this initiative?
I am leveraging my business acumen, liberal arts education, and charisma to make my vision reality. I am writing this application on Christmas in a coffee shop. This is all I do with my time.
Expand on your answer, explaining the long-term funding and support plan.
Funds can come from a small service charge for product sales (like Square) and advertising sales. The basic infrastructure can be done for almost free and then, with sufficient web traffic and app downloads, the money should roll right in. My support ultimately comes from the nature of information: "Information wants to be free." The forces of the universe have aligned technology with information and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer in such a way that we can make the world more just and sustainable.
Tell us about your partnerships across your company and externally that are key to your project's success.
Whole Foods, wealth relatives, Techstars, kickapps, readyappsdev.com, google, the internet.
What internal support have you gotten for your project? What kind of push-back have you received?
The lack of a formal business plan and my lack of cash has limited my success. I resolved the bsuiness plan dilemma this past weekend and have meetings schedule with venture capitalists, corporations, and many others. The cash will follow.
We would love to build a strong team that desire to make education more than just an individual activity. We want passionate people that are willing to work hard and not be afraid to work outside the box. ChallengeCademy is taking the big leap on remaking the way education is taught. We will give everyone the opportunity to learn in a fun and collaborative environment where they can learn while at the same time solve challenges.
SM4CH wants to change the world by inspiring and empowering youth with information so they may affect change in critical social problems.
To do this, we use popular social networks to spread our free, high-quality, engaging, entertaining and empowering videos, infographics, memes, blogs and podcasts in multiple languages in the areas of politics, entrepreneurship, leadership and environment.
The content introduces important concepts with real life examples and includes a call to action as well as the tools needed to spark different types of local social change.
Created on 11/25/2012 by bobi
HacKidemia is a Mobile Innovation Lab that enables future changemakers to solve problems together. We are allowing children and all members of local communities that support them to discover and learn about new technologies, art and science in an interactive way through hands-on workshops an interactive wiki of making.
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about yourself/your team.
The first Hackidemia workshop was led by Stefania Druga in Paris in June of 2012. The event enabled young makers aged 11-13 to build and program robots with intelligent legos, create an interactive book, and dance while playing music on an Arduino carpet. Since then workshops have been held or are being developed in Cambodia, Romania, Hungary, Brazil and San Francisco and the team has grown from one to three: Brent Dixon, based in Austin, is a specialist in interactive media, film, and user experience design; Bobi Rakova in Sofia, Bulgaria works in Computer Science as a software developer; and Stefania is currently working toward a PhD at The Interdisciplinary Research Center, Paris Descartes.
What makes you an intrapreneur? What are the skills, capabilities, and personality traits that make you an intrapreneur?
I am young and passionate innovator. I have a strong technical background and at the same time I have learnt to make my way in any field no matter what people expect. I'm always trying to see the best in any situation and to learn new things. I love kids and the way they are open to any crazy idea and always ready to experiment. I think I have always felt the same way. I see something good in everybody and I am truly grateful for all the people and circumstances that surround me!
Company Country
United States, CA, San Francisco
Primary country where this project is creating social impact
n/a
Additional countries or regions
USA, France, Brazil, Nigeria, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
The Need: What social or environmental problem are you trying to solve?
The Education system should adapt to what the young changemakers actualy need to better understand the world around them. The project is aimed at children developing STEM and entrepreneurship skills for social impact, girls, minority kids that don't speak yet the language but could very well learn by hands-on workshops and be motivated by quick successes, parents and grand-parents that will assist the children in solving social challenges, students and teachers that wish to learn how to animate and create the challenges, communities where the solutions of the game will be implemented. A problem we also want to look at is that kids in hospitals don't have the access to the latest inventions in Robotics, 3D Printing, etc. We want to change this!
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
With Hackidemia we are allowing children and all members of local communities that support them to discover and learn about new technologies, art and science in an interactive way through hands-on workshops that will motivate them to compete in solving social problems from their local community (like how do we filter our water better, or how could I create a more efficient energy source for my house). The volunteers that are organising the workshops are trained through the same active learning process that is being implemented with the kids during the workshops:
-explore
-introduce a new technology
-do something together with the kids
-help the kids explain to their peers what are the steps they took to achieve what they did in the workshop
It is very important to use resources participants have access to. We have a wiki of making where kids publish there projects and can learn more about everything we do during the workshops.
The Solution: Why is this solution innovative for your company and industry?
This methodology allows us to train the children and introduce them to new technology, art and science and the practical applications but also to educate indirectly the volunteers and the parents that are involved.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities.
Lagos example:
We started the first campaign of mentor trainings and workshops in 10 schools in Lagos with the goal of solving grand challenges by using existing technologies and knowledge. This allowed us to train more than 400 kids and 50 volunteers and get the funding for the first permanent lab in Lagos/ and national training campaign for mentors. Old mentors are now the new trainers of trainers and they will lead the national campaign. This will create the platform for making projects collaboration and Iteration of design and development of social challenges with children, students and teachers.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Skillshare/ khan academy/ Gooru. We provide a hands-on learning experience which enables a quicker community building process and a more personal learning experience. We wish to collaborate with this organisations in the future and we already signed and agreement with Gooru so we can complement each other projects: they provide the theoretic documentation and we provide the hands-on currriculum for STEM classes.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
In the summer of 2011 Stefania decided to leave Google and go to an orphanage in Cambodia where she could work with 100 children of all ages and teach them how to speak English and use new technology. After working with them for four months and setting up a computer lab she realized that the kids worked much better in mixed groups as the older ones that spoke better English would explain to the younger ones how to use the computers or solve different tasks.
This methodology of circles of study also has the advantage that the kids who are explaining need to understand very well the concepts in order to be able to explain them to someone else. That was the aha moment for me and Stefania decided that she would try to replicate this learning model in other countries and see if it has the same results.
Together with a team of Singularity Students(Bogdana) and teaching fellows (Brent) we decided to create this platform.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
France- 100 kids in the two events/ 20 volunteers
Nigeria- 400 kids 50 volunteers (kids were making solar panels)
-brazil -600 kids- 7 volunteers/ 50 teachers
-berlin- 15 kids, 7 volunteers
40 kids in Dallas - soldering, kids building mikes, experiment with making different sounds, DIY craft instruments
Sofia - 60kids and an upcoming event in January
Romania - 60 kids
Russia - upcoming event in January
The first Hackidemia in the DELL Children's Hospital is happening today with the help of Marcella Maxwell
What is your projected impact over the next 1 to 3 years?
Our goal is to create 10 permanent labs and create a first prototype of the social challenge hub for kids platform in the first 12 months Each lab could train and kickstart teams from neighbouring areas and this will lead to 100 labs in next 3 years who will be designing and using the social challenge for kids platform. 10000 kids and 5000 students using our platform in five years from now.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
We would a lot more resources and volunteers. This why everywhere we do a Hackidemia event we try to
- engage with local community organizations, hackerspaces, schools, Universities
- we buy only local resources
- we spread the world and inspire more young people to join as volunteers
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideWhat is the benefit or value you're creating for your business?
HacKidemia is a Mobile Innovation Lab that enables future changemakers to solve real-world problems by accessing hands-on, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education that emphasizes creativity, ingenuity and play. School by school/community by community this will create a new learning model for sciences, art and technologies and prepare the next autonomous research and development (R&D) generation.
How are you leveraging internal resources (funds, time, knowledge, etc.) to support this initiative?
We use our international network from Singularity University in order to find local support for our project and we collaborated with all sorts of institutions: schools, NGO, companies in order to make an ecosystem change and involve all the local stakeholders. We also have a polymath team that could cover with limited expenses the development of initial tools and materials.
Expand on your answer, explaining the long-term funding and support plan.
With data from first series of workshops we will make a complete hands-on curriculum for CS and STEAM existing curriculum that will be provided by subscription model to schools and publishing houses. We will also develop a complete hacking kit (arduino for kids) that families could purchase and use at home.
Tell us about your partnerships across your company and externally that are key to your project's success.
We care very much about the community and the social impact of our project and that shows in everything we do. We tried to minimise discussion time and collaborate mainly with individuals and organisations which are results driven and believe in the grass-roots actions.
What internal support have you gotten for your project? What kind of push-back have you received?
Friends from all fields and backgrounds have offered to help us either on communitu building side or on backend development side. We experience the snowball effect with our international workshops as many people got inspired and decided to help.
Danie Craft, who is a physician-scientist who chairs the FutureMed program at Singularity University is in our board of advisers. He is going to help us set up educational workshops with kids in hospitals.
Created on 11/19/2012 by egymoha
This is a research enhancing website that will assist innovative and creative students with their inventions or models they want to build through providing the sufficient funds and knowledge from experienced people . The projects will be marketed and sold to large firms , having an economical impact as well .
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about yourself/your team.
Iam an innovative student from egypt who likes to always think about new and creative methods of improving the community through entrepreneurial and sustainable approaches and projects, Looking to help and aid other people in the society and impact their lives through helping them achieve their goals . I want to affect other people's lives positively and assist them to become what they have always dreamt to be .
What makes you an intrapreneur? What are the skills, capabilities, and personality traits that make you an intrapreneur?
I never stop to dream and i have a really strong ability to commute my never ending passion to other people . I have good leadership skills which make me have strong ability to influence other people and iam quite confident of what i do.I have good management skills and strong team building abilities . And last but not least , i have an awesome skill of making use of the available resources to create new things ,
Primary country where this project is creating social impact
Additional countries or regions
Can be used on a worldwide scale
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
The Need: What social or environmental problem are you trying to solve?
Innovation and Scientific Research rates are reaching horrible figures these days . Egypt has a quite low number of people who have the ability or the resources to successfuly innovate or invent new methods or products to help the country and make it excel from all the various aspects . The fact is there are many awesome brains which have brilliant ideas that they want to start working on , But the major problem is that they lack the guidance or the tutor to help them with assembling their inventions or to guide them through turning their ideas from the paper to reality , They don't know where to go to get help about fulfilling their dreams or projects or they don't have sufficient funds to get supervised or tutored specially that the poverty rates are increasing in a devastating way .
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
This will be the first website of its kind . This website will enable each student to suggest a certain project or invention he has always dreamt to create , then the high board of scholars - specialised people , academic tutors , and PHD holders - who will in most of the cases be volunteers and those who look to supervise projects and inventions and innovative ideas , to take a look at all the requests of creative ideas and projects that they received from students . Approved projects will be published on the website and students from all over the country and those who have access to the website can choose to work on the project they choose from the website - of course those related to their fields . in this way students of similar interests will be able to connect with each other and work on a certain project and even receive guidance from the tutors on the website . Listed projects will be supervised by the tutors and advertised to massive companies through marketing experts .
The Solution: Why is this solution innovative for your company and industry?
Students from the university where i learn will no longer have to worry about the poor research facilities or laboratories or inconvenient tutoring or teaching , they can now rely on this website to connect with other students they don't know but share same thoughts , to successfully enhance their ideas and build their models through being assisted by top quality tutors . Competitions will also be held at the end of the year concerning the best project and the best team .
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
unfortunately the problem of research and creativity hasn't been addressed ever in our country with the same approach i am taking . we are advancing in a very slow rate as i said earlier .
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
Being part of a large charity organization , i travel to poor places all accross the country to supply food and clothes to the poor . During one day , while i was visiting a college to advertise for our organisation . I spoke with a student about the major obstacles he faces in the learning process . The guy was a genuis which i later knew from his friends and had a quite high GPA . He told me that he wanted to create an advanced vehicle that would save alot of space and solve the congestion problem . but the obstacle he is facing is that he is studying an electrical engineering degree , therefore this invention has no relation with his major and he has no idea about where to go to get help or which students who are of same abilities and creativity can work with him for his invention . He had awesome knowledge of mechanical engineering . I then started to think why can't we create a "facebook" for the genuises to make the willing students achieve their dreams to benefit their countries
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
10 teams have been formed , where each team comprises of students from universities from all around the country . Each team work on a certain project and they are supervised by experienced tutors . Students are delighted that they have been able to connect with students of matching interests and even be able to work with each other . Projects include the following fields : mechanical , accounting , tranposrtation and many other fields ! Students from different economical standards can join each other without bothering themselves about the relatively high cost of materials they use or the supervision they get .
What is your projected impact over the next 1 to 3 years?
I want the impact of the website to increase from 10 projects to a one thousand projects or even more . I want to have an enormous database of students and expertised people and be able to connect them together in the easiest way possible . I want to hear that my country has been able to implement a new project or technology that has been assembled by students from the website .
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideWhat is the benefit or value you're creating for your business?
Improve education system and empower student's lives positively which will in turn boost the country forward .
How are you leveraging internal resources (funds, time, knowledge, etc.) to support this initiative?
I have contacted many Doctors in different universities to supervise the website and provide the relevant knowledge , we as a group of active students (Me and My Team) are sacrificing all of our time to collect funds through many resources and to update the website on regular bases .
Expand on your answer, explaining the long-term funding and support plan.
We have already contacted many sponsors to provide sufficient fund to keep our project running . We also collect money through donations and we have an active bank account so we can fund our projects . We also working with a massive charity organization and many NGOs to fund our project .
Tell us about your partnerships across your company and externally that are key to your project's success.
What internal support have you gotten for your project? What kind of push-back have you received?
Students are across the country are happy with the idea and welcoming the concept of having a research and invention enhancing website to aid the students . Many Officials have also contacted us to start providing the needed funds , materials , and laboratories to create the various projects .
Peers are different IITs and NITs. We do not feel these institutes as competitors because all institutes strive for excellence in their own institutes. We strongly feel that an isolated institute here and there performing better will not serve this large country. We need excellent institutes in every nook and corner of the country. Young students need to be empowered in all geographical regions and amongst all communities. No institute has taken a mantle of this nature. hence we feel that the entire space is open for us to execute.
Adopt a Student pairs students and donors in an attempt to reward hard work, increase scholastic motivation, and overall improve students' school experiences. Students and donors can set and choose academic goals and the rewards that they will be working towards, such as gift cards, school supplies, or even video games/recreational materials. By providing short-term motivation for academic achievement, we will trick students into doing something that is incredibly important for the trajectory of their lives. Bribery? Maybe. Clever? Undoubtedly.
Created on 11/2/2012 by Shashi Kaant Bhatnagar
Approximately 40 words left (320 characters).
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about yourself/your team.
We started as a animation production services company and are not transforming ourselves into a multiplatform brand development business - that means we create experience in life using animation, visual effects and graphic content for large life experiences - learning, storytelling, community building. We are team of around 40 people and rapidly expanding. KALADHAAR is a unique creative learning platform with e-lessons, virtual world + online gaming, merchandize kits for development of creative skillsets in kids and this is combined with online and center based learning for professional education as one grows. KALADHAAR covers the creative skill development across lifecycle of an individual.
What makes you an intrapreneur? What are the skills, capabilities, and personality traits that make you an intrapreneur?
1. Observation of internal challenges and how they affect the industry level delivery
2. Planning and thinking through of such solutions and identifying the value it can bring to society which can be monetized also.
3. Taking risks to believe on oneself when everyone likes the plan, says it is great but it is too big to implement and is idealistic in nature
4. Keeping teams together across challenges and tough times working on morale and the goals we have to achieve
Primary country where this project is creating social impact
Additional countries or regions
This can impact the whole world.
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read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
The Need: What social or environmental problem are you trying to solve?
Development of Creativity and Innovation as an essential skillset instead of as a hobby in education system
This is a Rs 10,000 Crore Indian Rupees market size.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
This is creative eco-system combining product lines of e-lessons, virtual world/online gaming and merchandize kits with distribution through local centers and business partners. Kids touchpoint are schools, online or web as well as online purchase and retail stores
The Solution: Why is this solution innovative for your company and industry?
Google is largest company in the world and content owner. Businesses will take that shape as we move forward in a digitally driven world with graphic communication. Kids today are not being taught at essential skill education level to use and develop their creativity to be professionals like we do with language or mathematics. This leads to poor quality and lack of preparation in finding such human resource which can shape tomorrow's world.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities.
Imagine a class being taken in a school where 450 lessons of creativity develop in a structured manner are taught to kids from Class I to Class X. Exactly the same they are taught humanities, mathematics and language. The kids grow into these skills in a structured manner and shape their thinking. They have additional tools and engagement provided on web based platform in form of virtual worlds and online gaming to consistently develop into this learning path while doing what they love to do. And there is material based things to assist the smell, touch, feel senses while developing these capabilities thus keeping them connected to real world and developing them into innovation and creation. Material based things are merchandise kits. KIDS all over the world grow using these education eco-system exactly the same they grow into linguistic skills, number skills or other forms of knowledge but with a far better presence of education experience. Combine - khan academy, e-learning in schools from pearsons, art kits from say crayola combined together planned and executed on same platform in a structured manner inculcating creativity and innovation
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
There is no competitior in this space. And we mean it. There is no structured product with structured 450 lessons in visual arts and other lessons in art forms worldwide. There are competing products in online space like "moshi monsters" or creative verse from Linden labs but ours is combined with a full scale eco-system. Merchandize kits also will not have a competitor as we will license our designs to a large merchandize company.
Educators or large e-learning companies will become competitors as me-too products in future after we launch our product lines. They cannot compete with the full eco-system though.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
For the product development, we have been conducting workshops in focus groups of kids in communities, schools etc. In one of the schools in Dombivili, Mumbai, where kids are educated in an innovative, simple and exploratory manner, when we conducted the workshops of entire of exercises of ten key drivers of this systems, we were amazed with instant results. The behaviour kids started to change in terms of creation, construction and innovation which was beyond even what he had thought. That was a big AHA moment and i believe we recorded that also.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
We have not made much money as product development is in progress but we would have conducted workshops with over 1000 kids and affected their creative thinking behvaiour.
What is your projected impact over the next 1 to 3 years?
Next 1 year - we are developing the product and looking for money to develop it well. Some of the skillsets can be found only in US so we have to build a fairly global team.
Next 3 years - We would be able to impact around 1000 schools and 10,000 children who can adopt this system. We have not yet estimated the market size for online world/ Ipad/Mmog product line as we have not done the Beta yet.
We aim to affect around 50 million kids during our human lifetimes.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
Funding is a major challenge due to innovative nature of product which challenges some structure of current education system.
Adaptability by schools and teachers at school level will be another challenge.
High involvement of parents is needed for success of Learning path and engagement of teachers, parents and kids together will have a real impact. Family values are important for its success.
Cultural adaptation of products will be another challenge as we are facing that in middle east so lot of exercises have to re-done.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideWhat is the benefit or value you're creating for your business?
This can provide a lifetime business which is sustainable as any education system is in our society
Being disruptive in nature, this has potential of very high topline with fairly high margins. This is disruptive revenue opportunity for our business.
