Archives - Page 2

  • Issue 12 | Winter 2012
    No. 12 (2012)

    Dear Reader:

    We are very pleased to bring you our Mini 12th Winter Edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal (PSIJ). All the articles in this edition were nominated by you, the readers of the Journal.

    When we first conceptualized the Journal, our intent was to highlight innovations happening in and around the Philadelphia region; what better way for us to learn about innovations than through the Journal’s audience? Hence, the Nominate an Innovator section was born.

    We encourage all of you to go to the Journal’s website and nominate an organization, initiative, partnership or individual you believe is innovative and worthy of publication in the Journal. A team of wonderful volunteers leads our Nominate an Innovator process. This nomination process, like the Journal as a whole, has community and volunteerism at its core. Everyone involved with the Journal is a volunteer. With no one individual or group having ownership, it is truly the community’s.

    The Nominate an Innovator Team is a group of young professionals, led by Keri Salerno, committed to the non-profit, public, academic and philanthropic sectors. It is their responsibility to form teams among themselves and to write articles about your nominations, as well as to take on various tasks to ensure the work of the Journal gets done.
    Through this special edition, we thank the Nominate an Innovator Team, and the many other committed volunteers who make the Journal run.

    As always, we thank our readers and our sponsors, whose support is essential to what we do. We also want to recognize and thank our advisory board members, including the Scattergood Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, The Philadelphia Foundation, Public Health Foundation, Public Health Management Corporation, Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, Independence Foundation, St. Christopher's Foundation for Children, Inglis Foundation, Barra Foundation, Knight Foundation, Bank of America, The Patricia Kind Family Foundation, Wells Fargo, Sage Communications, and University of Pennsylvania.

    We hope you will enjoy this edition and wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.

    See you in 2013 for more engaging editions, thought provoking events, and some other surprises in store for our Journal family!

    Very truly yours,

    Nicholas Torres, Publisher
    Tine Hansen-Turton, Publisher

  • Issue 6 | Education Edition
    No. 6 (2011)

    Dear Reader:

    Happy Spring!

    We are pleased to bring you our Winter/Spring edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal (PSIJ), the Philadelphia region’s own social impact journal. This first in our new theme-based editions focuses on innovations in education—some that you may know about and others that may be new to you—as described by more than 50 local, regional and national authors/experts.

    PSIJ shift 2011–2013: As we celebrate the arrival of Spring, we want to share what we have in store for 2011 and beyond. With an ever-growing readership and more than 8,000 subscriptions, 5,000 daily website visits, and feedback from our readers and advisory board, we’ve determined that the time is right to make PSIJ’s main editions more theme-based, addressing some of the most pressing social issues facing our region. Our main editions will still include What Works, Nominated Innovations and Leadership Profile sections, which will feature broader social impact issues in our community and beyond. The Spring/Summer and Summer/Fall theme editions will be focused on community impact, social entrepreneurs, generational leadership and health innovations. Potential future themes include arts and culture, food distribution and consumption, energy, and violence.

    Continued focus on our volunteers: If you read PSIJ regularly, you know we are primarily volunteer-based. More than 80 volunteers write for the Journal and help plan and coordinate events and seminars. We are always looking for more volunteers, and you have an open invitation to join us! There is a role for all of you—and the Journal is only as good as it gets with your support.

    Increased partnership with universities and foundations: PSIJ partners with the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, Wharton and the Fels Institute of Government. Temple, Drexel and La Salle students also write for the Journal on a regular basis. We strongly believe that students are the social innovation heartbeat of our region, and we welcome new and expanded university partnerships. The Fels Institute of Government has created a summer course on innovations that is tied to PSIJ.

    We also welcome Wells Fargo and Inglis Foundation to our advisory board, which is composed of Independence Foundation, The Philadelphia Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Scattergood Foundation, St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, William Penn Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and the Wharton School, and Sage Communications. We also are in conversations with many other regional foundations.

    We hope you’ll enjoy this edition of the Journal—and wish you all a great Spring.

