Changemakers

Are We Holding Back Tomorrow’s World Cup Stars?

kristiewang — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:17:34 +0000

Last week, in the nail-biting finale of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011, Japan captain Homare Sawa delivered a dramatic penalty kick for the winning point against the United States. Sawa, who made her debut on team Japan at the age of 15, took home the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards and has garnered admiration for both her prowess on the pitch and her sportsmanlike manner.

Sawa is a star role model for girls who play sports. But while the women’s game drew record viewership in the United States, girls who are inspired by the excellence of Sawa and female athletes like her face real challenges: play is in peril for girls.

Voices from the Field: Breaking Down Barriers to Economic Opportunity

cmblog — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:51:29 +0000

[Editor's note: This article was written by Emily Bosland, project manager at Ashoka Changemakers®.]

How can innovative, market-based solutions generate economic opportunity and sustainable jobs?

In an effort to answer this question, Ashoka’s Changemakers® is speaking with leading social entrepreneurs in a quest to better understand why connecting qualified—yet unemployed—people to available jobs is still a significant problem around the world.

Third World Planet: No Place to Call Home

John Converse Townsend — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:49:26 +0000

The world’s population today is evenly split between cities and rural areas. Developed nations – boasting all the luxuries of modern life – are about three-quarters urban, while nearly half of the population in developing countries lives in densely packed, suffocating city settings. Population continues to rise and mass urban migration dictates that by 2030, 5 billion people will be living in cities; 2 million of whom will be living in slums, without access to potable water and sanitation infrastructure.

Save the Date for a #SocEntChat on May 17th on Powering Economic Opportunity

John Converse Townsend — Tue, 10 May 2011 21:02:38 +0000

It's that time again — time to get the Twittersphere chirping about social change! On May 17th, from 3PM to 5PM EDT, Changemakers® will be hosting a multilingual #SocEntChat about innovative market-based solutions to create economic opportunity for disadvantaged populations. Innovators, social entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts from around the world will be jumping on Twitter to share their opinions and form new ones. Join us, whether you have a hankering to discuss the future of global job markets, or you are simply hoping to listen and learn more about the issue.

Women Stuck in Poverty in Asia

cmblog — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:01:40 +0000

[Editor's note: This article was written by Aisha O'brien and was originally featured on Care2.com.]

Despite an economy in recovery, women workers in Asia still face a life of poverty and exploitation because of prejudice, according to a new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Women face discrimination when trying to get better jobs or more pay. This is due in large part to cultural norms and lack of governmental investment. Women continue to remain at the lowest rung in unstable industries.

Girl Up: Uniting Girls to Change the World

John Converse Townsend — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:11:01 +0000

Yesterday, Changemakers® shed light on the scope of child marriage, with the help of a few thought-provoking statistics and infographics. But we also shared several powerful solutions that help young women and girls stay happy and healthy, and we challenged you to get engaged to prevent child marriage.

Today, we have a simple way to do your part in slowing child marriages in communities around the world: take action with Girl Up.

The Next 100 Million Weddings and Why We'll Get Slammed with the Bill

John Converse Townsend — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Youth are the fastest growing segment of the global population. There are 1.2 billion young people aged 10-19 around the world, and 87 percent of them live in developing countries. Adolescent girls make up half of that population, yet those 600,000,000 are too often ignored by public policymakers, private sector leaders, and commodified by impudent community members.

As a result of such political and cultural degeneration, 1 in 7 girls is married before the age of 15. And 1 in 3 is married by the time she is 18. The social cost of this practice is high, with disastrous implications for both personal growth and global development. Over the next decade, more than 25,000 early marriages will take place every single day.

"Child marriage tends to create an environment that makes young wives extremely vulnerable to physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse."

Be a ChangeSpotter for the Powering Economic Opportunity Competition!

John Converse Townsend — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:00:11 +0000

UPDATE: The ChangeSpotting campaign has been extended until 5PM ET on Friday, June 3, 2011.

Do you know someone in your family, your community, or even your country that is generating economic opportunity for disadvantaged populations? Ashoka’s Changemakers® needs you to lead the charge in spotting social entrepreneurs and innovators from around the globe working to create tomorrow’s jobs today!

Which is why we’re inviting you, dear reader, as a ChangeSpotter for the Powering Economic Opportunity: Create a World that Works competition, co-hosted with eBay Foundation and The Opportunity Project. (More on that here.)