There are 7000 schools in india alone which can adapt this system quite gracefully and with interest once the product is ready. We charge Rs 60 per month per student per school with capacity of average 1000 students means Rs 500+ Crore of revenues on year-on-year basis.
How are you leveraging internal resources (funds, time, knowledge, etc.) to support this initiative?
We have started small using existing skillsets to launch the GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL COURSES on one site and also taking them online in next 4 months. While doing that we are investing from revenues slowly into this product development for KALADHAAR KIDS space. We dont need money for development on GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL COURSES platform as it is nearly done.
We have the best of creative directors, designers, animation directors, animators supporting us in our endeavours. People just love what we do and often wait on the flanks to join ius.
Expand on your answer, explaining the long-term funding and support plan.
We need around USD 5 million to finish development, expand and exploit the plan and there will be not any funding required after that as the margins of business are high with well defined market size and identified customers.
Tell us about your partnerships across your company and externally that are key to your project's success.
Key partnerships being targetted will be Google, Intel, Fisher Price, Hobby Ideas in India, Large retailers like Big Bazaar, Target/Walmart in US.
For school distribution, we will have local distribution partners who also run KALADHAAR CENTER and license our products for local communities. This distribution network is critical for expansion and sustainable success of plan.
What internal support have you gotten for your project? What kind of push-back have you received?
Being a CEO, I have pushed it but due to the enormity of the product, my partners do tend to believe this to be very long-term while still working on product development.
This is internally funded.
The Logo of Oseafas is a hand forming a letter O, which describes a trust or faith, while the three {3} other fingers which reflects the function of these institutions that mentioned above. The colours of the Logo represent a courage [red], trustworthy [yellow] and loyalty [white] .
Winner of Category Cat B- NGOs, Semi Government, Society and Trusts in Praj Announces Winners of Maha-Intrapreneur Award 2011.
Pune India
18° 31' 13.548" N, 73° 51' 24.2784" E
Vigyan Ashram is a center of ‘Indian Institute Of Education, Pune’.
Created on 10/29/2012 by ChangeLabs
We partner with leading brands to create innovative change programs that transform communities, build brand equity and create sustainable competitive advantage.
We focus on scaling face-to-face programs to reach large numbers of people in environments that can genuinely shift the way they think, act and buy.
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about yourself/your team.
Dominic Thurbon is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at ChangeLabs, A business leader 'in the trenches', he directs over 70 full-time researchers and facilitators (across three countries) in the design and delivery of multi-award winning behaviour change programs that touch over 500,000 people each year.
He has directed research on international best‐sellers published in more than 15 countries, and is author of white papers on subjects as diverse as talent attraction and the impact of video games on industry and education.
Moreover he is a world top-10 debater and internationally sought-after keynote speaker who regularly consults for top brands, promoting the ethos that it really is possible for brands to do well by doing good.
What makes you an intrapreneur? What are the skills, capabilities, and personality traits that make you an intrapreneur?
Innovation: I drive a strong agenda of innovation, often reconciling complex conflicting opinions. Scope of innovation has included creation of new technology platforms (CRM, social media, apps), new revenue streams (new products/services) and new HR practices (recruitment and training).
Communication: An idea is only as good as your ability to sell it, and both inside and outside the business I have developed a reputation as a recognized thought leader and frequently engaged keynote speaker with a dynamic and provocative style, and the ability to sell my ideas.
Risk taking: Having been with ChangeLabs since its inception, I am accustomed to working in small-business environments where most bold decisions are accompanied with near game-breaking degrees of risk.
Primary country where this project is creating social impact
Additional countries or regions
New Zealand, United States
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Scaling (the next step will be growing impact on a regional or even global scale)
The Need: What social or environmental problem are you trying to solve?
There are many players trying to create positive behavior change across this and other spaces, but their models are flawed. Too many not-for-profits spend most of their time and money (ironically) trying to raise money; too many businesses use their CSR budgets or Foundations in either low-impact or low-leverage ways; too many governments have too much red-tape and bureaucracy to wade through.
Finally, there is a lack of rigorous, sensible formative and summative evaluation applied to many programs that operate in the social space.
We have built and continue to refine a model for not only theoretically understanding human behavior, but sustainably funding, designing and delivering at large scale impactful programs that change the way people think, act and buy.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Our solution is to effectively link a compelling social need to a corporate brand platform, thus aligning existing (or creating new) CSR or Foundational funding behind behavior change programs that are built in line with best-practice in driving social impact.
All ChangeLabs projects benefit both the brands that support them and the communities which those brands serve.
This reverses the typical corporate CSR strategy of ‘pick a charity and write a cheque’, and rather creates a flagship program unequivocally owned by and associated with the brand, which along with the large-scale of the program and proven impact creates a compelling social brand story that can be leveraged as part of their broader company positioning.
The Solution: Why is this solution innovative for your company and industry?
Firstly, the mode of delivery of our programs in an increasingly digital age is face-to-face.
Secondly, ChangeLabs makes the brands that ‘own’ the programs famous, not us. This is the ‘flip’ that turns CSR strategy on its head and how we ensure sustainable funding for programs
Thirdly, our deep research and academic partnerships mean that our programs are built with genuine, academic third-party validation and measurement of impact in mind.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities.
Our largest and most impactful program to date is the StartSmart program, built in close partnership with our partners at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. This face-to-face money management program, which aims to change the financial habits of a whole generation for the better, reaches over 200,000 people every year. It was recognized with awards for community contribution (2009), innovation (2010) and, for an extension to the program, best new product (2012).
In New Zealand, the GetWise program we design and run for ASB Bank has worked directly with over 65% of all New Zealand Students.
To a program impactful for all stakeholders, four elements must be brought together (these are the ‘secret sauce’ that no other organization has managed to put together). We refer to them as ‘4M’.
Market: understand who you are trying to impact, where to find them and, crucially, how to structure a program that reaches them at high scale. Face-to-face is an expensive medium and so finding high volume-per-facilitator is vital.
Message: understand how to build content in such a way that it catalyses positive behavior change in a short time. This is built on a deep understanding of instructional design, education and behavior.
Medium: understand how to attract, engage, retain and unleash world-class facilitators who are able to create compelling experiences that shift the way people think, act and buy.
Measurement: understanding how to design and rollout both formative and summative program evaluation in a way that produces accurate, meaningful and defensible results.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
In our research and experience, there are no organizations currently fusing the four elements of effective face-to-face behavior change experiences in the same way we are. There are some organisations who share similar philosophies, methodologies or functionalities, but rarely more than one of those three.
Those with similar philosophies are NFPs or cause marketing companies like GoodCorps, who aim to either create positive change or to help companies associate with issues of social importance.
Those with similar methodologies include research universities or educational institutions that study social change or run research programs to assess social impact.
Those with similar functionalities include training companies that build and/or deliver workshops on behalf of corporate clients.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
ChangeLabs grew out of a frustration with the lack of progress being made on issues of vital social importance; everyone was talking about the problem of financial illiteracy, of obesity, or mental wellness – precious few were designing programs that could make a difference at scale.
My own experience as a world top-10 debater, and ChangeLabs CEO Peter Sheahan’s experience as an internationally engaged keynote speaker (and previous experience working with tens of thousands of students around study skills) made us feel that if we could just harness and unleash the amazing power of people to change people then we could make a difference.
Thus, the idea to find a way to scale face-to-face interventions that drive behavior change was born.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Since inception in 2007, nearly 1 million people have been through ChangeLabs programs (even though those individuals would have no idea who ChangeLabs is, rather associating the programs with our clients). Over 65% of New Zealand students have been through a ChangeLabs program. Over 20,000 teachers have been through ChangeLabs programs – and we’re just getting started.
Our programs have been recognized with multiple awards for innovation, community contribution and best new products.
Whilst we have always surveyed program participants and can show that our programs work, in pursuit of better we have partnered with the Centre for Program Evaluation and Melbourne University, the Australian Council for Education Research and the NZCER to commence more rigorous quantitative and qualitative evaluations of our programs.
We are proud that early topline results indicate a profound impact, and full reports will be released in March 2013.
What is your projected impact over the next 1 to 3 years?
In the next 3 years we will have forged at least 6 new partnerships in America and Europe (where business development is already underway), and be on our way to reaching our 2020 goal of impacting a million people a year.
We will have behavior change programs off the ground in our five identified social areas: financial literacy, cyber bullying, mental wellness, healthy eating and active lifestyles.
We will have shifted the needle in corporate CSR to get out of small-scale, disjointed and ineffective grants and into high-impact, aligned behavior change programs that make a real, measurable difference.
We will have continued to research and publish in the areas of face-to-face experiences, the science of behavior change and social entrepreneurialism in order to move the space forward.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
Breaking into global markets and territories where we are an unknown force. We are Overcoming this through hosting events, contributing to global conferences, sharing our insight and research through publications, and making bold and direct approaches to prospective partners.
The double edged sword of being a ‘silent brand’. We overcome this through not seeing it as a barrier but rather a valuable tool. Business, now more than ever, must become the champions of the communities in which they operate.
Convincing prospective partners to walk away from trusted (even if innefective) traditional community activities and invest into a unique model for change. This is overcome through rigorous third party academic evaluations of our programs and sharing our successes through open reporting.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideWhat is the benefit or value you're creating for your business?
ChangeLabs has various revenue streams: writing and publications, keynote speaking, teacher training and education. The ‘quest’ part of the business, which is how we refer to large-scale behavior change programs referenced in this application, should be our largest, most profitable and most impactful business unit. Already generating upwards of AUD$6mil in revenue at roughly 20% margin, we feel this foundation is well laid to ensure that these programs are core ChangeLabs business.
How are you leveraging internal resources (funds, time, knowledge, etc.) to support this initiative?
We have a committed global team of over 50 people now dedicated to the sole goal of driving positive behavior change through large scale face-to-face programs.
Significant investments have been made into research and development including the creation of a globally unique tool for evaluating and training facilitation experts and educators
A proprietary collaboration suite called LabLife has been created to facilitate daily communication, sharing of learnings and real time distribution of new content.
We have created advisory networks and panels of subject matter experts in order to stay at the leading edge of research and insight for the problems we are targeting.
Expand on your answer, explaining the long-term funding and support plan.
The ChangeLabs model for delivering large scale programs is currently financially self-sustaining and profitable, and we are proud that our aggressive early efforts to secure partners and clients, and our disciplined approach to financial management and investments in the right areas of the business have got us to this point.
Now, the long-term plan is about sustainable growth and ensuring product and service delivery excellence. Our five-year goal is to take revenues from quests to AUD$20mil across 3-5 countries.
Tell us about your partnerships across your company and externally that are key to your project's success.
The social change space is all about partnerships. Our partnerships come in three broad areas:
Third party academic partners
For research and advisory in program evaluation: Centre for Program Evaluation (Melbourne Uni), ACER, NZCER. Workplace Research Centre (USYD)
Network of advisors and expert contributors - Dr Peter Fuda, Dr Adam Fraser, Penny Burke
Clients & Business Partners - Apple, IBM, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, ASB Bank
Plus internal thought leaders
What internal support have you gotten for your project? What kind of push-back have you received?
Whilst many initiatives I have driven around new technology or new products have been hard to navigate or ‘push through’, this particular initiative showed great early promise, and with the client on-board from very early on was comparatively simple to get across the line.
BRAINetwork will create a computer-based user friendly repository and provide minimal guidance to allow children access to specific web content. They are given access to cameras and recorders to collect indigenous data on biodiversity. They will populate their digital repository and eventually share it with indigenous children around the globe.
Created on 10/22/2012 by gagnier
JobScout is a web and mobile platform that uses game design to teach and reinforce digital literacy skills. JobScout's formula is simple: users take lessons, earn badges for completing those lessons and apply those lessons to find work.
read more ↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about yourself/your team.
JobScout teaches the essential Internet skills needed to find a job in today's online marketplace. At first glance, this may seem elementary. There is a focus in the online education space on continuing education and opening up the university, giving users access to college courses or advanced computer skills, like coding. But the JobScout platform has been created for users who need to master what a URL is before they can even think about the possibility of coding in HTML.
The founders met while producing the first online inaugural gala for the Obama Administration in 2009. In 2011, they were tasked with using the tools of the Internet to build some to teach people how to use the Internet. Accepting this challenge, they built JobScout in partnership with the California State Library.
What makes you an intrapreneur? What are the skills, capabilities, and personality traits that make you an intrapreneur?
Our team is teaching people how to use the Internet by using the Internet. We work with community partners and customers, like libraries, to provide an offline access point to bring Internet and jobseeking skills to people who do not have access to them. Our team continues to come with creative ways to employ social gaming to tackle the issues of digital literacy and unemployment.
Primary country where this project is creating social impact
Additional countries or regions
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Growth (your pilot is up and running, and starting to expand)
The Need: What social or environmental problem are you trying to solve?
It may be hard to imagine, in the wake of the IPOs of social networking companies and the advances in devices like the iPhone 5 that allow people to connect to the Internet, that there are people in 2012 in the United States who still do not use the Internet. One in five Americans fall into this category, according to Pew Research Center.
One in five Americans cannot check a movie time, make a purchase or connect with friends and family members using the Internet. If one in five Americans cannot do any of the above, one in five Americans certainly cannot find a job online. This also means that one in five Americans do not possess the skills necessary to qualify for many of the jobs available today.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
JobScout uses gamification of its educational materials to engage users in a fully guided process of learning everything about navigating the Internet. The platform provides over 30 lessons to users, ranging from "Introduction to Internet Browsing" to "Using the Internet to Prepare for an Interview." For each lesson a user completes, they earn a badge. The platform provides a ResumeBuilder allowing users to create fill-in-the-blank resumes, a job search function and the ability to apply to jobs and manage job applications directly from the site.
The platform, still in beta but available nationwide, is in over 600 libraries in California and will be available to every library in California by the end of 2012. Outside of the libraries, K-12 education institutions have begun to subscribe to JobScout to use the tools in their workforce and adult education programs.
JobScout is free for users and available online. Our business model consists of institutions as customers.
The Solution: Why is this solution innovative for your company and industry?
JobScout's formula is simple: users take lessons, earn badges for completing those lessons and apply those lessons to find work. JobScout's mission is challenging: the platform's goal is to teach people how to use the Internet by using the Internet. The platform uses another non-traditional approach: it works through local entities, such as libraries, training staff to be the offline entry point and support network for new Internet users.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities.
Through public partnerships, JobScout has been made available to the public libraries in California. Our team believes that one story particularly exemplifies the need for JobScout. As we visited the Banning Library in Banning, California, we waited in line at the circulation desk to ask for the director. As of 9 a.m. that morning, the waiting list for the computer terminals was already full until 11:30 a.m. As we met with the director, we learned that Banning had lost its other e-learning resources and that our platform, as it was made available to the pilot libraries at no cost, was now the sole resources for jobhunters. After a successful demonstration, the JobScout logo was up on the Banning Library website within a few hours and made available to its patrons. This story demonstrates the need for small libraries like Banning across the California and across the country for practical resources that help to combat issues like digital illiteracy and empower jobseekers to gain the skills they need to find employment. This is but one instance of where people are waiting for hours at their local libraries just to the use the Internet.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
JobScout’s competitors are in-person training programs in the workforce development space. The challenge for JobScout is carefully navigating its customer base: libraries and workforce development centers have different ways of partnering and providing funding for the products they purchase.
Platforms that are operating in the same larger online education space include Coursera, MITX, Khan Academy and Codeacademy. Our team often gets asked what we do that is different. If our users were climbing a ladder, JobScout would be the first step that would need to climb on before accessing these other online tools. There are over 70 million people in the US alone who cannot use the Internet.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
JobScout is a startup that was never meant to be a startup. California State Librarian Stacey Aldrich wanted to solve the problem of millions of Californians coming into libraries not knowing how to the use the Internet. Presented to our founding team, we embarked on creating a platform that did so. Once we saw how excited people were to use the resource and that it was making a different, it was clear we need to create the company and make a go of it
The platform arose from a partnership of the California State Library, spearheaded by State Librarian Stacey Aldrich, and a call to action to the LINK AMERICAS Foundation, the foundation responsible for shepherding the nation's first statewide effort to tackle digital literacy through California. The call to action was to create something to aid the millions of California library patrons who rely on the libraries for their Internet access and source of employment information.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
We are in all 1,057 libraries in California and are moving to expand nationwide. Thousands of lessons have been taken and users are learning how to practically use the Internet to become employed and become participants in the online economy.
What is your projected impact over the next 1 to 3 years?
JobScout is free for users and available online. Native mobile applications are being developed for iOs, set to launch in late 2012, and for Android, set to launch in 2013. The platform will also launch a version in Spanish in 2013, addressing the growing employment and education needs of the Spanish speaking population in the United States. Our company has also received seed funding to build HealthScout, which will employ a similar model to JobScout, but focus on technology empowerment to manage health and wellness. We have a vision to develop tools that aim to eradicate the digital divide and improve access to employment, education, government, healthcare and information.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
There are some critics of using social gaming and badge systems as part of the learning process. Also, the concept of teaching people to use the Internet by using an online platform has been a concept some do not understand. Our company also combats breaking into an industry, workforce development, where the solutions and processes have been the same for decades.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideWhat is the benefit or value you're creating for your business?
We classify ourselves as a public service for-profit company. Since we work hand in hand with government agencies like the California State Library and the California Technology Agency, we are positioning our business to be legitimized. Additionally, our partnerships with our customers is paramount. The beta of JobScout has made the platform constantly iterate: feedback and user experience are critical to its success and the success of the company.
How are you leveraging internal resources (funds, time, knowledge, etc.) to support this initiative?
Our team is working to create the 2.0 version of JobScout and to leverage our state level partnerships to bring this nationwide.
Expand on your answer, explaining the long-term funding and support plan.
To date, our company has raised nearly 1 million in seed funding from federal grants and other philanthropic resources. This has allowed us the time to develop our business model, with which we are already driving revenue into the company. Our partnership with our primary philanthropic partner, the LINK AMERICAS Foundation, allows us to explore both for-profit revenue and non-profit revenue strategies. We are also currently looking for angel and/or Series A round investors.
Tell us about your partnerships across your company and externally that are key to your project's success.
JobScout is partnered with Califa, the California State Library, the LINK AMERICAS Foundation and the California Technology Agency. JobScout is an inaugural partner in the White House Ignite project and its lesson content curriculum is part of the FCC’s Connect 2 Compete program.
What internal support have you gotten for your project? What kind of push-back have you received?
Our project is supported by the California State Library and is adopted by all of its individual branches. Since the company was born out of a project with the state library system, the institutional legitimization has been critical to its success.
