Social Innovators in our Own Community: Kids Connect

When she was in 7^th grade, Julia Haney (Class of 2016) founded “Kids to Kids,” now known as “Kids Connect.” After her dad and best friend’s mom returned from doing work on a documentary Dominican Republic, Julia and her friend were inspired to take action and make a difference in a community that needed help.

“Kids to Kids” began as a partnership with a school in the Dominican Republic. Julia and her friend raised money to send school supplies, clothing, and whatever else the community articulated was needed. However, they soon realized they needed people on the ground who were living among the community and who knew how to help most effectively and efficiently.

To achieve this goal, “Kids to Kids” began to work through the Peace Corps, and Peace Corps volunteers around the world could apply for grants to help with various projects.

Now, “Kids to Kids” is now called “Kids Connect,” and is part of a larger organization, “World Connect” who has since adopted their model of operating through the Peace Corps. Now in 13 countries, “Kids Connect” grants money for work in four main areas: education, arts, the environment, and sports. They have members in 48 states and clubs all over the country.

As Julia Haney, the co-founder and current Chair of the Board explained, “We fundraise, but the goal of Kids Connect is much more than that. We want to ‘connect kids.’ We want to help educate kids about issues occurring in the developing world.”

If you are interested and would like to hear more, please visit the “Kids Connect” website: http://www.worldconnect-us.org/kidsconnect/

- Madeleine Smith

How effective is mobile health?

Mobile health is becoming a huge buzzword in the field of global health, where cellphones and other mobile technologies are becoming the center of many health interventions both domestically and on an global scale. However, recent articles looking at the difficulty of scaling and the prevalence of disruptive development bring up questions about the effectiveness in the implementation of mHealth.

On Monday, March 4th, Alex Harsha from Medic Mobile, Kenneth Paik from Sana Health, Marc Mitchell from D-Tree International, and Michal Depa from Jana Care gathered on a panel organized by DIGH and D4D to discuss lessons from the field, what they learned from the successes and failures from implementations of mHealth strategies. They discussed the benefits and costs of using smartphones versus “dumb” phones, nonprofit versus for-profit funding, the considerations involved in choosing a location, uniformity over different projects and platforms, and more.For more detailed notes from the event, check out http://tinyurl.com/d4dmhealth.

- Joy Ming

The History of Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship is one of today’s biggest buzzwords—especially among the crowd at the Social Innovation Collaborative. Everyone defines the phenomenon slightly differently, but by and large, we treat social entrepreneurship as a broad-scale business approach to creating sustainable solutions for modern injustices and social problems. As much as this trend has been remarked in the 21 st century, with the rise of socially and environmentally conscious start-ups and the democratization of the Internet, social entrepreneurship actually traces its roots back to the early 20th century. Check out this interesting presentation compiled and designed by PBS on the history of social entrepreneurship to learn more about reformers and innovators of the past:

http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/whatis/whatis_ss_1.html

- Jessica Barzilay

SIC loves: Nutrients for All

If you’re looking for ways to get involved in social justice issues, look no further! An awesome new project, Nutrients for All, has taken up the cause of creating thriving ecosystems. A large element of this campaign involves reforming agricultural practices to better serve the earth’s needs and conform to its natural cycles. Since agriculture is so essential to our culture, the issue Nutrients for All pledges to address is not just a matter of ecology—it revolves around environmentalism, farming infrastructures, and public health. In fact, a recent study right here at Harvard unveils a correlation between diminished biodiversity and increased disease.

Check out this Nutrients for All promotion to learn more about how to get involved. You could even join a google chat about some of the hot button topics the project includes! Finally, if issues surrounding sustainable farming and eating practices fascinate you, relax with this interesting documentary, King Corn.

- Jessica Barzilay

The Head Heart Hand Exercise

When was the last time you used a Crayon to do schoolwork? Second grade? If you are a geology major, maybe yesterday*? Whenever you last picked up the royal Crayola, I suggest you get out some wax wands and do the following exercise for some self-empowering magic.

Here’s the template:

Note: I used a kitty head outline because I was too afraid to Google Search “head clipart” on the Harvard network.

Icebreaker Instructions:

In the kitty head, draw something that represents some rational goals or intellectual ideas that make you proud to inhabit your own head.

In the hand, draw a skill you value in yourself. It could be something that gives you capabilities beyond your peers, or it could just be something private that you rock at.

In the heart, of course draw something that represents a deep and perhaps irrational passion. Perhaps this could be considered the pet hobby or TV show obsession section.

Do this in a group and don’t write down any words. When everyone is done, have each person pass their exercise to their neighbor. The neighbor will then interpret these symbols and share them with the group. The illustrator can’t explain himself or herself until the first round of sharing around the circle is finished. The exercise concludes when everyone articulates what the various stick figures and cryptic lines mean, and when they realize how important it is to be able to articulate the importance behind the symbols put on paper.

This metaphor extends to daily life and social enterprise. What you stand for, what your brand represents, should attempt to speak on its own. The strength of an idea and a masthead is an important precursor, but so is the importance of a cohesive narrative, the life and story behind it all.

This implication of cooperative conversation is embedded in our club name: the Social Innovation Collaborative. It was reflected in the theme for the 2012 Igniting Innovation Summit: Voice your Passion. Social entrepreneurship is inherently an exercise in storytelling and reimagining symbols. We seek to be understood by each other so that higher understanding and innovation can occur.

We did this exercise at the exec retreat and the all-team meeting. Here’s an example:

*I study EPS so I can make digs about coloring maps all day erryday for class.

- Li Murphy, SIC Vice President

Exec Retreat 2013

To kick off the new year, the new & old Executive Board met at Harvard i-Lab for a time of reflection, inspiration, and planning.

We started with an ice-breaker, SIC-style, led by Li. Some of us were confused about the instructions, but eventually, we all got to play a guessing game and learn about each others’ hands, heads, and hearts.

The agenda was packed with items, but popcorn, pita chips (& hummus), and chocolate-covered pretzels, courtesy of Bari, helped us power through the retreat.

SIC likes post-its. Here are just some of our visions and goals for the upcoming year, accompanied by vegetables:

We’re fired up about the year to come. Stay tuned for updates!

UNITE & IGNITE

2013

From all of us at Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative, we wish you a happy new year! To kick off the 2013, we are excited to announce the publishing of our very own blog. Check back to read about our events, opportunities, and thoughts on social innovation.

Here’s to another great year of innovation & inspiration!

IGNITE

Harvard College Social Innovation Collaborative

Igniting Innovation Since 2011