Partnering for Excellence: Innovations in Science + Technology + Engineering + Math (STEM) Education

mattguttentag — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:49:45 +0000

Location

main

United States

See map: Google Maps

Winners Announced!

Carnegie Corporation of New York, Opportunity Equation, and Ashoka Changemakers launched the Partnering for Excellence collaborative competition to find innovative approaches to inspiring STEM-rich learning in our classrooms by connecting students with STEM professionals.

Driving Viral Social Change: How will you get people talking?

John Converse Townsend — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:12:12 +0000

Have you ever wished that more people were talking about solutions to pressing social problems? Have you ever imagined a world where people were buzzing about the latest initiative designed to curb child marriage in eastern Africa, instead of going ga-ga over the Royal Wedding? Or cheering the potential of disruptive innovations to create tomorrow's job markets, instead of jeering Rebecca Black's budding 'music career'?

Uncage the Lion: Could Africa rule tomorrow's markets?

John Converse Townsend — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:48:06 +0000

Africa's lions are on the prowl, hails McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). They're not referring to our fuzzy feline friends, but to the progress and potential of African economies based on productivity, competitiveness, consumer demand, and demographics.

"Today, while Asia's tiger economies continue to expand rapidly, we foresee the potential rise of economic lions in Africa's future."

Mining for Great Minds

cmblog — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:07:03 +0000

[Editor's note: This post was written by Laura Zax, guest blogger and Ashoka colleague, and was originally featured on Ashoka's Change inSight blog.]

A peek inside Ashoka’s process of finding and electing the world’s leading social entrepreneurs

If you know only one thing about Ashoka, chances are you know about Ashoka Fellows.

After all, the work of finding all-star innovators (work known as “venture,” in Ashoka speak) is where it all began. That was in the late 70’s, when Bill Drayton set out across the globe in search of people merging a saint’s sense of social injustices with a businessman’s sense of strategy. He found them simply by asking questions. Lots of questions. First to community members (“Who is making big change in your community?” “Where can we find them”) and ultimately to the changemakers themselves (“What is the problem you’re addressing?” “How are you fixing it?”). After learning of an innovator, Drayton and his search team would write the name down on a three-by-five card. A couple of years and a couple of hundred cards later, Ashoka was ready for its first “selection panel,” and in 1981 the world’s very first Ashoka Fellow was elected.

Join @AshokaTweets & @NextBillion for tomorrow's #SocEntChat on #SustainableUrbanHousing (Apr 27, 3-5pm EDT)!

cmblog — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:12:14 +0000

Are you intrigued by the emergence of collaboration between social entrepreneurs and government? Interested in hearing about current ways in which social entrepreneurs are working with public policy? Have ideas of the types of collaborations between companies and entrepreneurs on sustainable and affordable housing? Join the conversation in ~~tomorrow's~~ today's #SocEntChat!

On Wednesday, April 27th from 3-5pm EST, Ashoka will join forces with Next Billion to co-host the monthly #SocEntChat, a real-time Twitter-based discussion on social entrepreneurship which is based around a specific theme each month.

Emily May, Co-founder of Hollaback: "Followers are the New Leaders"

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:39:46 +0000

Emily May was honored as a ChangemakeHER for her work to shape global social change. View the other voices of ChangemakeHERS.

by Emily May, co-founder and executive director, Hollaback

Turning your idea into reality requires guts: you have to be ready to face down some pretty big obstacles. But, if you’re ready – and I mean really ready – those obstacles look like nothing compared to the feeling that, if you don’t act, you’ll be standing in the way of progress.

Water Changes Everything: Visualizing the Global Water Crisis

John Converse Townsend — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:42:48 +0000

What do you know about water? Specifically, what do you know about the global water crisis? (Video after the jump.)

To Celebrate Earth Day, Rap With The EPA (?!)

John Converse Townsend — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:40:06 +0000

You rolled out of bed this morning itching to start your Earth Day party the right way, we know. And we've got just the ticket.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently released a bumpin' rap single, "Click It – Flip It," as part of its Create A New Climate For Action initiative. The program seeks to educate and motivate teens to green the energy scene -- look, I'm rhyming without even trying -- by taking an active role in making a difference to their planet, their health, and their future.

Two Ashoka Fellows Win Goldman Prize

cmblog — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:08:32 +0000

[Editor's note: This post was originally featured on Ashoka's Change inSight blog.]