As parents, one of the greatest mistakes we can make is in not teaching our children to make good choices. There are far too many roads to travel in life for our youth. The road to their future is built upon the foundation we lay down for them. Giving to Receive is a perfect direction.
Let’s change the path for our children. They do not know any history when they are born. So, we can teach them anything we set our minds to teaching them. There is nothing stopping us.
El Zapato de Lona. The Ecuadorian street shoe.
Worn by the working class, day in, day out, they’re an iconic part of the landscape - part functional necessity, part social signifier.
Juntos embraces this heritage and brings it to you, refining and repurposing the design while preserving everything that makes the shoe, the shoe.
That’s why you’ll find a map of Ecuador on the inside of every pair, so you never forget where they came from.
Co.Labs Agency strives to be an innovative educational model housed within institutions of higher education, effectively bridging the gap between business and education.
Co.Labs creates a cooperative business forum centered on apprenticeship. This model will reward entrepreneurs & the business community based upon their ability to collaborate and mentor future generations.
Teach For Bangladesh is a fellowship program that runs on the following model:
Recruitment and Selection: Attracting outstanding university graduates and young professionals of diverse backgrounds to apply for the fellowship. Admitting individuals who demonstrate the personal, academic and professional competencies necessary to positively impact student achievement under very challenging circumstances.
Leadership Development: Training and supporting Fellows through intensive six-week pre-service and ongoing in-service professional development to maximize their classroom impact.
I have created a database for all pupils studying in primary schools, This will need to be published, improved to ensure it caters for all pupils in the world. Information must be collected, Other volunteers from different parts of the world must be given permission to enter data from their respective countries. I need developers to help me improve this database, i need financiers to help me collect data in my country Uganda.
Created on 09/12/2012 by pickbird
Tinamitra Mandiri is a social entreprise that focus on developing sustainable future. We create WAI apps, a smart mobile apps for empowering rural woman at BOP.
Organization: Tinamitra Mandiri
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideCountry where this project is creating social impact
Indonesia, NT, Papagarang Island
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
Has the organization received awards or honors? Please tell us about them
Top 10 Make a Difference Award 2012
E-Idea Winner 2011 Competition by LRQA & British Council
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read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for less than a year
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your innovation addresses? Choose up to two
Cost.
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
The need of reliable payment system in remote areas – lack of road access, lack of banks, etc – and user-friendly household financial guide for bottom of pyramid residences, especially with low health care and lack of education profile. We target on leveraging welfare of Bottom of Pyramid people, especially women in rural areas.
Today, there are approximately 70 per cent of the world population lives in rural areas, where agriculture is the main source of income. Nearly half the world – over three billion people – live on less than $2.50 a day. Women are particularly vulnerable to poverty. Women have less access to education, earn less than men, and are subject to discrimination and exclusion from decision-making processes within households and communities. We want to strengthen women.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
1) Create mobile wallet for family purchase and saving by using SMS;
2) Smart dedicated mobile applications - delivered in customized local languange – for rural women, who enable them to plan their asset management also to increase family income based on preferable opportunities in their residences;
3) Give entrepreneurial opportunities for women as mobile phone voucher reseller agent;
4) Cause marketing platform. Give opportunities to everyone now to ‘change the world’ through daily activities
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
We start by using it for our Clean Water Project in Papagarang. People top-up their mobile wallet account by buying voucher from women who role as voucher reseller agents. After top-up the account, they can buy the water by using SMS. In the same time, the women reseller agents get profit sharing from cellphone network provider per transaction.
Women in Papagarang families use WAI Smart Mobile Apps to plan their asset management and improving daily income. Their WAI apps account is linked with real money at their cellphone network provider account (which they use to buy clean water daily). Here, they can manage the assets for family basic needs - how much for education, water, food, health, savings, and how much it has been allocated succesfully in a month (in percent) - based on their actual money and expected income. Not only that, they can also plan prospective family income by looking at local job opportunities in their neighbourhood such as fishing, craft, textile, livestocks, etc. Moreover, rural women can register from their WAI apps and get the job. In addition, various content ranging from education to health content will be embeded too in the WAI apps to enhance women knowledge.
Last but not least, WAI apps also creates cause marketing in the social network. One transaction means one donation. We collaborate with commerce business partners who agree to donate a portion of each transaction for the rural women and their family. We will give point from each donation so customer can monitor how much their contribution for the world online.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
For mobile entrepreneur, www.ruma.co.id and GrameenPhone has done women empowerment through mobile usage for years. Ruma has empowered more than 10.000 rural women entrepreneurs in Indonesia, and GrameenPhone achieve up to 37 million subscribers for BOP market beneficiaries in Bangladesh.
For mobile wallet, we have SK Mobile Wallet in Korea and Entity-docomo in Japan who runs mobile payment system. For financial planning, we have www.ngaturduit.com. They help people to manage their money to reach certain goals. For cause marketing, we have numerous players from causeworldapp, Tom Shoes, wujudkan.com, etc. They use donation-by-transaction for certain causes.
At time, for whole services package focused on BOP market, we are sole player. To lead the market, endless innovation is needed.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
We established a clean water plant in Papagarang Island back on 2011. It was a remote area located within islands, lack of transportation access, and 2 hours away by boat from nearest bank. We have 1270 households to be served, but we find future problems in collecting fresh cash from them. We don’t have any banks around – it is located in other island - and get troubled in carrying cash in big amount island-to-island every day. One day, we figure out that we might use mobile transaction by optimizing existing cellphone network and phone voucher. And, Aha!, yes it can work technically and help our water business model transaction to be more reliable.
The success of crowd-funding also inspired us to provide online platform for cause marketing actions towards Millenials Generation. When one transaction means one donation, now everyone can contribute through small things that they do daily - shopping and consumption -, share it to friends and multiple the social participation.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Through WAI apps, we want to provide broader opportunities for rural poor, especially women at BOP. We give them access to technology, access to education/training, access to health care, and access to economic opportunity. Therefore, technology can improve their income and in the same time accelerate their life quality in a step-by-step modules they can choose themselves with the apps.
Which barrier(s) to financial inclusion does your solution seek to address? (select all applicable)
Physical and other accessibility obstacles that prevent communities from reaching financial services, The lack of affordable financial products tailored to the needs of underserved and excluded communities,, Powerful incentives for financial service providers to move up-market, Other (Please describe below).
If you selected 'other' above, please specify which other barriers to financial inclusion you solution seeks to address:
Give entrepreneurial opportunities for women by using low-tech gadget mobile phone
For which underserved or excluded communities will your solution create access to valuable, affordable, secure and comprehensive financial services?
We target the poorest 40 percent of the world’s population, which approximately 70 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, where agriculture is the main source of income. Poverty is increasingly concentrated in these areas; 16.6 per cent of rural people are poor compared with 9.9 per cent of urban populations. Millions of small farmers, farm workers and fishers are materially and financially unable to tap into the opportunities offered by years of economic growth. They are often geographically isolated and lack access to agricultural extension services, markets and financial services. The WAI apps is design to adapt and fit in their customs and behaviour - with their traditional language - which help themselves to solve community problems.
Could your solution work in other geographies or regions? If so, where?
Our solution is basically a mobile banking for the unbanked area with the saving education program. Thus, as long as in the certain area the citizen is not educated well in saving but they are used to use mobile phone such as SMS, and in this area has no bank access but there are cellular network available, our solution can works well.
If your solution is dramatically successful, how will things be different in 10 years?
The wealth will be increase and their quality of life will become sustainable because the citizen know the priority in fulfilling needs. Moreover, with the crowd-donation platform that use cause marketing from merchant in the developed area, the money is not only concentrated in the developed area, but also in underdeveloped area where our program is being held because our platform will transfer the money to this area. That is mean, there are more chance for higher wealth. This area could become developed area as well because from WAI Apps feature, we can publish the potential for the certain area, then any businessman can play in this area and use local resources. Not only the businessman get more opportunity for their business, but also the local citizen and local area quality of life will be growth because the area is more productive and not idle anymore.
What will have had to have changed to make this happen?
The telecom industry is no longer used for only information and communication, but also for economic transaction especially for remote areas. One platform for more benefit. So what should be change is the paradigm of industry player with the opportunity and the best practices in over the world.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
WAI provides easiness in water purchase on Papagarang Island, will serve about 1270 households.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
WAI provides easiness in water purchase on Papagarang Island of 1270 households and improve their women financial management literacy in first year. Then WAI expand to 5000 women users in year 2 and 10000 women users in year 3. The cause donation is prepared in year 1 and planned to engage 1000 volunteers (netizens and merchants) in year 2 and grow to be 5000 volunteers in year 3. in year 4 to 5, we plan to achieve 50.000 women user with 25.000 volunteers.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
Along the way, the cellphone network provider can raise service price too high. To overcome it, we plan to engage more cellphone provider – to minimize the network monopoly – and also set up our own network platform like GrameenPhone did.
The illiteracy rate of read and internet will also give barriers to enter rural women, but to overcome that we prepare training package include learning to read and operate general mobile and internet usage. We also put local traditional language as interface so then they will adapt the technology faster and better. This policy will give barrier to other competitors who want to enter the market since traditional languange adaptation takes much effort.
Other strategy is to engage local government from the beginning, so they become our strong alliance
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Early Stage Implementation
Task 1
Launch WAI 1.0 version in clean water sales for the neighborhood in Papagarang Islands
Task 2
Train and educate small groups of 100 women as early WAI’s Apps users and prospective voucher reseller agent
Task 3
Product evaluation and improving features in R&D division
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Scaling Up and Crowd Engagement
Task 1
Expand marketing plan to penetrate 1270 households women in the area
Task 2
Training more women WAI Apps users and provide them with education and health multimedia contents from cellphone network provide
Task 3
Create marketing buzz to engage netizens and merchants to participate on the cause crowd-funding donation
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We collaborate with national cellphone network provider. We get the mobile voucher, mobile network, mobile content, also phone/gadget embedded with WAI apps. For cause marketing, we work together with our partners in commerce business that agree to provide donation from a portion of their transactions. Today we have Vertesac (discount card using reusable shopping bag), Tap Shopping (delivery shopping using QR code), Never Been Better (breakthrough youth cafe), and more partners in the list. Furthermore, we will link our cause crowd-funding services to matched partners around the globe.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your innovation? If so, where and why?
Currently, we focus the WAI apps trial in our Clean Water Project located in Papagarang Island, Nusa Tenggara Timur. Papagarang is an fishermen village that does not has clean water access with 1270 households living in poverty. We build reverse osmosis infrastructure to provide clean water for them. The condition is perfect for trial, since we have the supporting ecosystem consist of the user, the goods, and the transaction needs. In the same time, we lack of bank access, since it is located 2 hours away by boat in other island.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
We need a good learning environment for the women, as the main user of WAI apps. Therefore, we make them into groups to easy peer assistance. For cause marketing, todays millenial generation will collaboratively take part with a good engagement by social media.
For internal, we need a strong motivated and dedicated team with passion in helping other to achieve better and proper life for all. The team has to be creative and innovative, especially in social engagement with the rural women.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Technology and Multimedia Support
Created on 09/12/2012 by prashant_sharma
A determined and sincere approach to develop rural youths.
Organization: Sant Singaji Institute of Science and Management
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideOrganization Name
Sant Singaji Institute of Science and Management
Country where this solution is creating social impact
Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Growth (your pilot is up and running, and starting to expand)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your solution addresses? Choose up to two
Access, Cost, Quality, Equity.
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
We are located at a Hardcore Rural Area at Sandalpur. This areas is known for migration of Male rural students to Metro Cities for better education facilities and job prospects. For Female students there is no access for higher education. They are leaving higher education due to lack of family support. The community feels that girls need to be get married and dose not require any formal higher education. It our daughter gets higher education. then we will not get better groom for her in future for her marriage. Some families dose not provide higher education due to poor financial condition of their family. The youngsters are forcefully sent to farm land for earning their daily bread and butter.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
We are providing Quality education. Improvement of soft skills of the students. Providing them job opportunities to make them self reliant. Teaching them entrepreneurship for generation self employment. Making female students more confident to face the challenges of society.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
Step by step monitoring of teaching. Evaluation the performance of the students at regular intervals so that they can be motivated. Imparting them training related to improvement in communication skills, Business Skills and Entrepreneurship. Giving them insights of future requirements of business and jobs. Ensuring overall development of personalities of the students.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
There are some government colleges around us but they are unable to generate quality higher education and employee ability.They are facing some problem of Staff, Infrastructure and passive initiation from state government.
We are able to established professional approach towards higher education and give new outlook to the students. We have form a team of dedicated faculty members and staff to deliver quality education. We have invited experts from cities like Bangalore, Mumbai to develop the soft skills of students and give them insight of current conditions of job market.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
Talented rural youth wonder place to place in search of proper guidance regarding educations, jobs, earning sources. Girls complains that the they are vulnerable as their family dose not wish them to learn further.
There are job opportunities in the market but due to lack of skills these youths get rejected.
Girls from the area get married in minor age.
As the family of farmer grows, the earning resources are reducing which is forcing them to migrate in search of new income opportunities.
the youths are lacking of proper information,support and guidance so that they can grow in their career.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Developing rural youths at par with the youths from metro cities. Equip them with all the skills and qualities required to face the competition. Enable to them to live a comfortable life based on their abilities.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
We are able to get students who are in need of quality education. The communities are now understanding the importance of higher education and are now interested to send their wards to the college. The students are showing greater interest to learn new things and grow.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
We will be able to involve more that approx 3000 youngsters to give them new dimensions to their life. we will be able to stop the migration of the students to metro cities in search of education and job.
We will also able to teach more than 1000 girls students and equip them with higher education degrees to develop their employee ability.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The rural parents feels that expenses incurred on education is needless. This will generate financial barrier. We will be contacting some donors to sponsor the students so that more better infrastructural facilities can be developed.
the communities may take some more time to understand the importance of higher education. We are planning to undertake exhaustive community education program through our students.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Enriching life of the rural youth by way of overall development
Task 1
Imparting qualitative higher education to students as per univerisity norms
Task 2
Soft skills training to the students for getting better jobs
Task 3
Imparting computer education to the students
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Achieving 100% results for the academics of the students.
Task 1
Addition of vocational training for the students
Task 2
Generating employment opportunities for the final year students
Task 3
Adding society at large to develop their employability
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
There is trust of devotee of sant singaji ( a saint) who taught spirituality with equality. The devotees are the partners.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
Apart from the students , we will also target unemployed youths who left education due to financial constraints. In second phase, we will also involve adults for training.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
Professional, growth oriented work environment. Transparent and open access to all and participative work culture make our organisation successful.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
This three year pilot project operated within BC Children's Hospital Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine - Youth Health Program will provide: Guidance and Support for Youth with Disabilities or Special Needs to Foster Healthy and Safe Sexual Development. This project will include direct patient and care giver counseling, education and support tool review, reform and development as well as province wide interdisciplinary education and community based education.
Created on 09/11/2012 by wordplaypoets
Hullabaloo provides a forum to empower youth through Spoken word Poetry, to connect them with a community of writers, and to dialogue with the public at large.
Organization: Vancouver Poetry House
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideCountry where this solution is creating social impact
Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Vancouver, Coast and Mountains, Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan, Northern British Columbia, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Kootenay Rockies, Columbia Basin.
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Scaling (the next step will be growing impact on a regional or even global scale)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your solution addresses? Choose up to two
Quality, Equity.
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
Youth have few, if any, venues to tell their stories and express their opinions. A lack of engagement in civic issues has alienated this generation from the politics that shape their future. High literacy barriers prevent access to traditional forms of cultural discourse and deny youth the opportunity to be engaged in the social and cultural fabric of their communities. This lack of engagement often leads to dropping out of society, becoming uninterested in education and their own future, and turning to escapism through video games or drugs.
What is needed is a new way of allowing youth to present their stories and their opinions that is easily accessible, exciting, and can draw an audience of listeners from all populations within their community. Youth need to have their voice heard.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Spoken Word Poetry creates forums for youth to express their opinions on the issues that surround them. By harnessing the power of oral communication, youth are engaged in social dialogue and empowered to take positions of leadership in reshaping their communities.
More specifically, the burgeoning poetry slam movement has emerged as an art form that resonates with youth. Slam is a format where poets receive scores from judges selected at random. The venue of Slam creates an audience for Spoken Word Poetry. In Slam, camaraderie is emphasized over competition. The motto is: the points are not point, the point is poetry.
Slam encourages youth poets to write poetry that is relevant and accessible. The scoring element is important because it creates interaction with the audience (the broader community) and gives the poet feedback. It is in many ways a sociological testing system where communities can discover which ideas resonate with them and which do not.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
Hullabaloo is the culmination of a yearlong series of workshops where youth learn writing and public speaking skills.
Next year will be Year 3 for Hullabaloo. In this year, Hullabaloo envisions a bold expansion of the program. We will conduct 30 half-day workshops in financially disadvantaged institutions to connect with at-risk youth and help them become engaged in civic issues through spoken word, an increase of 50% over the previous year. We will expand Hullabaloo from 12 to 16 teams.
In practice, a typical example of the impact of Hullabaloo works in the following way. We will arrange a large performance featuring professional Spoken Word performers at a school's general assembly. The youth will see the show and be inspired. Afterwards, there will be a few workshops to give them the basic tools to write their own Spoken Word Poetry and information on how to start a Slam Club. Then, we'll work with the students and their sponsor teacher to continue the momentum with the Slam Club. These students will start putting on shows after school or at lunch for other youth, exposing them to poems about race, class, and other social issues that are common in Spoken Word. The club then forms a team, registers in Hullabaloo, comes to the festival, meets other poets their age, and presents their poems for hundreds of people. Then, they return back to their communities, empowered and inspired to continue to write more poems and stage more performances. It's a positively reinforcing cycle. Each year, more youth get involved, mentor each other, and engage with more through poetry.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
There are several groups dealing with literacy among BC youth, but none of these other groups specifically use Spoken Word Poetry to help youth become excited with words and self-expression. This is our big advantage. Spoken Word Poetry has a cool factor that sets us apart from other organizations when engaging youth. We know this because we have been working with youth on other Spoken Word projects for many years. Our experience in this area and the proven interest that youth have in our area of expertise in another important advantage that the Hullabaloo project possesses.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
The Aha! moment for Hullabaloo occurred in March 2010 during a meeting of three prominent members of Vancouver's spoken word scene: RC Weslowski, the organizer of the Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam, Chris Gilpin, the organizer of WordPlay (Vancouver Poetry House's poetry-in-schools program), and Trevor Spilchen, a high school English teacher. During this meeting, Trevor told RC and Chris about how teens had started to come to him and ask about Slam and Spoken Word Poetry. Slam Clubs were starting to form in schools all over Vancouver. The foundation for this had been laid by the outreach work done by WordPlay and the Vancouver Youth Slam, which were then catalyzed by the wildly popular Spoken Word performance given by Shane Koyczan at the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies. At that meeting, the three of them decided that what needed to be done was to support this grassroots movement, network these slam clubs together and create a festival to shine a spotlight on youth Spoken Word Poetry.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Through workshops and a yearly festival, Hullabaloo empowers youth, creating public forums for their stories, developing their artistic skills, and honouring their voice and their contribution to the civic dialogue that shapes our society.
