Social Innovation

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." —Mother Teresa (Attributed) The most desired measure for any solution is IMPACT.  In the video, Lasting Impact Kevin Starr states there are three ways to measure impact:  Know your mission Measure the right thing Measure it well Starr suggests a mission statement of no more than eight words which include a verb, target population, and outcome. An example of a mission statement is: Get African families out of extreme poverty. In order to know what to measure Starr says to ask yourself, "If I could only measure one thing to know if I fulfilled my mission statement what would it be?" The difference between what happened because of a solution and what would have happened without it is IMPACT.  When setting off to create social innovation Starr asks the following: Is it needed?  Does it work?  Will it get to those who need it?  Will they use it right? These questions are paramount when desiring ...

Life is messy. There are problems which need attention. Design thinking is a five-step process to create answers or solutions for life's problems.  Empathize - This is done through observing, watching, listening, and engaging. Define - Who does the problem affect? Write a statement.  Ideate - Brainstorm to come up with 3-5 possible solutions.  Prototype - Write a plan of action and possible funding to implement the solutions. Test - Write down ways to test the plan. Run ideas by someone in the field that can help. Erzsebet Szekeres is the mother of a disabled son, Tibor. She saw a problem with the way disabled people were treated in her community and country. Szekeres spent years creating a solution. Of this Szekeres said, "If you really believe in something, you just have to do it and do it and do it, because if I had given up one month prior to 1989, I would have ended up with nothing." Design thinking is an important skill in social innovation. Design thinking establis...

Summary of the main ideas and topics of the week. A response to a specific reading, video, or activity.  For instance, did something spark interest, surprise, anger, inspiration, or confusion? In choosing the area I wanted to focus on this semester,  blessing. Reference the specific reading, video, or activity. Add your thoughts, and explain your reaction. Respond to the Week 03 prompt There are "wicked problems" in the world that are typically unsolvable. Some examples are poverty, homelessness, and lack of education. Although solutions to these problems are difficult, people can and are making a difference through innovative means to confront them. Human sex trafficking is a wicked problem. It was heartbreaking for me to contemplate those who are sold into the sex trade, especially minors. I am grateful for people like Tim Ballard who use their skills and talents to make a difference in the lives of these victims.  When trying to decide what wicked problem I wanted to l...