We are thrilled to congratulate Ashoka Germany Fellow Ursula Sladek and Ashoka Indonesia Fellow Prigi Arisandi, who were just announced as 2 of 6 winners of this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize! The annual award, often referred to as the Nobel Prize for the environment, recognizes “grassroots environmental heroes around the world for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk. Each winner receives an award of $150,000, the largest award in the world for grassroots environmentalists. The Goldman Prize views “grassroots” leaders as those involved in local efforts, where positive change is created through community or citizen participation in the issues that affect them. Through recognizing these individual leaders, the Prize seeks to inspire other ordinary people to take extraordinary actions to protect the natural world.” (Source: Goldman Prize website.)

BucketFeet: Buy One, Give Some

John Converse Townsend — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:53:29 +0000

Charity is a basic constituent of today’s economy. Citizen consumers and cultural capitalists are demanding corporate social responsibility and won’t hesitate to punish companies who don’t deliver. So if the money is where the “warm and fuzzy” is, it makes sense that that’s where new businesses continue to emerge.

BucketFeet is the latest in this new wave of businesses blending social purpose with profit. The Chicago-based shoe company, launched just two months ago, operates under the motto, “Buy a Shoe, Build a Community.”

Goldman Sachs Foundation Offering Scholarships to Indian New Media Startups

John Converse Townsend — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Attention all new media changemakers on the Indian subcontinent! If you're using digital media to deliver news in innovative ways, here's an opportunity you need to know about. (Ladies, read on; guys, forward this post to your female friends, please.)

The Woman Of The Future

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:15:38 +0000

Astrid Aafjes was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

by Astrid Aafjes, Founder and Executive Director, Women Win

What does the woman of the future look like?
A woman of the future has the full ability to exercise her rights. She is heard when she speaks. She is a leader and a valued member of her community. A woman of the future has economic independence and autonomy.

Difference Makes us Attractive

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:52:17 +0000

Bea Pellizzari was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

Bea Pellizzari has dedicated 18 years of her life to transforming the public image of people with disabilities. She founded La Usina in 2002 on the principle that diversity yields collective enrichment.

La Usina integrates people who have physical and mental disabilities into the labor force by using a model based on market principles and professional standards, without resorting to quotas or preferential treatment. Pellizzari recognizes that finding a job is not simply a matter of charity, but is the result of making a strong match between workers’ skills and employers’ needs.

Four years ago, she created a very successful social business called redACTIVOS that promotes and distributes several products and services created by people with disabilities. In addition to generating income for La Usina, this social business has been able to connect a network of very important Argentinean and international companies that buy the products and services made by a network of people with disabilities.

In this short video, Pellizzari briefly describes her journey along the path of social entrepreneurship, and how entrepreneurial activities, joy, and happiness go hand-in-hand.

Saving the City of God: An Interview with Terra Nova

EmilyTav — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:53:20 +0000

[Editor's note: Terra Nova, along with the two other winners in our Property Rights competition, are at a World Bank event today to share the innovative work that distinguished them from a pool of more than 210 entries from around the world.]

Brazil. Land Rights. Poverty.

What picture do these words bring to mind?

For many, it conjures up City of God-like images of crowded violent favelas and communities living in chaos. With over 12 million Brazilians living in 3.2 million informal dwellings without access to public services, that dark visualization wouldn’t be far from the truth.

Yet to Andre Albuquerque, founder of Terra Nova and winner of the Property Rights: Identity, Dignity & Opportunity for All competition, it means much more – it means hope.

Making Every Business an “Ability” Company

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:41:27 +0000

Caroline Casey was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

Sushmita Ghosh, member of Ashoka's Leadership Team and founder of Changemakers, sat down with Caroline Casey (pictured above), Ashoka Globalizer Fellow and founding CEO of Kanchi and the O2 Ability Awards.

Kanchi is a not-for-profit organization that works to change thinking about disability. Kanchi promotes the ability and value of every person with a disability and challenges traditional stereotypes through innovative initiatives aimed at a wide range of stakeholders. Kanchi works with leaders in business, government, and the media to accelerate change.

★★★

Ghosh: When was your "ah-ha" moment when you realized that your idea could be realized on a larger scale?

Casey: I actually had a few “ah-ha” moments throughout the history of Kanchi. The first time was in 2004 while creating the first Irish Ability Awards—I knew instinctually that this idea could be replicated in any country if we got the model right, like the ISO model.

The second was in 2007, when Telefónica came to Ireland to see the 02 Ability Awards. After hearing about our activities, they had sent very high-level people to witness the final stage of the Ability Awards Program - the gala ceremony. Within minutes of the ceremony ending, they asked me whether they could take the Ability Awards to Spain.