Our goal is to expand this initiative throughout all regions of BC, creating a network of young people using Spoken Word Poetry to gain confidence, improve literacy skills, and to add their ideas to the cultural discourse in their communities.
We envision the growth of the festival to include hundreds of youth poets from all over BC in an annual celebration of their creativity. This festival would shine a spotlight on their words and join them together into a community of young poets active in social issues at the local and global levels.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
In Year 1 & 2, we have conducted 62 spoken word workshops in 21 different under-resourced schools and youth organizations reaching over 2000 at-risk youth as part of the outreach component leading up to Hullabaloo.
Several schools had large qualifying slams, notably New Westminster Secondary, Reynolds Secondary, and South Delta Secondary, whose slam clubs had enough interested students that they could have fielded more than one team. Over the past two festivals, 130 youth poets from 19 different schools participated, presenting spoken word pieces that they had developed over the course of the school year. There were over 200 attendees at Hullabaloo 2011 and over 500 attendees at Hullabaloo 2012.
"...the most impressive aspect of Hullabaloo is the community that you have developed, a youth community of poets supported by fantastic role models... Hullabaloo has provided transformative opportunities for the kids" ~ Anita Roberts, Esquimalt Secondary English Teacher.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
Over the next five years, we will conduct over 300 workshops and performances in over 80 different schools and youth organizations as part of the outreach component of Hullabaloo. Through these activities, we expect to expose over 10,000 BC youth to Spoken Word Poetry, raising awareness of this new emerging art form (from an ancient tradition) as an alternative form of expression. We will continue to make working with at-risk youth a priority and we project that, over five years, this project will significantly raise literacy skills among youth, and especially at-risk youth.
Over the next five years of the Hullabaloo festival, we project having over 350 youth poets participate, sharing their work with over 3000 audience members, producing an entire new generation of poets.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The biggest barrier to the project is lack of awareness among youth about Spoken Word Poetry as a form of expression and about Slam as a forum for Spoken Word Poets to be heard. To overcome this barrier, we have designed an extensive outreach project that will send teams of young poets into communities across BC to perform demonstration poetry slams and conduct spoken word workshops with youth. We have also created a website YouthSlam.ca to raise awareness about the project, and Spoken Word Poetry in general, through the internet. We have included video playlists on this website to allow youth and teachers to have examples of Spoken Word in all its varieties and to inspire them. We plan to create more online resources, including lesson plans, to spur self-guided workshops as well.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Build strong connections with over 20 Slam Clubs in schools and youth organizations across BC.
Task 1
Complete an outreach program of 30 Spoken Word workshops in schools and other youth organizations across BC.
Task 2
Create a comprehensive lesson plan for BC English teachers to incorporate Spoken Word into their curriculum.
Task 3
Send all 20 Slam Clubs starter kits that include books on Slam and Spoken Word as well as all the tools necessary to run a Slam.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Stage Hullabaloo 2013 with over 50 youth poets and over 800 audience members
Task 1
Create an easy-to-use online registration system for Slam Clubs to confirm their participation in the festival.
Task 2
Have 16 teams of youth poets registered to participate in Hullabaloo 2013 from regions across BC.
Task 3
Implement a comprehensive publicity campaign for Hullabaloo 2013 through traditional and social media networks.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
Last school year, we established a media sponsorship with Youthink Magazine, a monthly free magazine produced for teens by teens with distribution throughout the province and a strong online presence. We also had coverage on CKNW, CBC, CFRO, Shaw TV, The Georgia Straight, The Delta Optimist, and Sad Mag. This year we have negotiated a venue sponsorship with The Roundhouse Centre to host all Hullabaloo events in their world-class facility. We have ongoing partnerships with the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Vancouver Writers Festival, DOXA, and The Cultch, as well as the other VPH programs.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
In Year 1 & 2, the teams participating in Hullabaloo have been from Vancouver's Lower Mainland (9 municipalities), Victoria (2 municipalities), and the Sunshine Coast (1 municipality). In Year 3, our aim is to launch a bold outreach program that will connect us to the existing Slam communities in the Kootenay and Okanagan regions, as well as spread the word about Spoken Word poetry and its ability to transform communities to the Cariboo and Skeena regions. We have already arranged a Spoken Word Poetry tour to schools in Smithers and Hazelton in February to accomplish this.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
Hullabaloo operates in two strong support networks: the registered non-profit organization, Vancouver Poetry House (VPH), with its experienced board of directors and connected group of program organizers, as well as, the broader spoken word community in Vancouver, which is filled with artists, organizers, and volunteers who are motivate to support literacy and social justice projects related to Spoken Word. VPH is also partners with SpoCan (Spoken Word Canada), which is a national association comprised of organizers from over 30 poetry slams from across Canada. This gives us the network to help expand the project regionally, and eventually, nationally.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
We would be interested in collaborating with other organizations that connect with BC-based youth, specifically organizations that work with Aboriginal youth in areas outside of urban centres. We would be willing to share our network of connections with schools across BC and Aboriginal organizations in Vancouver to promote other programs that engage youth in literacy projects.
Created on 09/10/2012 by katatcoolworld
We want to scale up our successful social marketing process for creating sophisticated media campaigns by and for youth, communities and organizations.
Organization: Hello Cool World Media
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Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Vancouver, Coast and Mountains, Vancouver Island, Northern British Columbia, Kootenay Rockies.
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Growth (your pilot is up and running, and starting to expand)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for more than 5 years
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your solution addresses? Choose up to two
Cost, Quality.
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
We live in a media saturated world, and everyone, youth in particular, are inundated with media savvy slick messages. There is a need for grassroots projects, with a heart and soul, to fight back to use the tools of the brand bullies against them. Yet most communities, particularly when they are marginalized due to geography or socio-economic factors, don't have the in-house skills to create marketing campaigns that both suit their particular needs AND are up to the standards of mainstream media. In particular, when there is a difficult health issue to address, like HIV/AIDS, sexual health, substance abuse, violence or bullying, two things are true: 1) the topics need to be addressed in a culturally appropriate way 2) usually the beneficiary can't afford to hire an ad agency.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Hello Cool World is a multi-media ad agency and media production & distribution company that specializes in using the tools of documentary and advertising to create micro-niche marketing for social cause projects. We love to collaborate with communities, and give them the tools of marketing and social branding to tell their own stories in a way that is much more compelling than the typical top-down health model of 'one size fits all (insert cultural signifier) kind of way.
Moreover, we believe that compelling stories, when they are authentic, resonate with many audiences, not only the communities they were created with and for. For this reason, we hope to develop a way to scale up our process of working with small groups to create promotional campaigns that could resonate also within a larger social branding framework. We want to run our workshops, and photo shoots in a way where we can do many in a year rather than random one-offs, and in so-doing give greater value to all.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
We care about youth health because we are in the business of prevention and harm reduction. Our idea is to partner with stakeholder organizations who already have expertise in working with diverse youth and with communities. In addition we want to partner with forward thinking research organizations to fund a year's worth of smaller projects, much like you would move to a documentary series rather than a doc one-off. Creating an economy of scale would help us keep our services affordable, partnerships could even make them free in some case to our beneficiaries, and working in common cause with our partners toward specific social outcome goals, would allow us to both build a branded outreach framework and work in direct grassroots manner with groups.
What we do specifically, whether it be to create a brochure, a poster, a video, or a photoshoot, is that we engage members of our intended audience as our creative cohorts, while bringing a professional team to the table to help bring their ideas to life in as slick a manner as they are used to seeing in mainstream media.
What we endeavour to do is to recognize youth as the experts in their own experience, while representing them at their best (not their worst like reality TV!) to their peers.
We also bring an intergenerational approach to this, we are not doing DIY self expression projects, but mentoring, and building capacity in a group who has agreed that they share the mission to create positive and effective messages for their peers.
We know from experience this approach works.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
There are many creative agencies looking for clients. And when there is a high profile client, with a big budget, there is a pitching frenzy that ensues. (We blame Mad Men, which we also love.)
We want to take ourselves out of this game altogether, partnering with issue stakeholders and a provincial and national level to bring our services, affordably, to even the smallest remote communities, or social cause organizations.
There are also lots of reality TV predators who would love to use the very issues we address in an exploitive and sensational manner.
But there really are no companies in Canada trying to do what we are doing around the difficult issues with marginalized communities. Certainly none trying to find new ways to finance this work as a social enterprise.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
During the pilot project of the video worksop series we co-created with Chee Mamuk," Star in Your Own Stories", we were in a small First Nations community. HIV/AIDS educators took the 12 youth through a workshop, then we spoke to them about messaging, & began to brainstorm the story they would tell on camera. We had less than two days left to shoot. The workshop itself was rewarding, and hectic etc., but the 'aha' moment came when we flew back to present the video to the 200 community members at a feast honouring the youth filmmakers. On the plane I sat beside a woman, who had been living for almost 20 years with HIV, and was going to speak before the film was shown.I told her the youth's topic for their film was on how rumours spread like STI's. When the speaker began to describe what rumours did to her, comparing this to their film, I watched the youth transform before my eyes from being pleased with themselves, to a sense of profound pride in the important work they were doing.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
What I am trying to achieve in all these projects is empowerment, behaviour change, and giving communities tools to sustain these impacts beyond the limits of a weekend workshop.
To do this we need to find partners that can help us scale up our efforts without raising the cost to the small communities and organizations that benefit from these projects.
What we need grant money for, is to develop the partnerships and plans that will allow us to develop a model that not only we can deliver, but that can be used by others.
But even that is not enough, we also want to build a framework for these smaller project to benefit from a larger communications strategy that also supplies networked tools to distribute the materials produced by these projects.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
A year after our first youth video workshop an evaluator went back and observed profound positive impact in that community. I still keep in touch with several of those youth. We could do 8 such projects, in a year if we run the program like a series and keep a core team in place as well as partner with research and other experts to add overall support to the infrastructure of the project, especially when it seeks to reach out to particular communities as Chee Mamuk does, with Aboriginal communities in BC.
We are working currently to pilot the model with a group called SACY (School Age Children and Youth) that has many youth facilitators within the Vancouver school system. Their mandate is all high school youth in Vancouver, and they have an innovative not a mere "Just say no" approach to substance abuse issues. We are treating this year's project as a pilot to create a template for how we would scale up the basic principles we have proven effective in these types of projects.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
If we can have a measurable impact with these small one-off projects, imagine what we could do if we could scale up these efforts! In particular if we can develop the plan to scale up from a pilot this year, implement 8 projects, with partners next year, within five years we can do even more, as well as create a model that can be utilized by others.
Out of every project tools and materials are created for schools and communities to use. The cumulative library of resources could be made available to others increasing the potential impact beyond our reach alone.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
In almost 100% of the cases, those who need our skills can't afford them. When these projects are one-offs, at best we break even, and often we don't. Yet I believe so strongly in this collaborative approach, combined with true expertise, that I think with money to develop a proper plan, with partnerships, this year could be the year the project we are doing becomes the pilot for more.
For this we do need some seed funding to design what a scaled up version of this would look like. Often we face barriers of people wanting their projects to remain enclosed in one branded envelope, however times are changing. We can offer a process more aligned with a politics of affinity, than a rigid identity, and if we can share the vision of what we are trying to do: reduce harm, empower youth...
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
SACY project completed successfully, Case study comparison done internally to treat it as a pilot for expansion
Task 1
Collaboratively recruit youth with SACY & facilitators to be part of a shoot in late November
Task 2
Complete the SACY project and deliver to them by March
Task 3
Complete internal review on scaleability by end of April; Draft plan for expansion of model
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
A funded plan is in place to do 8 workshops a year with stakeholder and research partners in place
Task 1
Identify the right funding partners
Task 2
Create a realistic plan with an adequate estimate of resources required
Task 3
Our new Hello Cool World website is rebuilt and includes features to aid in scaling up the project and sharing knowledge
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We have in the past worked with Chee Mamuk, Condomania, Options for Sexual Health, Women Against Violence Against Women, and others, on issues-based marketing initiatives with youth. Currently we are working with SACY a program offered through Vancouver Coastal Health, and the Vancouver School Board with funding from the VPD around substance abuse prevention.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
We are interested in working both with diverse urban youth, and with Aboriginal communities, both urban and in more remote locations. Because our approach uses Social Marketing Best Practices, with a human rights and strengths-based approach. For tis reason, we always work together with our intended audiences. This allows more authentic stories to be told, and ensure that communities get communications tools they will use, and that those involved feed a real sense of ownership over the project. Therefore our approach could travel well and work with most communities.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
We are flexible, and we travel. We operate very much out of a documentary filmmaking model, where we expect to follow our subjects lead and take time to get what we need. Through our connections with many famous filmmakers, including those behind The Corporation, we have access to great media professionals, and if we can scale up the model, this could be optimized fully. Working with organizations who are already connected with our intended audiences gives us expertise and also helps us gain trust of parents as well. We are not reality TV. We're just real!
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Our goal is to share our model and work together to co-create change. We don't have money to offer, but we are all about networking and co-promotion. However, if we are successful at funding our big vision with third party funding, we can offer much more to smaller clients and cohorts. We would like to 'showrun' our projects like a documentary series, rather than many separate one-offs!
Created on 09/10/2012 by laurencamp
The Demikhov Project is an online incubator for early detection ambassadors built by Fuck Cancer.
Organization: Fuck Cancer
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Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Vancouver, Vancouver Island.
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Growth (your pilot is up and running, and starting to expand)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your solution addresses? Choose up to two
Access, Quality.
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
It is not common knowledge that the early detection of cancer saves lives. Fuck Caner's mandate is to spread the word that 90% of cancers are curable if caught in stage one. Beyond that we endeavor to be creative and strategic in developing campaigns, resources and platforms that spread education about the early detection and prevention of cancer.
One of the problems we are aiming to tackle with our online incubator, The Demikhov Project, is how students don't know this fundamental education, and that it is, at present, not in school curriculum. The Demikhov project aims to change this by pushing for The Demikhov Project to be played in high schools as a means to provide early detection and prevention education of cancer.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Mission based, The Project is played through Facebook. Players are brought into The Demikhov Project and work their way up the ranks by successfully completing engaging missions that are laced with cancer education. Missons are uploaded to the game by photo or video format, and then those missions can be pushed to a student's social network thereby educating friends and family.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
The Demikhov Project solves a number of problems that Fuck Cancer tackles on a daily basis, but does so in the four walls of a classroom. It educates children on risk factors, early warning signs of cancers in an engaging and often humorous manner making it fun for players as well as viewers of the content.
One mission asks players to teach everybody about the harmful chemicals used on their bodies in the morning. This means a student's homework is to pick up either their face wash, lotion or any toiletry they use to get prepped for the day and read up on what's in it. They are then asked to research about the chemicals found in the product.
By sourcing this information they are educated about what they are putting on their body, and then by taking a picture of the researched product, uploading it and sharing it to their social network through The Demikhov Project, they are educating people they know and love at the same time about the carcinogens that may be hiding in 'trusted' personal care products. A conversation can then take place between the player of The Demikhov Project and their community changing the way people fundamentally talk about cancer. Fuck Cancer is striving for a time when cancer isn't taboo and people can communicate and share information freely. The Demikhov Project, because it will teach the next generation early enough to make them comfortable with the content will help guide the young's sentiment about cancer.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
At present we know of no other organization endeavoring to tackle this issue.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
Yael Cohen is the founder, president, and CFO of FCancer, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the word about the importance of early detection.
Yael is a young woman on a mission to change the face of cancer, giving families and friends a new mantra: FCancer. Yael founded FCancer in 2009 after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Determined to have strength for her mom, Yael decided to use the “F word” to fight the “C word” by creating a charitable organization that does things very differently.
In less than two years FCancer has attracted thousands of Gen Y Millenials, including a host of A-list celebrities that have willingly participated in the movement and are using their influence to bring awareness through impactful endorsements.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Fuck Cancer is a charity devoted to spreading the message that 90% of cancers are curable if caught in stage 1. We activate Gen Y by speaking their language and by going to where they are: online. We create campaigns infused with cancer education that use humor, wit and celebrity to spread the information.
Our next brainchild is called The Demikhov Project. It is an activation campaign that mobilizes Gen Y in an interactive way; through a mission based Facebook game that spreads early detection and prevention education not only to players but to their networks as well.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
We have built the online incubator with the help of gaming company, Ayogo.
We are at the Beta testing phase of the software.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
We wish to have the Demikhov Project in schools across Canada, The United States and UK within the next two years.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
A barrier to entry is the fact that The Demikhov project was built buy a charity with called 'F' Cancer. Branding the online incubator, "The Demikhov Project" helps us overcome a school's board shy-ing away from a swear word. We also have a censored version of our logo to help appease any anxiety about the brand and have built out education (namely a motion graphics video that lives on the home page of our website) that expresses our sentiment. We don't use the F word in an aggressive manner. It is not sexual either. "Fuck Cancer" is a head in the hands moment.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Task 1
Complete Beta Tests and fine tune the Facebook Game's functionality for intuitive playability.
Task 2
Find 12 influencers to brief each mission to students/agents so that the missions are explained in multiple ways.
Task 3
Have a number of High Schools in BC commit to writing it into their Curriculum for 2013 in BC
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Task 1
Need to build out Fuck Cancer University/College support groups and engage them with missions appropriate for this demographic
Task 2
Find a suitable partner for contesting to encourage quality content from all students
Task 3
Find a donor to fund functional growth of The Project's gaming platform
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
Our sole partnership for The Demikhov Project at present is with Ayogo Games whom have built out a strong and intuitive gaming platform. Ayogo is a veteran in gaming and has proved to be wealthy with experience. They pay attention to detail and are masters of creative solutions. Find them at: http://ayogo.com/
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
The Demikhov Project will be playable by anyone in any part of the world. That is the beauty about the internet; it has no borders. This means, though the intention is to teach teens about early detection of cancer, others have access to it as well. Their communities will benefit from The Demikhov Project as well.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Created on 09/7/2012 by JerooBillimoria
Schoolbank aims to reach the unreached children and young people by ensuring financial inclusion of children and youth via mobile banking technology.
Organization: Child and Youth Finance International
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideOrganization Name
Child and Youth Finance International
Organization Country
Netherlands, NH, Amsterdam
Country where this project is creating social impact
n/a
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
Has the organization received awards or honors? Please tell us about them
The organization has not received awards or honors as it is a very young organization. However, the founder, Jeroo Billimoria, is a world leading social entrepreneur and an Ashoka fellow. In addition to her being a Ashoka fellow, she is also a Skoll and Schwab Fellow who has presented her work at the World Economic Forum in Davos, CGI and other international fora. In 2008, Jeroo is profiled as a leading social entrepreneur in “The Power of Unreasonable People” by Harvard Business Press. In 2001, She was conferred the Schwab Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs. In 1999, she was conferred the Ashoka : Innovators for the Public fellowship. She was also featured in David Bornstein’s book “How to Change the World” and in Beverly Schwartz’ book “Rippling”
In the Netherlands, where she’s currently based, Jeroo has been recognized among the leading women in the Dutch charity sector by the Dutch magazine ‘Opzij’ (2010: ranked 2nd, 2011: ranked 9th), and among the Netherlands’ 50 most influential international residents by the Dutch magazine ‘the International Correspondent’ (2012: ranked 37th, ranked 2nd most influential Indian expat).
The organizations that she founded and run include
• Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI), 2011
• Aflatoun, Child Savings International, 2005
(Aflatoun has been recognized among the world’s top 50 NGOs)
• Child Helpline International, 2002
(The United Nations International Telecommunication Union adopted a Supplement recommending one number for all toll-free helplines in all Child Helpline countries, the only NGO to have achieved this.)
• CHILDLINE India Foundation
(The foundation has received many awards for its work)
• Mel Jol, 1991
(MelJol won the Emerging NGO Award in the Access to Finance Category at the ICICI & CNBCTV18 Inclusive India Awards 2012.)
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long have you been in operation?
Still in idea phase, but looking to launch soon
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your innovation addresses? Choose up to two
Access, Cost, Transparency, Quality, Equity.
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
All over the world, children and youth are confronted with financial difficulties in a landscape marked by economic instability and financial uncertainty. Among the 2.2 billion children in the world, less than 1% have access to financial education and financial inclusion and 1 billion of them live in poverty. Global youth unemployment stands at 12.6%. The global financial crisis highlighted the need to develop the economic citizenship of individuals so that they save, spend and invest more wisely and responsibly. Thus, CYFI wants to ensure financial inclusion and financial education for all children and young people around the world.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Schoolbank will increase financial inclusion of marginalized children and youth globally by creating access to formal channels of savings with branchless banking or mobile money technology. The concept envisions schools (or community centers, non-formal education organizations, post offices) becoming facilitating points of financial access and financial education. Children and youth open savings account at schools and manage accounts with the help of teachers or volunteers. Schools become agents of telecom operators/financial institutions in handling deposit and withdrawal requests. In addition, schools also facilitate the implementation of financial education programs for children and youth. CYFI is the first organization in exploring this solution. The importance of issue of financial access of children and young people is recognized in the G20 Leaders Declaration 2012.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
The model of Schoolbank has three core components: 1) schools (community centers, non-formal education organizations, etc)becoming agents of financial institutions and/or telecom operators in facilitating the financial access for children and youth; 2) mobile banking technology (or other branchless banking technology) provided by telecom operators, financial institutions, or developers; 3) financial institutions that provide savings account for children and youth and facilitate the saving through a digital banking platform.
In practice, for example, a child living in a developing country can save money in his/her account through the facilitation of the school via mobile banking technology. Money is deposited into a secured and formal savings account that ensure maximum benefits for the child. Applying mobile banking technology can significantly expand the outreach of financial access in areas where basic infrastructure of conventional banking services is lacking. With the savings account opened, the child learns how to manage his/her resources and is motivated to save money. Through the financial education program, he/she can learn the skills to start entrepreneurial projects. He/she can thus increase savings to invest in their own future and increase their employability.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
CYFI is a market leader that address financial inclusion of children and youth. It is the first organization bringing different stakeholders globally around the issue of financial inclusion of children and youth. Schoolbank is built on this and is an initiative lead by the technology working group of CYFI, which aims to reshape the future of finance through expanding access to formal channels of banking to children and youth. It is the first initiative of its kind seeking innovative solutions to financial exclusion of children and youth via technology. The success depends on the synergy effects of all players.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
Jeroo Billimoria has long worked with children and youth, especially those living in the streets of India. One young girl who left a strong impact was Savitire, who was helping take care of her family. Jeroo and her team taught Savitrie about basic money and finance. Savitire passed on her learning to her mother and siblings. Today, all the family members have a bank account. Savitire realized that she did not need to marry at a young age and has decided to pass on what she has learnt to others. She is now training to be a teacher. Savitire’s story furthered the Jeroo’s commitment to ensure that EVERY child can have the same opportunities and break the cycles of poverty in which they live.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
The goal of Schoolbank is to ensure financial inclusion and financial education for all children and youth, especially those living in the developing world. The project is trying to achieve:
1) Easy access to safe, structured, low-cost, formal channels of saving for all children and youth;
2) Financial education that not only teach about financial skills, but also social skills and livelihood skills to all children and youth;
3) Connecting children and young people globally through telecommunication network;
4) Empower the next generation with the knowledge and skills to become responsible economic citizens and reshape the future of finance.
Which barrier(s) to financial inclusion does your solution seek to address? (select all applicable)
Physical and other accessibility obstacles that prevent communities from reaching financial services, The lack of affordable financial products tailored to the needs of underserved and excluded communities,, Powerful incentives for financial service providers to move up-market, Other (Please describe below).
If you selected 'other' above, please specify which other barriers to financial inclusion you solution seeks to address:
The lack of awareness of the importance of financial inclusion and financial education for children and young people below 18.
For which underserved or excluded communities will your solution create access to valuable, affordable, secure and comprehensive financial services?
Schoolbank aims to reach the marginalized children and youth under the age of 18, especially those in the developing world. Schoolbank creates access to formal, secured, structured, and low-cost banking services for children and youth that cannot access formal channels of banking due to: 1) the lack of awareness of the value of financial inclusion and financial education of children and youth; 2) the basic physical banking infrastructure is not present at the local community; 3) the lack of suitable and affordable banking products tailored to the needs of children and youth; 4) financial service providers lack of the corporate interests to serve children and young people in underdeveloped market.
Could your solution work in other geographies or regions? If so, where?
Schoolbank is a concept at a pilot stage. Up to now the project has identified five pilot countries among which four will be ready to run the pilot by the end of 2012. The concept is created from a global perspective and can thus be applied to different countries across the world. In practice, the concept might need to be adapted to fit with the local context and capacities.
If your solution is dramatically successful, how will things be different in 10 years?
If the project is dramatically successful, in 10 years, all schools under the education system in each country will facilitate access to formal, secured, structured, and low-cost banking services for all children and youth below the age of 18. In addition, all children and youth will receive financial, social and livelihood education at schools and enhance their empathy and confidence. They will be empowered with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and become responsible economic citizens. The project will bring about system change by creating opportunities for children and youth to obtain sustainable livelihoods, enhance level of employability, and begin their ascent from poverty.
What will have had to have changed to make this happen?
1) Financial regulations that post substantial barriers for children and young people below the age of 18 to access formal banking access need to be changed by financial regulators.
2) Legislations need to be adapted to allow for flexibility of offering mobile banking services to children and young people.
3) Advancement in mobile technologies and the building of telecommunication and banking infrastructure.
4) Support from Ministries of Education is needed to achieve scale-up for of Schoolbank by encouraging schools to include financial education to their curriculum and participate in Schoolbank.
5) Awareness towards the issue of financial inclusion of children and youth needs to be enhanced at the global level. Change of mindsets is needed to ensure the real system change.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
The project is at its pilot stage. However, the concept has gained support from important stakeholders in the field. CYFI is working with ITU in developing a financial education application on mobile phones and hopes to launch it globally in 2015. IFC is working with CYFI in identifying the business case of Schoolbank and will introduce successful practice to increasing financial inclusion in more developing countries. More importantly, CYFI is working with G20 and UN on global advocacy and policy of financial inclusion for children and young people. In addition, CYFI is going to introduce the solution of Schoolbank globally through the five regional meetings of CYFI in 2012 and get more players engaged in making a difference.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
In the next five years, Schoolbank is anticipated to reach 4 million children and young people in approximately 15 countries across the world. These children and young people will have formal savings accounts and receive financial education. 1/3 of participating children and youth are expected to start their own social or financial entrepreneurial projects with the skills leanrt and start to generate income and invest their own future. More children and young people will remain in schools and be motivated to make a difference - not only in their own lives, but those of their family and community.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
1) The Secretariat is in need of external funding to sustain the project. The Secretariat can cover part of the funding through the CYFI network membership fees. The majority needs to be covered by external funding.
2) Secretariat is identifying pilot partners globally, who are willing to commit financially, to prove the business case.
3) The project might be subject to regulatory constraints. Current financial laws might post barriers for children and young people to access formal banking serves. The global advocacy efforts of CYFI can potentially overcome these barriers.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
10,000 children and young people in pilot countries open savings accounts and start saving, and receive financial education.
Task 1
Identifying pilot countries and partners who are willing to contribute their own resources to developing the project.
Task 2
Developing country specific action plans with partners and setting up necessary technical infrastructure to support the project.
Task 3
Project roll-out and documentation of impacts and learning occurred during the pilots.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
100,000 children and youth in 10 countries open savings accounts and receive financial education.
Task 1
Summarizing learning from initial pilots and identifying more countries and partners to participate in the project.
Task 2
Developing plan to scale up the outreach of the project in each existing participating country.
Task 3
Global advocacy efforts of the CYFI Secretariat and linking the project to the national platform being built in each country.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
Despite its short history, CYFI has gained strong supports internationally. CYFI is working with UN, UNICEF, G20, World Bank around the issues of financial inclusion of children and youth. The initiative of Schoolbank is supported by ITU and GSMA. CYFI is currently in dialogue with financial regulatory authorities from over 80 countries for building a national financial inclusion platform. Over 100 financial institutions, NGOs, and individuals worldwide have joined the global network of CYFI.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your innovation? If so, where and why?
The target group of Schoolbank is marginalized children and young people living in the developing countries where financial access is hindered due to various reasons. In addition, the project will reach children and youth living in developed economies through financial education. The project will be piloted in countries on different continents.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
The strength of Schoolbanks comes through innovation, collaboration and flexibility. This is achieved through the partnerships and collaborations which will be created. It is imperative that there be strong central coordination by the CYFI Secretariat.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Our goal is to provide a fair, respectful and sustainable social-educative development to our beneficiaries, associates and volunteers. Combining technology, innovation and determination, our projects include education, sports and cultural activities.
Institut Ibu Profesional, preparing professional mothers of the global era: tech savvy mothers with good knowledge of children education and family management.
Created on 09/5/2012 by Sam Kotey
AvatarGeneration.com is a blog that specializes in educational technology news, apps, learning games, web tools & virtual worlds. The website provides teachers with information and news on the latest edtech teaching tools. AvatarGeneration is developing an EdTech Discovery App called "edtech:Ed" providing teachers with new ideas for integrating technology into their classrooms.
Organization: AvatarGeneration
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideCountry where this project is creating social impact
Gender of Innovator
Female
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
Less than a year
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
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AvatarGeneration - Educational Technology Everyday
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for less than a year
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
It is well established that using educational technology for teaching enriches student learning and enhances teaching methodologies. The growth of ICT in educational, social and workplace settings has made it crucial for teachers to ensure that their students are prepared for a technology-rich future. However, economic constraints have had a major impact on teachers use of ICT, with many lacking support, skills, and resources to use curriculum based educational technologies in the classroom. Teachers lack time to research web tools, or lack the confidence to use them in the classroom. In addition, current edtech websites do not provide Irish curriculum specific edtech resources.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
The increase in the use of educational technology in classrooms, in particular using tablets, apps, and classroom management tools, has created a need for a service that can recommend edtech technologies. Our solution is to develop an EdTech Discovery App in the form of a daily iPhone/iPad Magazine. The App will be supported by the Blog AvatarGeneration.com and integrate with our growing online Facebook community. The Mobile Magazine will feature educational apps, learning games, virtual worlds and web tools. Users will download the app through the ITunes store and new content will be downloaded daily. The app will work as a discovery tool for finding new technologies that can be used in lessons.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
AvatarGeneration has:
- Researched and developed a large database of hundreds of educational technology resources categorized into educational apps, virtual worlds, learning games and web tools.
- Written daily posts with educational technology news and information.
- Developed and established a supportive Facebook community of 2,500 fans and have over 1,500 Twitter followers.
- Developed relationships with educational technology providers through social media and email contact e.g. We have run numerous campaigns to promote technology providers through the blog.
- Began developing an EdTech Discovery App.
There are two key reasons as to why helping Irish teachers to source and use educational technology in the classroom matters.
1. Insufficient access to Irish specific educational digital content
Irish departmental reports have identified that teachers must be provided with the necessary reasons, skills and technology toolkits to enable them to embed ICT in teaching. In particular, it was identified that teachers do not have access to sufficient digital content and digital content tools relevant to Irish school curricula (Department of Education and Science, 2008).
2. Supporting educators
Educators want to keep abreast of changing educational technologies but find that there are barriers to achieving this.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Although there are educational specific websites available for teachers, most are not updated regularly, provide little support and do not provide practical resources for teachers. The edtech field is dynamic and constantly changing, and technologies that were once seen as innovative, can be outdated and useless in a short space of time. One example of an Irish Teaching network site is TeachNet.ie developed by St. Patrick’s College. TeachNet provides online courses for ICT in the classroom, but lacks lesson planning and doesn’t include specific tools such as iPad Apps or virtual worlds. Another example is Scoilnet.ie developed by the Department of Education.
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What solution(s) does your initiative address to help emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and thrive in underserved communities? (select all applicable)
Access to technology.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
AvatarGeneration (http://www.avatargeneration.com) is an educational technology blog that provides listings and information on teaching tools (e.g. Storybird), virtual worlds (e.g. Minecraft) educational apps (e.g. DoodleMaths) and educational games (e.g. Fold it) for educationalists. To date we have helped hundreds of educators explore new educational technologies through our blog and facebook community.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
In three years we want to have met the following targets:
1. Develop AvatarGeneration into a self-sustainable business by end of Year 1, through the introduction of a downloadable app.
2. Sign up 20,000 teachers as active members on the site, contributing to the community and sharing experiences.
3. Create a library with thousands of teaching tools accessible to educators
Our approach is to change the attitudes of teachers and equip them with the tools and knowledge to bring technology into the classroom, even when technology isn’t available.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
Quality Content:
We must develop quality content in the form of blog posts and lesson plans, which will engage teachers, empower them, and inspire them to teach with technology.
Marketing:
We need to continue growing our user base using social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Funding:
We must secure funding to cover extra costs inline with our growth plan. We have achieved a great deal already without funding, so being able to devote financial resources to the project would help us to achieve our goals.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Task 1
Develop and Build the EdTech Discovery App
Task 2
Develop a marketing strategy for launching the App
Task 3
Grow traffic from 5,000 unique visitors a month to 20,000 by end of 2012
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Task 2
Develop relationships with Educational Institutes to promote our business.
Task 3
Hire additional writers to increase readership
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
AvatarGeneration was set up by two friends and work colleagues, Samantha Kotey and Silvia Gallagher. Samantha is finishing her Masters in Technology & Learning and Silvia is working on her PHD. Through relationships developed through college it became apparent to us there was a serious need for our blog. Coming from a background in technology we were shocked at the lack of knowledge and resources Irish teachers had on offer. We want AvatarGeneration to have an impact on Irish teachers, and from this, the next generation of children will be better equipped for the technological workforce. We set up AvatarGeneration to bring together interesting educational technology resources on the web. We believe that it is important that educators are kept up to speed with the fast-paced world of educational technology. With so many new apps, virtual worlds and online teaching tools, it can be difficult to keep track.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We have run various campaigns and featured blog posts for companies such as ClassDojo, mQlicker, OpenSim, Awesome Island - game based learning, Knowledge Quest, educreations, MathBlaster, DoodleMaths, The Blu, SavvyBear etc. and feature daily reviews of edtech products.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Mentorship will be very important to us.
Created on 09/5/2012 by gmba
Global Distance MBA for Professional Employment - an opportunity to learn and earn, upgrade skills and gain an education degree from the comfort of your home. We provide capacity building, personality development, skill enhancement, and recruitment. A opportunity to serve through sensitization programmes on current issues, advocacy and social change. Those interested visit our website for info.
Organization: GMI / Global Management Institute
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GMI / Global Management Institute
Country where this project is creating social impact
Gender of Innovator
Female
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
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Global Distance MBA for Professional Employment.
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
GMI / Global Management Institute has an innovative project to provide MBA Degree via Distance Learning to India for the largely informal labour market in dire need of such professional education compounded with a dearth of funds for foreign travel as well as time constraints while learning and earning to keep up with the technological changes in the global job market scenario; and the incredible insecurity of the current job situation worldwide.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
GMI provides for a huge target population of management students, adult educated personnel, employees and teachers who may need to upgrade their professional skills and young adults who may wish to prepare for the Corporate world. Millenniumrunner.com provides personality and skill enhancement for entrepreneurship and capacity building through its PDSE I-IV a creative programme for GMI`s aptitude testing of EQ along with IQ Testing to better prepare for Organisations in a Global Environment. The plan is to involve the key stakeholders in the solution and facilitation programmes have been initiated to form core teams to visit Select Schools and Colleges on completion of the First and Second levels each of 24 sessions respectively. The third level is due to start off next month so as to prepare the team to expand to wider markets to search and identify suitable personnel to join the core team in order to market the project to middle-level management to maintain their competitive edge.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
A plan to partner the EU and the Government in the Skill Enhancement of 92% of the Local Labour Force which is largely in the Informal Sector and is mostly unskilled in a market environment which has a shortfall of over 50% of skilled labour and in a situation where only 8% of the labour force matches the requirement. In a demographic situation where over 50% of the population is comprised of a very young population and a very old population the entire burden for productivity and progress lies with the middle-income groups who are battling inflationary market forces on the one hand and repressive taxation on their productive income thus stifling this supportive group. Our effort is to provide a support system to inculcate this quality education in the basic course curriculum to provide a timely, supportive climate for the present work force. If this effort is made by the government now in the present education system the graduates will already have basic professional skills and be ready to join the workforce & be productive almost immediately as they will be fulfilling a ready need of the marketplace and this may be replicated worldwide. Training & Facilitation of Personnel in Service Industries; Mentoring, Counseling facilities; Developing Business Strategies for targeting markets; harnessing capacities and developing potential in schools and colleges; for homemakers and professionals; for employees and students. Corporate Social Responsibility as agents of change and advocacy and policy change. Sensitization programmes along with NGOs (Non-Government Organisations).