The third moment was January 17, during the first complete cycle of those Ability Awards in Spain, when the president of Telefónica announced his plan to take the Ability Awards to five countries in five years in front of an extremely influential audience, including the Queen of Spain. It was at that moment that the dream I had back in 2004 began to become a reality.

Changewatch: Why social enterprises fail at scale; Buying into the B Corp hype; Google to tackle terrorism?

John Converse Townsend — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:50:59 +0000

Today, our Changewatchers are buzzing about...

HIV Positive Football Players Aim for the Homeless World Cup in Paris

kristiewang — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:52:45 +0000

Rumah Cemara’s HIV positive football players are pinning their hopes on playing at the Homeless World Cup (HWC) tournament this August on the famed Champs de Mars turf in Paris.

“For our HIV positive players to play 90 minutes of football on a world stage, televised from Paris—can you imagine? This would be a kind of magic,” said Aditia Taslim, Rumah Cemara’s international grant writer.

By playing in the HWC, Rumah Cemara’s players hope to transform their lives and change the Indonesian government’s hands-off stance on HIV awareness. They want to change attitudes about those living with HIV and homelessness, and to gain support from the Indonesian government, which has largely refused to engage in public HIV awareness initiatives due to prevalent social taboos.

Ashoka Changemakers: Winners of the Sustainable Urban Housing Competition

cmblog — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:06:57 +0000

[Editor's note: This article was written by Adeena Schlussel, Associate at KIND Snacks, and was originally featured on NextBillion.net.]

Ashoka Changemakers announced the winners of its Sustainable Urban Housing competition, as voted by the public. With support from the Rockefeller Foundation, Ashoka has challenged innovators to orchestrate sustainable, safe, transferable and affordable housing solutions for any landscape or culture. Earlier this week, finalists were selected based on innovation, social impact and operational sustainability, each pocketing $10,000 to seed their plans. With projects under way from Buffalo to Buenos Aires, check out the three finalists below to understand just how competitive the competition was:

Trillion Dollar Slim-Down? Fat Chance!

John Converse Townsend — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:03:38 +0000

Several months ago, we asked our community, “What if some social problems may be easier to solve than to manage? And what if solving said problems violates our moral institutions and political institutions?”

The inquiry was inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s feature in the New Yorker: “Million-Dollar Murray.” In it, Gladwell discussed power-law and the reasons why people fail to solve social problems. (Power-law distributions are those in which the majority of activity can be found at one extreme.)

“Million-Dollar Murray” told the story of Murray Barr, a chronically homeless former marine who racked up over one million dollars in hospital bills over a ten-year period. Homelessness has a power-law distribution: The majority of people are homeless for about a day, but quickly recover and move on with their lives. Ten percent of the homeless population, however, are episodic users and nearly consume public funds at the rate they swallow drugs and alcohol.

What Gladwell exposed is that it is much more cost-effective to solve social problems, rather than to simply treat them.

This reluctant truth made a bold appearance in this week’s New York Times.

“For the first time in history, lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and others kill more people than communicable ones,” writes Mark Bittman, Opinionator columnist, about the fiscal toll of treating ‘lifestyle diseases.’ “Treating these diseases — and futile attempts to ‘cure’ them — costs a fortune, more than one-seventh of our GDP.

A 'Master Class' for Making a Difference

cmblog — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:59:07 +0000

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

Making a difference. It's something every one of us wants to do at some point in our lives. But how? How do you take that first step of action? How do you turn an idea into a real solution? How do you grow into a bigger organization that touches even more lives? How do you shake up the world and definitively, tangibly make it a better place?

Answers to these questions -- real, concrete advice about how to make a difference at any and every level of action -- are now gathered in one place: Ashoka Changemakers just wrapped up a month of daily offerings of wisdom from some of the most accomplished social entrepreneurs in the world during its ChangemakeHERS initiative.

Gonzo Soccer! A Vehicle for Social Change

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:58:21 +0000

Mónica González was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

Demonstrating that Young Mothers at Risk can be Powerful Citizens

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:51:17 +0000

Raquel Barros was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

Raquel Barros is transforming the lives of young, at-risk mothers in a holistic way. She founded Lua Nova to focus on rescuing and rehabilitating teenage mothers and at-risk youth, while emphasizing the right to motherhood. Her organization allows young mothers and their children to rediscover citizenship and self-esteem so they no longer are excluded from society, through innovative career and construction training, income generation workshops, health care, psychotherapy, and remedial classes.