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
India Skills, Millennium Business Solutions, other NGOs. A dire need for funding and resources although we have 24 years of training, counseling and management experience. Our work is mostly target-oriented with a view to maximize time utility and effort; a virtual office and flexi-time based entirely on delivery of products and services. These players need the skills we have and can only provide a supportive and encouraging base if approached correctly due to the dearth of skilled trainers and the huge requirement.
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What solution(s) does your initiative address to help emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and thrive in underserved communities? (select all applicable)
Access to financing, Access to talent, Access to supply chains, Access to technology, Access to economic opportunity, Policy change/advocacy.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
We have conducted intensive programmes, regular programmes and workshops both professionally and on a volunteer-basis to reach out to the target audiences to develop latent potential and harness innate talent. Through Training of Trainers we are able to reach larger audiences and generally benefit society at large. Those who have benefitted from our capacity building have moved on to assume positions of responsibility in senior positions in Corporations. Others may have utilised the learning as homemakers to impact a large section of youth and families creating a foundation for change in society. Our present efforts are to target trainers and select schools and colleges to study the impact of Management Education by providing for the dire needs of society to build self-esteem, deal with peer pressure, build up inner resilience in a world of fast paced technological change where the stakeholders can assume control over self and situation to deal with the impact of globalization.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
Over the next 1 - 3 years we hope to have a student base of professionally qualified MBA postgraduates capable of holding middle and senior management positions; homemakers who are ready to work from home in corporations which provide flexi-work hours and steady incomes to dignify their efforts. If we strategize well along with the governmental efforts, we may be able to tap the entire teaching profession to facilitate their training for including the new work-oriented vocational curricula in the college / university syllabus; and the personality development and skill enhancement programmes in the school syllabus. Our efforts will be to partner the EU and India Skill programme to take skill development to the masses. The Corporate Governance programme will need to tap the marginalised.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
Space to conduct training; funding for all projects; time to tap the target groups and generate interest in our programmes; and liaison personnel to approach the government and corporates for their involvement. Staff to provide support systems; and the beneficiaries themselves - who need to participate without whom the show cannot go on.
We plan to use the registered office for training small groups in facilitation programmes. We may have to tap only those who can pay for their training for the present until we can generate more savings over the longer period; word-of-mouth publicity instead of costly advertising; tie-up with other like-minded NGOs to connect up with government and other stakeholders. Develop our own strategy to maintain and preserve records.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Task 1
Partner with the University providing the MBA Degree
Task 2
Get a minimum of 150 students for the first year.
Task 3
Form at least 10 Core Teams to take the Programme to the Schools and Colleges
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Reach out to the NGOs and BPOs and Corporates with 10 teams which have now completed the third and fourth levels of PDSE.
Task 1
Develop a data base of NGOs, BPOs, Corporates to target - immediately start communicating with them.
Task 2
Identify their strengths and areas for cooperative work and incorporate these after 6 months once the teams are ready.
Task 3
write a white paper for the government machinery to investigate and adopt to proactively implement in education curricula.
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
I was with an NGO at the Board of Control Meeting when I realized that there was tremendous potential in the Organisation. However, the same proposal was raised over and over again but fell on deaf ears. I decided that my 24 years of experience as an entrepreneur and as a student of three streams of Management would stand me in good stead if I tried to venture out into my pet dream to provide an opportunity for education to many who might never dream of achieving such education for lack of funds and opportunity. I knew that time was of the essence and I immediately "planned my work and then worked my plan". I registered my name and accepted the proposal that my colleague offered me for partnering a University abroad through her uncle who had brought in the business. Since all of life is a give and take, I offered her a position based on her offering and the rest is history. I set up the web-site, & immediately offered what services were already present at Millenniumrunner.com to GMI.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
GMI plans to partner a foreign university that has the distance learning MBA programme.
Millenniumrunner.com partners GMI with a personality development and skill enhancement programme designed in 4 levels; Beginners, Pre-Elementary, Elementary, Advanced. This is like a finishing school for Management personnel.
Many NGOs and Corporates who provide appropriate guidance and support at senior levels.
Many contacts who will liase with the Government and may approach the EU in their present projects to include us.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
In areas of Training and Facilitation, there are many who need the same but cannot afford it. Yet they have the basic qualities which will aid their Selection into our teams. Subsidizing them will be our gain. We offer social programmes to alleviate the plight of the less fortunate whether on issues of loneliness, depression, micro-finance, self-help groups, counseling skills for helpers.
Jalandhar India
31° 19' 33.654" N, 75° 34' 34.2588" E
1.Rashtriya Andh Vidyala ,Adress-14, Sudhama Vihar,Khambra Road,144014,Jalandhar, Punjab,ph-9814218455
2.Girls training Center for the blind, Adress-Vasant Viharcolony,144003,Jalandhar,Punjab,ph-01812272657
Apart from education in above schools, Mr Atma also engages the students in sports and have won 11 prizes from pujab state competitions.they hold a India level sports tournament in April every year.He also prepares the blind youth for various activities like candle making,cane chair making,cooking and provides music training as well.
Created on 09/4/2012 by edusports
EduSports helps ‘Make Sports an Integral Part of every Child’s Education and Upbringing’. By ensuring all the children get an opportunity to learn the right skills at the right ages, EduSports helps develop a generation of healthier and fitter 'Champions in Life'
Organization: EduSports (SV EduSports Private Limited)
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EduSports (SV EduSports Private Limited)
Country where this project is creating social impact
India, XX, 70 cities across India
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
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Holistic Education via Sports
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Scaling (the next step will be growing impact on a regional or even global scale)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
Parents are concerned about their childrens health and fitness. Children want to play. Unfortunately in cities, there are very limited places to play outside of schools. Schools have Physical Education and Sports as part of their prescribed (by the Education Boards) curriculum/ timetable but in most cases, they are unable to deliver on the promise of physical education/sports as the PE activities in most schools are not inclusive and age-appropriate. This makes the children lose interest in physical activity and sports. This puts an entire generation of children at a risk of growing up to become unhealthy.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
EduSports was started to fill the gap in the market by providing a structured Physical Education and Sports programme that
1. Fits into the schools context (wrt limited time and space for a large number of kids)
2. Is part of the school time-table & covers all the children
3. Helps develop healthy & fit children who grow up to be 'Champions in Life!'
4. Ensures all the children have fun and enjoy the sports/PE experience
5. Engages with all the stakeholders (children, parents, teachers, school leaders) as part of the process.
EduSports programmes are integrated into the school time-table and cover all the children. EduSports charges schools a fee of Rs.100-150 per child per month for the programmes/services offered.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
At a very fundamental level, EduSports' structured physical education and sports programme tries to provide children/schools with the same 'Rigor' and 'Fun' in sports/physical education as in any academic subject (like mathematics, science). Hence, the EduSports programme builds off the best practices that exist in the classroom and extends the same into the playground.
At a programme level, the curriculum is inspired by NASPE (http://www.aahperd.org/naspe), world leader in the area of physical activity and sports for children & youth.
The uniqueness of the EduSports innovation is the seamless manner in which all the different components (which were not unique in themselves) were integrated together (for the 1st time ever) to help children in schools become healthier & fitter via the medium of sports/physical education.
The building blocks are:
1. An age-appropriate & inclusive sports/PE curriculum
2. Props & Equipment to run the curriculum
3. Trained instructors to deliver the curriculum on the ground
4. Technology based platform to monitor the programme performance
5. Periodic assessments to monitor the changes in each and every child
6. Stakeholder connects & trainings (teachers, parents, school leaders)
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
EduSports has competition in 2 forms- Unorganized competitors in the form of local coaches and organized players who manage school sports programmes. EduSports remains the market leader in this space with close to 90% market share among the organized players. This has been achieved via:
1. Differentiated offering (Curriculum designed in India for Indian contexts vs. content licensed from across the globe)
2. Robust service delivery (Ability to handle scale and manage quality with the use of technology)
The other players are Leapstart, KOOH sports and TenVic.
We see the mushrooming of new players as an encouraging sign- We expect each of these players to drive more awareness and acceptability to the idea of structured school sports programmes.
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What solution(s) does your initiative address to help emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and thrive in underserved communities? (select all applicable)
Policy change/advocacy.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
There is documented evidence which indicates that children (over 130000 of them) have become:
1. Fitter & Healthier via the EduSports programme (In a study across 44 schools in 26 cities covering over 9200 children, there is a significant improvement ( 5%-7%) in the health levels of the children
2. Improved Skills Levels via the EduSports programme (Observation based assessments in schools, parent & school leader feedback point to a significant improvement in the skill levels of children)
In addition this there has been a small but a sure change in the attitude of school leaders and parents towards sports/physical education. The biggest vector of change has been the paradigm shift that sports/PE is not only for performance/talented children but a must-have for all children to become fitter and healthier
From a employment/employability stand-point, EduSports has triggered the birth of an industry where graduates passionate about sport can find a living out of their passion.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
With more awareness about the category and wider acceptance of our philosophy, we expect to at least double every year and help about 1 million children to play with the EduSports programme by 2014-2015. All the policy changes (CBSE, Government mandates) supports the idea of sports/physical education for all and will only add to the growth. Expanding within India to newer geographies with the existing proposition (More cities and schools), reaching out to the un-served segments of the schools (Pre-Schools), expanding geographically multi-country (SE Asia & Middle East) and enhance our existing impact through addition of complementary services (e.g. Infrastructure, Training the Trainers etc.) will help EduSports realise the goals of the company.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
In the current form, we realise the EduSports programme requires at least one qualified and trained resource to be present in every school. Availability of highly-skilled graduates from a sports/PE background is one of the biggest challenges to scale-up. We are establishing the 'EduSports Academy for Coaching Excellence' which will work with the top physical education colleges/ universities across the country to train the fresh PE graduates in these colleges and make them employablable.
Additionally, looking at new engagement models like the train the trainer model should help us scale faster and introduce our offering to new white-spaces.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Advocacy & Hiring, Training, Certifications
Task 1
Training the existing team of 300+ resources to continue delivering a great sports programme on the ground
Task 2
Working with colleges to identify, hire, train & certify the best talent
Task 3
Continued engagement with customers across different white-space to get quick wins for our new offerings/engagement models
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Task 1
Reach out to 2X number of school leaders
Task 2
Connect and engage 2X number of stakeholders (parents, children, teachers)
Task 3
Connect and engage 2X number of participants in the sports ecosystem (Governments)
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
It all started from a very casual remark from a friend that his 6 year old son was not engaging in enough physical activity, was getting hooked to TV. He observed that there were hardly any healthy, social avenues for his son to mingle with children outside of the school. Clearly, parents wanted children to play and stay fit and healthy but there were not enough opportunities for children to have a fun experience around sports. A little bit of work with different stake-holders (parents, schools and children) revealed a big opportunity in the area of sports/physical activity for children in schools. Schools had physical education and sports as part of their prescribed curriculum and timetable, in most cases, they were not delivering on the promise of a good PE/sports programme covering all the children as the programmes they had were not inclusive and age-appropriate. This made children not pick up the right skills (at the right ages) and they lost interest in sports as they grew up.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
The biggest supporters of our growth have been our partner schools (i.e. customers) who have been helping us drive awareness about the idea of structured school sports/PE programmes.
Additionally, EduSports has been working with some other service providers in the education space, government/government aided bodies, media partners, entrpreneurship/networking forums to drive more awareness and aceeptability.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Created on 09/4/2012 by garyschoe
Entrepreneurship is a mindset that can empower anyone to succeed.
The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative provides interactive learning programs for individuals and organizations worldwide. Our flagship program, the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program is designed to inspire and engage participants in the fundamental aspects of entrepreneurship and the unlimited opportunities it can provide.
Organization: The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative
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The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative
Organization Country
United States, OH, Mentor, Lake County
Country where this project is creating social impact
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
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Promoting Entrepreneurship as Empowerment
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Growth (your pilot is up and running, and starting to expand)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
Now more than ever, supporting and nurturing entrepreneurship - at all levels of our society - has become essential to revitalizing and sustaining economic growth.
From self-employment and small business ownership to career development and high growth technology firms, entrepreneurship education is among the most urgent and important issues of our time.
Yet, while policymakers have declared entrepreneurship education a leading priority, the vast majority of students, both traditional and non-traditional, do not have access to effective entrepreneurship education, training and support. While academic and government sponsored initiatives have begun to emerge, much of these efforts do not adequately address this global imperative in terms of scope, efficacy or scalability.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Through extensive research, including hundreds of on-camera interviews, we have developed a powerful, effective and scalable solution to the worldwide demand for entrepreneurship education; one that has the potential to impact millions of students worldwide.
Our flagship course, the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, is a revolutionary new interactive learning program designed to inspire and engage participants in the fundamental aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset and the unlimited opportunities it can provide.
Built on a rigor and relevance framework, this highly interactive program now enables participants to learn directly from the first-hand experience of successful real-world entrepreneurs - specifically those who have traditionally been socially or economically excluded. The overall objective is to empower learners by exposing them to entrepreneurial thinking while immersing them in entrepreneurial experiences that will enable them to develop entrepreneurial skills.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
The Ice House Entrepreneurship Program provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and implementing an entrepreneurial mindset, regardless of ones circumstances or chosen path.
1. Relevant curriculum: Research shows that the vast majority of entrepreneurs are those with limited resources who pursue highly uncertain, un-fundable niche opportunities. These entrepreneurs start where they are, with what they have and whom they know. They learn to succeed through the process of interaction and observation, experimentation and adaptation.
2.Focus on mindset: Rather than focus on traditional planning and research, the IHEP provides an inside look at the underlying beliefs and assumptions that drive the behavior that enable entrepreneurs to succeed, regardless of their circumstances.
3.Use technology to capture and convey knowledge. The IHEP is the first of its kind to enable students to learn directly from the firsthand experience of successful real-world entrepreneurs.
4.Self-directed problem-based learning: Students are encouraged to work in groups to identify and evaluate potential opportunities while the teacher acts as a facilitator rather than a subject matter expert. This self-directed learning process fosters critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving and other entrepreneurial skills.
5.Community engagement: As an entrepreneur, learning often takes place outside the classroom in real-world uncertain circumstances. Students are encouraged to interact with potential customers and local entrepreneurs who can provide critical guidance and support.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
While entrepreneurship education initiatives continue to emerge on college campuses and within small business development organizations, much of these efforts have been met with limited results.
Some focus only on high growth entrepreneurship, an exclusive approach that does not apply to the vast majority of students. Others tend to focus on teaching small business management rather than entrepreneurial skills.
Exceptional examples do exist, yet they typically rely on the knowledge and experience of a dedicated instructor and are therefore difficult to scale.
None are focused on an interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship education as a general education requirement designed to expose all students to the fundamental aspects of entrepreneurial thinking.
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What solution(s) does your initiative address to help emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and thrive in underserved communities? (select all applicable)
Access to economic opportunity, Policy change/advocacy.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Since our launch in July 2011, the program has been embraced by educators and economic development organizations throughout the US and across the globe.
More than 1000 students have enrolled in pilot programs including Johns Hopkins University Talent Development High Schools and the SMASH Academy at Stanford University. The course is currently being offered for three credit hours in colleges and universities throughout the US and beyond. Through our partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, we have trained more than 250 teachers from as far away as Mumbai, India and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Cali, Columbia to facilitate the Ice House Program. We have also sold more than 7,000 copies of the companion book - Who Owns The Ice House? - Eight Life Lessons From An Unlikely Entrepreneur. The course has also been featured on NPR, Inc. Magazine, CNN Money and The Huffington Post.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
Entrepreneurship is a mindset that can empower ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Based on the strong initial market response, our goal is to impact 100,000 students within the next three years. We are in the process of developing a number of strategic partnerships with large colleges and universities that will enable us to reach this goal.
Entrepreneurship is more than an academic discipline and its implications reach far beyond traditional business management theory. And besides, one does not need to start a business in order to benefit from entrepreneurship education. Our mission is to expose all students to the fundamental concepts of entrepreneurial thinking, immerse them in entrepreneurial circumstances that will enable them to develop entrepreneurial skills.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The greatest barriers to the success of this project lie in our ability to scale rapidly. More specifically, our greatest obstacles are our ability to develop infrastructure and develop an experienced management, marketing and sales team.
Infrastructure: The Ice House Entrepreneurship Program is designed to be delivered through academic and economic development organization partners. We are in the process of developing a platform that will enable these institutional partners to seamlessly purchase student licenses, enroll, administer and communicate with students.
Management, Marketing and Sales Team: Working closely with our advisers, we are currently in the process of seeking early stage investment that will enable us to build an experienced management and marketing team.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Establish partnerships with 5 large colleges and/or universities to offer the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program.
Task 1
Design and implement master facilitation accredition.
Task 2
Recruit and accredit 10 master facilitators with large institional affiliation. (training scheduled for November 12-16)
Task 3
Ice House presentation at National Association of Community Collge Entrepreneurship conference.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Enroll 2500 students in the Ice House Entrepreneurship program
Task 1
Recruit and cerify 200 academic and economic development facilitators to implement the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program
Task 2
Estabish general education requirement status within 3 large colleges and/or universities.
Task 3
Offer the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program as a faciliated online course through college and university partners.
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
As a life-long entrepreneur, I have always been fascinated with entrepreneurship - specifically the mindset of successful entrepreneurs - the underlying beliefs and assumptions that drive the behavior that enables them to succeed, regardless of where they start.
The idea came about as the result of working with Jason, a young foster child who had dropped out of school. After re-enrolling him in our local high school, I helped Jason start his own business, an experience that had a profound academic as well as overall impact on his life. (Today, Jason is a decorated combat veteran and recent college graduate.) It was this experience that helped crystallized my view of entrepreneurship as a means of empowerment - specifically for those who may be socially or economically excluded.
As the result of this experience, I developed the idea to create an interactive classroom learning program that could expose all students to the fundamental aspects of entrepreneurial thinking.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We have developed a strategic partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City. The Kauffman Foundation provided the initial funding to develop the course and continue to have a small carried interest in the program to recover their costs.
We have also developed content for the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute and are listed on the website as content partners.
Both of these affiliations have helped establish legitimacy and brand equity in the early stages of our company and the development of our ideas.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
We will gladly work with other organizations who can help us to reach more students worldwide. For example, we have had a number of requests to translate the Ice House Entrepreneurship into Spanish and other languages that will enable us to reach more students - specifically those who may be socially or economically excluded.
In some cases, we are also willing to award scholarships.
This project also has a Changeshop where you can read more about its latest progress.
Go to Changeshop: Leadership Village YLP.
Created on 09/3/2012 by anilemage1972
Leadership Village YLP( Young Leaders Programme), the world`s first Leadership democracy is the project founded by AFRC INDIA along with its partner LeadCap with a vision to create the world`s first leadership democracy, at Wayanad, Kerala, India. It is undertaken with the support of the villagers, students, parents, teachers and civic associations.The project empowers village children and youth.
Organization: Leadership Village YLP
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Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideName Your Entry
Leadership Village for rural education and leadership.
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Established (past the previous stages and has demonstrated success)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
The project area belongs to one of the least developed districts of India, characterized by educational backwardness, farmer suicides due to agrarian crisis and neglected ethnic population. Due to lack of higher educational, management and technical organizations ,grassroot level development is not yet established. After primary education majority of youth leave the district for higher education and later work in other developed cities or abroad. As a result the district suffers from socio economic growth. Qualified professionals are limited and the officials, businessmen and politicians who hail from other districts and states don`t show commitments to the people they serve.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
We try to develop a self reliant generation of youth with better job opportunities and global exposure. We would like to employ students thus providing financial support for their education. The solution we propose is the formation of a “Leadership Democracy", a place where every individual has equal opportunities to discover their true potential irrespective of birth or living conditions ever in the world. The project is undertaken with the support of villagers, students, parents, teachers and civic association. This project would bring in a revolutionary change-a change that can only be achieved when people are pointed towards their true potential and when they are shown the true change that they could create in themselves, and their communities. Once leaders emerge from all sectors including, technology, arts, teaching and literature we can build the district as one of the best in India and later can be presented as a solution for underdeveloped rural education and leadership.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
It has made amazing changes in the lives of children and young people. In a place where leadership training is quite unheard of, the project leaders have shown incredible inner strength, they convinced their parents that the formal education received is not going to establish them as social leaders and achieve their aspirations. They have proven that leadership is a decision, which is not reserved for a handful with birthrights, and intervened in many activities for a social cause in the society and in their own respective educational institutions. After realizing their true potential school children and youth became trainers with our `Train the Trainer` program and has joined the training team of Leadership Village. From a mediocre existence they raised themselves to be action leaders, interacting and working with even international resource persons. The project organised more than 500 training sessions .The main activities of the project include:
• Language, communication and leadership training
• Organise seminars and workshops for environment protection and food security.
• Painting, public speaking, essay completions based on social issues.
• Children`s theatre activities to spread awareness on social issues.
• Promote art, literature and culture
• Awareness programs for villagers.
• Promote tribal education
• Research on education
• Presenting research papers
• Leadership and village libraries.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
The main competition we face is from other institutes and organisations who are engaged with training activities. Since they are well funded and give mass advertising majority of the students go there. The Leadership Village project functions without any external funding and for the past four years the project leaders have been trained free of cost. Whatever training imparted to the students, all the expenses are covered by AFRC`s financial support. Due to less promotional and campaign, the source of AFRCs income is meager. Lack of awareness regarding the importance of leadership training also pose problems for the project`s development.
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What solution(s) does your initiative address to help emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and thrive in underserved communities? (select all applicable)
Access to talent.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
The project is dynamically catapulted to all over Wayanad with the path breaking leadership initiatives of school children and Young Leaders of the project. It has been presented as a working model at corporates like Microsoft R&D India and Sap Labs India and employees and student partners came to Wayanad to work with them. The project has captured wide print and visual media coverage. We have been invited to present a paper on our education methodologies at the International Conference organised by St.Teresa`s College and London Metropolitan University. The project has been presented by a member at Toastmasters Saudi Arabia.After the presentation a taem from Toastmasters from Saudi Arabia visited leadership village. Co Founder Sangeeth Varghese presented the project at the Global Youth day presentation in Libya.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
The project envisages a revolutionary change in the field of education and leadership training. We would like to empower students, youth and women with opportunities of sustainability. The project wishes to lay the foundation for an international learning centre where leadership, technology, culture, art and literature are taught along with human values and ethics. The project aims to mold the leaders with the help of external mentors and online training. Within three years we would like to have our own building with research library and infrastructure. The project has made plans to reach all the schools and colleges of the district by 2015.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The three important barriers we face are human resources, lack of infrastructure and financial support. Leadership Village functions in a rented room. There are only two active trainers to manage everything. The project is not in a position to employ other trainers due to lack of financial resources. Even though we possess excellent, world class training materials we do not have a projector to make use of audio, visual training materials. We plan to overcome these problems by seeking management expertise from management institutes. We have started to publish study materials which can be sold among students.We have also started our training operations in other districts and other states. With management solutions plus additional training we plan to overcome these barriers.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
40 village libraries with students, online training with 8 computers, adding 500 students to the project and develop website.
Task 1
Collect more leadership, motivational, and reference books
Task 2
Get three more computers and projector
Task 3
Evangelize the project throughout the district with intensive campaign
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Organize more leadership programs with resource persons from outside the states and abroad. Promote income generating activities
Task 1
Establish more partnerships with other organizations
Task 2
Organize skill development workshops for project leaders
Task 3
Identify market for the students to sell their skills
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
During the summer camp for school students at the parent organization AFRC INDIA in 2009, the students and trainers attended online leadership training sessions organised by LeadCap, Bangalore. As there was no internet connection the students and trainers visited internet cafes in the town and for the first time started using internet. The founder of LeadCap Sangeeth Varghese came to know about village children who have never touched the keyboard of a computer sitting in cafes watching leadership programs. Soon he contacted the founders of AFRC and within days the idea of Leadership Village was formulated. We developed leadership training strategies which was ideal for the villages of Wayanad. it was the first time comprehensive leadership training was introduced in Wayanad.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We partner with LeadCap, one of the world`s leading leadership organizations. Through the most unique leadership movement, LeadCap strives to democratize leadership, where everyone has an opportunity to realize their leadership potential, beyond birth and living conditions. The founder of LeadCap, Sangeeth Varghese, who is the co-founder of Leadership Village, is a globally acknowledged leadership thinker ranked among the top 10, did his research on leadership from Harvard and London School of Economics.He is the founding curator of Global Shapers, initiative of World Economic Forum.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Financial constraints do hamper our efforts to reach more villages of Wayanad. We have proven the success of our innovative educational methodologies. We welcome human resources and talents. External mentors are needed for our students.
We are happy to share human resources and talents, time tested language, communication and leadership training modules and educational methodology with others.
Created on 08/30/2012 by nurserin
This three year pilot project will provide: Guidance and Support for Youth with Disabilities or Special Needs to Foster Healthy and Safe Sexual Development.
Organization: BC Children's Hospital (BCCH), Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine (DAHM) - Youth Health Program (YHP)
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BC Children's Hospital (BCCH), Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine (DAHM) - Youth Health Program (YHP)
Country where this solution is creating social impact
Canada, BC, Vancouver and province wide
Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Vancouver, Coast and Mountains, Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan, Northern British Columbia, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Kootenay Rockies, Columbia Basin.
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Idea (you're poised to launch)
How long have you been in operation?
Still in idea phase, but looking to launch soon
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your solution addresses? Choose up to two
Access, Cost.
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
Disabled youth not only require the same basic sexual health information and skills as their non-disabled counterparts, but more importantly, they require knowledge and skills unique to their disability and personal situations (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2008). At present, there is an absence of sexual health screening, referral, coordination and counselling for youth with disabilities or special needs. In both pediatric and adult health care settings, there are limitations and inconsistencies in the quality of sexual health education and counseling being provided to youth (aged 12-24) with special health care needs due to lack of resources, clinical time and clinician knowledge and skill level. Resulting in increased vulnerability and risk for abuse and harm.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
The goal of this project is to assure that every youth with a disability or special need has access to, and becomes engaged in, high quality counseling and educational services to assure an understanding and acceptance of their own sexual matuation, the fostering of healthy emotional and intimate relationships, personal control over reproduction, an understanding of personal boundaries, safe sexual practices, and an avoidance of abusive or exploitative sexual experiences. The primary objective of this collaborative project is to develop and administer specialized, accurate and comprehensive sexual health counselling, multi-media based education (website) and support to youth with cognitive and physical disabilities or special needs and as required, to their families. Initially this project would be housed and developed at BC Children's Hospital (BCCH) in the Youth Health Program (YHP) with hopes to expand into adult facilities in the near future to include youth aged 19-24.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
This proposed project would be two fold;
1) to provide assessment of the youth’s sexual health needs and ensure access to appropriate services that exist (genetic counselling, physical disability care, birth control), and
2) to provide direct counselling and education services for youth with disabilities, their families and healthcare providers in areas where services do not exist (but not limited to personal hygeine, menstrual management, boundaries, touching, sexual feelings,healthy sexuality, harm reduction and safety).
Project Activities:
As part of the DAHM, YHP at BCCH and in collaboration with the ON TRAC Transitional Health Initiative at BCCH, this project will be supported by the Department of Adolescent Health and Medicine medical staff, a Sexual Health for Disabilities Nurse Clinician/Educator, and an administrative support person. This project will serve as a clinical referral service for assessment, counselling and education, and an education resource for youth, young adults, family, educators and health care providers. It will set the example for other facilities and care providers province-wide. The project would include the following:
A. Direct Patient Counseling and Education
B. Providing Sexual Health Resources for Youth, Families and Caregivers
C. Development of a Sexual Health Referral Pathway
D. Evaluation
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
There are programs operating within Canada that address some of the sexual health needs of this youth population. However, a collaborative initiaive does not exsist that encompasses the sexual health needs of all disabled youth . We have developed supportive partnerships with some of these programs. Rather than competeing we will collaborate to provide a cohesive result, that will best serve the majority of disabled youth in their sexual health education needs. To date identified supportive partners are SIECCAN, GF Stong Sexual Health Rehabilitation Service, Options for Sexual Health, BCCH ON TRAC Program (transitioning responsibly to adult care), and Primary Care Clinic, and BC Women's Hospital ACCESS Clinic. Talks are in progress with adult facilities.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
I am a Nurse Clinician in the YHP at BCCH. I receive multiple referrals for healthy sexual education support for disabled youth and youth with complex chronic illnesses. I was astonished to find there was a huge void in affordable and accessible education resources for these youth an their families. I did a preliminary needs assessment survey. Unfortunately most of the education was being left to parents and care providers. Despite good intentions, parents and care providers have to actively seek out specialized teaching tools and resources and feel confident enough to share this education with their youth. Due to time constraints, lack of knowledge, social stigmas and comfort level and in light of these youth's often complex health care needs this education is falling by the way-side. Sexual Health is a basic human right and should not be limited by ability or access - I decided something needs to be done and have taken action.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Every effort will be made to use and refer to existing programs and services within the organization, collaborative partners and community-based services when appropriate. However, because there are very few services available, this project will provide the counselling and education and will fill a significant gap in services for a specific vulnerable population of youth. These youth are living daily with a variety of disabilities and complex health conditions. In many cases, youth have both physical and cognitive disability and often have diminished capacity to understand or comprehend their bodies' sexual development. Each of the stakeholders involved in this proposal has their own stories of concern, neglect, abuse and absence of sexual health services to protect these vulnerable youth.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
So far, we have succeeded in seeking out and gaining supportive partners who feel as passionate about this issue as we at the YHP do. Collectively we have started to bring awareness to the need for quality accurate education for these youth. A needs assessment survey was done through the ambulatory clinics at BCCH. A thorough literature review is currently being done exploring the impact on healthy sexuality education in disabled youth. Leaders in this area of research have been interviewed. Existing resources are being forwarded to us for review and editing to they can be brought up to date. Sources of education material design are being explored. A round table discussion group at the end of September is bringing together partners from community, adult and pediatric care to outline how to improve sexual health services for these vulnerable youth. We have succeeded in creating a 'buzz' about this topic both in BC and through out Canada. Creating awareness is the first step in change.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
1. Sexual Health Consultation Service will increase number of youth (12-18 years of age initially with expansion to 19-24 year olds) with disabilities accessing counselling and education sexual health services that meets their unique needs not met elsewhere.
2. Education and Support shared through knowledge translation of the service and project findings to collaborative pediatric and adult centres, condition specific organizations and parent groups; leading to increased awareness of the importance of the sexual health needs of youth with disabilities and the need to provide access to services and information for this population and their families.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The greatest barriers for this project are funding and reaching youth outside of the lower mainland. We are continuing to actively seek sources of sustainable funding for this valuable project, and always looking to increase our partnerships nation wide. In addition, the DAHM, YHP and BCCH ON TRAC Program are offering significant in-kind funding.
This much needed referral and counselling program would provide a direct link from the specialty clinics at BCCH where over 27,000 youth are seen annually. Being run within the YHP has the added advantage of all of the accessible services BCCH has to offer. It also allows for the services to be offered at no cost to users. Referrals will be accepted through many avenues - self or care giver, community, school or primary care provider referrals
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Task 1
Youth Health Clinician Advanced Education
Task 2
The project will begin accepting referrals and operating on site at BCCH Youth Health Program within the first three months
Task 3
The development of on-line and print education and support tools
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Task 1
Development of a sexual health referral pathway for care providers
Task 2
Create a sexual health assessment tool for youth and their care providers
Task 3
Development of a comprehensive sexual health website for disabled youth including resource links
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
GF Strong Sexual Health Rehanillitation Program: resource and a referral partner for physically disabled youth that fit their crieteria.
BCCH Child and Youth Primary Care Clinic: provide sexual health physical examinations on clients who have experienced previous trauma or have a high level of anxiety
BC Women's Hospital ACCESS Clinic: provide health examinations and minor gynelogical procedures. Specializing in individuals with physical disabilities
Options for Sexual Health: Will serve as a resource and a referral and provide professional education
SIECCAN: resource development
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
In order to really get this project 'off the ground' we need financial support. We have submitted a funding application to HRSDC Social Development Partnerships Program - Disability Component to cover our minimum operating costs for the three year pilot project.
We are working with a Social work PHd student with a specialty in sexual health at UBC to complete our literature review.
We are in talks with a media design student at the University of Toronto, to develop on-line resources for sexual health as part of her course content.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
This project will operate on-site at BCCH, and will have access to all the services offered there ie. tele-health and video conferencing, translation services, an accessible enviornment, access to expert care at no cost to users and the link to a well respected organizaion that already services disabled and special needs youth throughout the province of BC. All of these things are condusive to a successful project that will reach the maximum number of youth throughout the province. Sexual Health assessments will become a routine part of transition from BCCH to adult care, 27000 youth are seen at BCCH every year. In addition the project will accept self and care-giver , referrals and community referrals.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
In order to sustain this project and ensure its success we will continue to seek funding opportunities - any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
We require further support with web design, and publicity of it.
NO LABEL PROJECT is a non-profit organization helping to educate non-profit professionals, social entrepreneurs as well as independent do-gooders who are seeking useful sources, online tools, advice and support which can emphasize and empower their activities and help them reach a wider audience.
Created on 08/28/2012 by Juniorachievement
Approximately 50 words left (400 characters).
Organization: Junior Achievement of Central Ontario
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideOrganization Name
Junior Achievement of Central Ontario
Country where this project is creating social impact
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideName Your Entry
Junior Achievement of Central Ontario
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Established (past the previous stages and has demonstrated success)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for more than 5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
We are trying to solve Financial Illiteracy, to solve the waning entrepreneurs in Central Ontario, by providing a modicum for youth to begin their own companies and enterprises, under the guidance of professional volunteers.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
We provide the vehicle for participating companies to house 35-45 high school students after school at the corporations facilities. The high school students under the initial guidance of trained professional volunteers begin their own start-up company, one with an elected executive team, and remaining staff. The students elect the executive teams, create a shareholders report, they brainstorm and then create a product to sell. They manufacture the product and sell the product to as many avenues as possible, including the creation of a website. The team then submits a business plan, and then at the end of the Company Program year in April, liquidates the company and submits all of their final reports, etc. At the end of the venture, the students attend the Company Program Awards where the top performing students from across Central Ontario (over 40 Company Programs) are awarded. This program whets the appetites of young entrepreneurs, and fosters todays youth into tomorrow's leaders.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
We have specific students who enter this program because of a friend at their high school, and they are simply joining in to see what the Company Program is all about. The students are initially shy, unmotivated, and unsure of what to expect when it comes to this venture. What remarkably happens next is the students come up with exciting ideas that begin to foster the internal entrepreneur that was initially buried within. An example of a stellar product that the students created was this product called MagiTips. The company took old Crayola crayons, and melted them down into these crayon discs that were affixed to clothlike rubber bands. The purpose of this product was aimed at pre-school-kindergartern students to figuratively get them to crayon with their fingers without the mess!
We found that ventures like this really increase the confidence in young entrepreneurs, and gives them the confidence and ideas to begin their own start-up compnay when they are finished with the company program. The program offers the student the chance to begin their own company, with the security blanket of a large team, and professional mentorship.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
While there are other organizations that provide programs that train people about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship, what Junior Achievement of Central Ontario provides is the unique ability for volunteers from various participating companies to teach students within the classroom and outside of school.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideThis Entry is about (Issues)
What solution(s) does your initiative address to help emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and thrive in underserved communities? (select all applicable)
Access to talent.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Last year over 1350 Company program students were positively affected by the entrepreneurial program. Many of our participating companies look to the company program for a great access to future talent for their organizations, and future business partners.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
We plan to increase our Company Program from 39 last year, to 45 in 2012/2013, and 50 in 2013/2014, and 55 in 2014/2015. Thus our increase would go from 1350 students to over 1900 Company Program entrepreneurs.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
With the Company Program, one of the main barriers to growth is the small percentage of attrition each year. Whether the individuals from the respective compannies move to another organization, or they retire from the program after a few years participating. We are always looking to keep volunteers engaged, and new volunteers entering each year. We facilitate this by putting no cap on the volunteers that sign up from each organization, encouraging new people each time to come out and help, so that we have a strong base for future programs.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Task 1
45 Company Programs Submitted
Task 2
All 300+ Volunteers trained to teach and lead the program for the year
Task 3
All 1550 students registered, with their 45 leadership teams.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Task 1
45 fully completed Company Programs
Task 2
All students submitted Business plans, Websites, Shareholders report, and top performers awarded
Task 3
All 1550 students graduates of the JACO Company Program
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
JACO has over 150 great corporate partners that continue to support us year after year. We have over 20 members from these organizations on our Board of Directors, and over 25 on our Board of Governors. Our main partners are the 5 major Canadian banks: RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, and CIBC. As well as technology firms: SAP, Telus, Bell, Celestica that make up a vast portion of our yearly funding.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
This project also has a Changeshop where you can read more about its latest progress.
Go to Changeshop: Vidhya.edu.
Created on 08/26/2012 by kpinnovator
Vidhya.edu is worlds first online learing and development platform. We want to provide the best medium for the next geberation education system.
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Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Is your organization a
Not registered
How long has your organization been operating?
Less than a year
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long have you been in operation?
Still in idea phase, but looking to launch soon
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your solution addresses? Choose up to two
Access, Cost, Transparency, Quality.
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
Education is the only medium , which can bring change in world. Do you feel that present situation of the education will able to do it? I want to provide everyone with the best and world class education without and differences of fees, status, schools, collages, and universities. I want to glow the bulb which is inside of every youngster, and want to provide a medium from where they can transfer the light of that bulb to others. I would like to see every one educate themselves without tress, fear, and tension. I want to see every youngster with the having their goal for a life.
We need the system which can provide practican, and life orianted education to all.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Vidhya.edu is online education and development platform with the real class room experience. This platform provide a education in different formats. This also provide some solutions for the teacher, institutes, and universities to manage them. This will provide education in every languages. This is also guide the member throughout their life span. We also invite world’s top dignitaries on our platform to shears their ideas, and guide the new generation.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
Students can develop themselves and every people can get real education. It reduces the educational differences across the globe. A students from small village can get the education like MIT student . Students will be more practical. Everyone having equal chance to make them best. It will reduces the knowledge gap, which we are facing. A medical student can able to do open heart surgery on our platform with every accuracy and precision like real one, A engineer can lean and able develop machines, software, etc on our platform.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
There are 60% of youngsters are there in India’s 1.21 billion population. In this 40 – 50 crore are students and 50% of them are having PCs/Mobiles. Everyone wants a quality education and I am providing a world class education at one platform. Everyone having equal opportunity to grow and develop themselves on our online “ Learning and development” platform. We are providing this platform to institutions, publication, and companies to advertise on our platform ‘s community section.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
I can not say the specific time, and date for this. This is the process of the development.. Every time, the question comes to my mind that, ketan you have to provide someting to the world, which brings change to life of the every individual. So I have decided, that what my country, and world needs? Than I found the education system. So I have decided to bring some change in education system. I want to provide everyone with the best and world class education without and differences of fees, status, schools, collages, and universities. I want to glow the bulb which is inside of every youngster, and want to provide a medium from where they can transfer the light of that bulb to others. I would like to see every one educate themselves without tress, fear, and tension. I want to see every youngster with the having their goal for a life.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
To provide the education, and develop the life of the new generation of the world.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Now we are working in the team of 8 people, and made some of the best efforts to get the views of the people for this. We have received 5000 of response for our survey work, and 85% of them are very interested in this.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
It will make education system more practical. We will able to reduce the suicide rates of the students. There is no any question of unemployment. It will connect the world together.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The finance for this project is one of the biggest barriers for this. We trying to get the funding from different sources. our team members are also putting their efforts to get the funding, and to find the investor for this project. Our plan is to contact the GOVT of India, some of the incubation centres, and some investors in the market.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Task 1
Developing a online platform for Higher secondary students, and to launch the system for this students.
Task 2
Data collections for the engineering, and other branches.
Task 3
Marketing of Vidhya.edu around the world.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Task 1
To include all the education field on our platform.
Task 2
Re-launching with the full version of Vidhya.edu over the world.
Task 3
Stat to develop Mobile App.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We do not have partner till date.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
There are 60% of youngsters are there in India’s 1.21 billion population. In this 40 – 50 corer are students and 50% of them are having PCs/Mobiles. 80% of students use the internet every day. So we are targeting this group for this time.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
Open and innovative environment will make this innovation successful.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Gladstar gifted and talented educational centre is an online and offline resource centre that will provide learning materials/access which will empower young people to develop their creative skills and help them live responsibly by taking charge of their health, family and well-being .
Created on 08/23/2012 by BTCEA
The Student Leadership in Sustainability program is a solutions-based education curriculum that empowers youth to change their lives and the world.
Organization: Be The Change Earth Alliance
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideOrganization Name
Be The Change Earth Alliance
Country where this solution is creating social impact
Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Vancouver.
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideSelect the stage that best applies to your solution
Established (past the previous stages and has demonstrated success)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Which of the following best describes the barrier(s) your solution addresses? Choose up to two
Access, Cost.
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
Sustainability is perhaps the most urgent and important topic to understand today, and Canada’s youth are rallying to confront our mounting global challenges like never before. Despite this, the Canadian public school system does not offer a sustainability education curriculum, leaving students entirely on their own to interpret and understand the critical issues facing the world today. Teachers recognize the importance of sustainability education, but lack the time and resources to research, design, and implement an effective curriculum. And so, without the proper educational support to illuminate the problems, many of our youth remain unable or unwilling to adopt the lifestyle changes needed to build a truly sustainable future.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
The Student Leadership in Sustainability (SLS) program provides secondary school teachers and students with a flexible, modular, and solutions-based sustainability curriculum that covers a full range of lifestyle choices, empowering students to understand and address global issues through their own personal actions. From personal health to conscious consumption, conservation to social justice, the SLS program provides students with a well-rounded understanding of the most pressing issues facing the world today and illustrates how, when we make informed choices and consider the true environmental and social impact of our actions, our collective efforts can create real and lasting change.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
First, we work directly with educators to design and deliver the resources they need to effectively deliver the program and its five component modules, or Values, which address the following topics:
A. Health
B. Conscious Consumption
C. Conservation
D. Connection
E. Justice
Students then engage with the program in class by breaking into small groups and working through a series of “Action Packs,” which focus on specific issues derived from the broader values listed above (the use of genetically modified organisms and herbicides/pesticides, for example, are sub-topics of Value A: Health - see included images for a complete list). These Action Packs are designed to be engaging, informative, reflective, and fun, and each contain:
• Links to online resources that provide information on the issues at hand
• Questions to facilitate group discussion and sharing
• Personal or group activities that allow students to observe the effects of the issue in a local context or experience behaviour change first-hand
• Critical thinking questions that inspire deep reflection on the results of student research and activities
• Cost-benefit summaries in which students assess the personal, social and environmental costs of adopting a sustainable lifestyle change
• A personal action pledge that challenges students to adopt a positive lifestyle change on an ongoing basis
Finally, each group delivers a presentation to their classmates about their Action Pack and their personal experience of change. This model of peer-based learning has proven to be extremely effective.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
At Be The Change, we believe that the competitive mindset that is all-too prevalent in the Western world is a major contributing factor to environmental and social degradation. As such, we regard everyone undertaking the challenge of environmental and social education as potential allies to collaborate with. In Vancouver, these include:
• BC Green Games
• Climate Change Showdown
• Green Bricks Educational Society
• BC Hydro Power Smart
• BC Working Group on Sustainability Education
• Footprints Conservation Society
While these organizations and initiatives are doing great work to advance specific sustainability issues, we remain the only group to have developed a comprehensive, full-lifestyle curriculum that directly engages high school students in the classroom.
This Entry is about (Issues)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideFounding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
How can we help people change their world view and their unsustainable habits? This was the question Maureen Jack-LaCroix focused on when she founded Be The Change. The resulting program was highly successful among concerned citizens, but how could it engage those who need more convincing?
“Then, a participant asked me to speak at her daughter’s school. At first I thought, ‘we don’t have time for these kids to grow up and act differently.’ But when I received more school requests, I knew the Universe was sending directions. WOW! The energy from the kids was electric! These youth were the best emissaries for their future world that anyone could ever want. And who better to reach their parents? Who could look in the face of their beloved child and ignore their plea for change?”
Since then, we’ve been dedicated to bringing the teachers a program they can deliver with ease, and the students a process to discover their personal power and leadership in the greatest movement on Earth.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Our goal for the Student Leadership in Sustainability curriculum is three-fold:
1. To integrate a comprehensive, solutions-based sustainability education curriculum into a wide variety of high school classes, reaching as many students as possible
2. To make it as easy as possible for teachers to deliver an effective and inspiring sustainability curriculum to their students
3. To empower students to assume positions of leadership in the emerging movement for environmental sustainability and social justice, passing their knowledge on to their families and extended communities and leading by example as they grow into responsible global citizens
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Since the SLS program was first introduced in 2009 we have integrated sustainability education into 18 different schools throughout Vancouver, inspiring and empowering thousands of students to take action toward a better future. In many of these schools, the program has even inspired the formation of environmental clubs and has compelled students to undertake significant sustainability projects, such as school-wide recycling drives and “eat local” campaigns.
Quantitative data on the collective impact of the program is difficult to obtain, given the logistic difficulties in tracking the actions of thousands of students, but the Action Packs upon which the program is based provide hundreds of easily achievable actions for lowering emissions, conserving water and energy, supporting sustainable food systems, and much more. We can only imagine what thousands of students collectively undertaking these actions can achieve!
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
Over the next five years, we aim to:
• Facilitate the mainstream acceptance and popularization of sustainability education in secondary schools throughout British Columbia, as well as in selected national and international communities
• Have the program reach 50,000 students directly and 500,000 people indirectly
• Inspire students and extended populations affected by the program to undertake large-scale, community-based projects aimed at local sustainability and systemic change
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
The relative inflexibility and bureaucratic inertia inherent in our public school systems represents a barrier to the success of the SLS program – one that we have addressed in the 2012-2013 iteration by designing it to be as flexible as possible, meeting a wide variety of PLOs (prescribed learning objectives) and better accommodating the needs of teachers. Other potential barriers include a relative lack of resources – we continually seek out and engage with potential sponsors – and a deeply entrenched resistance to behaviour change among the general public. The SLS program addresses this resistance through its solutions-based approach and by providing easy-to-adopt actions that, although they may seem insignificant, collectively add up to large-scale change.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
To incorporate our revised 2012-2013 SLS curriculum into the majority of secondary schools in Vancouver
Task 1
Make the entirety of the curriculum available online, with a registration and payment system in place
Task 2
Meet with teachers and administrative staff to introduce the new iteration of the program
Task 3
Confirm the participation of 12 or more Vancouver schools
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
To expand outward, incorporating the SLS program into at least 10 schools throughout the Greater Vancouver Region
Task 1
Conduct outreach to identify and establish working relationships in new communities and schools
Task 2
Meet with teachers and administrative staff to introduce the program
Task 3
Adapt the program for use within large-scale online learning networks (i.e. Surrey Connect)
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We are grateful to have established strong partnerships with a variety of foundations, companies, and government departments who have helped support the development and delivery of the SLS program. Over the years, these have included: Telus, the Vancouver Foundation, VanCity, BC Hydro, Environment Canada, the Chris Spencer Foundation, the Hamber Foundation, and the VanTel/Safeway Credit Union Legacy Fund. Equally as important are our student advisory committee and volunteer teachers who help inform the direction of the program, as well as our relationship with the Vancouver School Board.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
Be The Change is a small organization, and, with our limited operational capacity, we are concentrating on schools within the City of Vancouver for the time being. However, we are more than happy to introduce the program to other communities, both nationally or internationally, should the opportunity arise (for example, in the 2010-2011 school year we collaborated with a teacher in Mantua, Italy, to bring the program to her school – including a full English to Italian translation of the curriculum materials!).
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
We have found success by putting together the most effective core team possible; a trio of visionaries and emerging leaders with highly complementary skill sets and an insatiable desire to be in service to the world. We work hard to maintain an open and flexible work environment emphasizing equality, empathy, and understanding (in short, we practice what we preach!) We also keep our expenses to a minimum, producing the highest quality work possible while maintaining fiscal responsibility and keeping our overheads low.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
In terms of needs, investment is particular important right now, as the rest can be covered off in-house through our own volition. We would be pleased to collaborate and network with others, and can offer assistance in the categories indicated above.
Vidhya.edu is worlds first online learing and development platform. We want to provide the best medium for the next geberation education system.
Created on 08/20/2012 by Anemone Maxim
Children can change the world and education can change the way children perceive the world. We want that all children are allowed to discover with joy and happiness the world inside and outside them. It is only the private initiative and the corporate funding which can supplement the lack of governmental interest and power.
We have found the way to do it!
Organization: Clubul Istetilor Sibiu
Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hideCountry where this project is creating social impact
Gender of Innovator
Female
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideName Your Entry
Small Children have Huge Impact
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
Before and short after 1989, children were suffering in Romania both in institutions and on the street. The situation is much better now.
But still the gap is huge between the education of children in the former communist countries and the children in the West. The low quality of the education is reflected in the social and political life of these countries.
The state is unable to make positive changes to the education system. This fact was proven in the last 20 years. It is only private initiative which can make a change.
Because of the lack of funding, the lack of knowledge and the lack of motivation of the teachers, children are often neglected or abused, especially at small ages (1,5-6 years). This situation is impacting their entire intellectual, emotional and social development.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
We have developed a concept for the education of little children based on Romanian official requirements, on the results of the latest researches in this area, which is supported by the use of the latest technology. One important feature of the concept is that we underline the importance of the teaching profession. The salaries of the teachers are at the same level with other professions.
Our pilot is live in Sibiu, Romania.
The next phase will be to sign agreements with 3 global companies to adopt our concept in their CSR policy and to open small kindergartens close or inside their premises, for the children of their employees. The costs and the benefits will be clearly described; also the positive impact on the employees’ motivation and loyalty.
The kindergarten will be financed by the adopting company and our organisation will manage it and charge a management fee.
The next phase will be to roll out the same procedure in as many as possible towns in Romania, Balkans and CIS.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
There are three dimensions of the example I will present: 1.the results we have with children, 2. the feedback received from parents and 3. the impact on teachers' motivation.
1. In our pilot organisation we have achieved very good results working with children who were coming from other kindergartens with emotional and social integration difficulties: they were not interacting with other children, found difficult to express their opinion, were not willing to communicate with other children and adults and were not interested in new information. Few months after our team worked with those children, they have completely changed their attitude: are happily engaging relations both with other children and adults, express open and natural their opinion and show great interest in the new information received in class.
2. The feedback received from parents was great: they are very happy to see the progress of their children and are constantly supporting and encouraging the work of the team.
3. The teachers in our team are coming from public or private kindergartens and have had frustrating experiences there: small compensation packages, unhealthy relationships with management; also they were overwhelmed by the number of children they had to work with. For them, working with little children was a stressing experience. But in our organization they are working with a smaller number of children and are able to see very good results. They are now enjoying the profession, are recognized for their results and rewarded accordingly. We are also struggling to offer good compensations.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
We are working together with organisations supporting little children' development:The University in Sibiu, Department for Teaching; Association of Educators in Romania; public kindergartens. We have common projects with public kindergartens in order to involve all children in creative activities.
We are now financing our activity with fees paid by parents.
Our competitors are other private kindergartens in Sibiu. Giving the actual poor economic conditions, there are few parents who can afford to pay fees for education. Our pilot depends on these fees in order to survive.
And we are not aware about any other institution which aims to involve corporations to offer a solution to the problem of little children's education, by financing kindergartens for the children of their employees.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideThis Entry is about (Issues)
What solution(s) does your initiative address to help emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and thrive in underserved communities? (select all applicable)
Access to talent, Access to technology, Access to economic opportunity.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
The impact of our solution to date is small. We have just developed the concept we have to apply it in order to make a difference.
Our pilot centre in Sibiu has impacted the lives of the people which came in contact with it. We have proved that good quality education is accessible in Romania, against a fee.
We made a few children, a few parents and a few teachers happy and we have improved their lives by the power of education. We want to extend this happiness and to have an impact to a national and regional level. And to do it without charging any fee.
Our concept is aiming to have a huge impact because parents will not have to pay the fee for good quality education. These fees will be paid be the companies, from their CSR funds.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
By June 2013 we will finalize the concept and will discuss with global companies who are present in Sibiu. After signing the agreements, we will open the first kindergartens financed by corporations in September 2013, when the school year begins. We estimate that we can open 3 centres by September 2013.
Our dream will become true: parents with less financial power will not have to pay for good quality education for their children.
With the income generated, we will found the next centres all over the country. This action will reduce the No of children in public kindergartens and will increase the quality of education there.
In 3 years we will be able to extend the solution to neighbourhood countries. We will target the Balkans and CIS, were the issues are similar to those in Romania.
What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
We have to survive and finalise the concept by June 2013. On short term, we have to find the funding for translating the webpage, achieve the necessary authorizations and pay the daily expenses. We need a number of 25 families to pay the fee in order to cover the costs. Our advertising campaign is bringing good results.
For the next stage, we need to find the right means to convince executives about the social responsibility impact which such initiative will have. Receiving prises like "The Power of Small" will give more credibility to our initiative in front of decision makers in corporations.
And the last barrier we have to overcome is to find the right teams in the neighbour countries, in order to have a regional impact. We will work together with global organisations for this.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Finalise the concept, advertise it and achieve financial stability.
Task 1
The actual team has to finalize the concept and to receive all authorizations for the concept.
Task 2
To find funding for the expenses not covered by the actual revenues and for improving the technological infrastructure.
Task 3
Translate the webpage into English and German and improve it, in order to have impact on the targeted companies.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
In 12 months we will have 3 agreements signed with global companies to implement the concept. Then we will change the world.
Task 1
Achieve credibility in order to convince (sell the idea to) the decision makers in 3 global companies.
Task 2
Start the first 3 centres financed by global companies which have local subsidiaries in Sibiu.
Task 3
Use the income and the references of the first 3 centres to extend the network on national and regional level (Balkans & CIS).
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
During my teenage and student years, the suffering of children was to be seen everywhere in Romania. Now the situation is better but still we face a disaster in the education system, recognized by all.
In the area of little children education we have very few trained teachers. They have to work with groups of 30 to 40 children. As the salary they receive is approx.150 euro/month, they are demotivated.
Because of the high number of children in one class, the lack of financial means and the lack of motivation of the teachers, children are not receiving the necessary academic, physical and emotional care and are often neglected or abused.
When I had to bring my daughter to kindergarten, this social and political problem became my personal problem. When I saw her suffering from poor quality education and care, I decided that I have to do something to change this situation. Not only for my daughter, but for all children.
We have now a team who can make this change happen.
read more↓↑ hide↑ hideTell us about your partnerships
We work together with the University of Sibiu, Department for Teaching. Professors are contributing to our education concept. We are also working together with 4 volunteer students.
Then we are working together with the Association of Educators in Romania in order to apply the highest standards of the teaching profession. We are taking part to conferences organized by this association in order to present our concept.
We also work together with public kindergartens in order to involve the children enrolled there in creative activities, in a way they are not involved in those institutions.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
We would need the effort of any talented teacher who wants to contribute.
As our vision says that we will integrate the latest technological innovations in the process of education, we would need such resources. Studies regarding the use of technology in the education of little children are available. We want to use those studies but also to contribute to the researches in this area.