    Very truly yours,

    Tine Hansen-Turton, Co-Founder
    tine@philasocialinnovations.org

    Nicholas Torres, Co-Founder
    nick@philasocialinnovations.org

  • Issue 5 | Winter 2011
    No. 5 (2011)

    Dear Reader:

    Happy New Year!

    We are pleased to bring you our Fall/Winter edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal (PSIJ), the Philadelphia region’s own social impact journal. This edition is packed with local innovations—some that you may know about and others that may be new to you. 

    As we toast the new year, we want to share what we together accomplished in 2010 and what we have in store for 2011. 

    Quarterly editions and Journal launch events: In 2010, over 1,500 of you attended our launch events and forums.  We especially enjoyed seeing how these gatherings attracted a cross-section of leaders and professionals in all age groups from the nonprofit, foundation, government and private sectors. 

    Continued focus on our volunteers: If you read PSIJ on a regular basis, you’ll know we are primarily volunteer-based. Over 80 volunteers write for the Journal and help plan and coordinate events and seminars. We are always looking for more volunteers, and you have an open invitation to join us!  There is a role for all of you—and the Journal is only as good as it gets with your support. 

    Increased partnership with universities: PSIJ partners with the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, Wharton and the Fels Institute of Government.  Fels has created a summer course on innovations that is tied to PSIJ.  Temple, Drexel and La Salle students also write for the Journal.  We strongly believe that students are the social innovation heartbeat of our region, and we welcome new and expanded University partnerships.

    Special editions devoted to in-depth coverage of regional issues: If you have an interest in generational leadership challenges and opportunities, community and neighborhood development—including innovations in the popular green space—and education and health and human services, we invite you to submit short essays on those topics.  Contact us for more information.

    We hope you’ll enjoy this edition of the Journal—and wish you all the best in 2011.

    Very truly yours,

    Tine Hansen-Turton, Co-Founder
    tine@philasocialinnovations.org

    Nicholas Torres, Co-Founder
    nick@philasocialinnovations.org

  • Issue 4 | Summer 2010
    No. 4 (2010)

    Dear Reader:

    This Summer the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal is excited to yet again highlight our region’s remarkable social innovators and innovations.

    This fourth edition profiles four innovative organizations and their leaders nominated by you, our readers. Our “Nominate a Social Innovator” writing team, a group of talented young professionals with experience in writing, social enterprise, and nonprofit management, interviewed the leaders of these organizations to present their stories. The team, led by Laura Horwitz, is always happy to receive nominations of people and groups to profile. Laura can be reached directly at laura.horwitz@gmail.com, or you can submit your nomination through the Journal website.

    Also read about innovation, leadership, and what works, both locally and nationally, from these experts:

    Richard Bendis, founder of Innovation America, whose mission is “to accelerate the growth of the entrepreneurial innovation economy in America.”

    David Castro, an Eisenhower and Ashoka Fellow, who writes about what constitutes a social entrepreneur.

    Ken Berger and Robert Penna from Charity Navigator, who challenge us to question the validity of the “knowledge” on which both individuals and organizations have traditionally based their giving decisions.

    Looking ahead, the Fall edition of the Journal will explore the dynamics of regional and generational leadership with exclusive interviews with some of the region’s long-time and emerging leaders.

    We appreciate all of your feedback and encourage you to join the movement by contributing articles, blogging, or simply sharing your ideas. To reach us, please email Tine Hansen-Turton at tine@philasocialinnovations.org or Nick Torres at nick@philasocialinnovations.org.

    Thank you for tuning in for the Summer edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal! We look forward to hearing from you, and we’ll see you again in the Fall.

    Yours,
    Nick and Tine

  • Issue 3 | Spring 2010
    No. 3 (2010)

    Dear Reader:

    We are excited to bring to you the Spring edition of Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal. The first regional web-based journal of its kind, the Journal brings together Philadelphia’s social innovators and entrepreneurs who are on the front lines solving our most pressing social issues in the region and beyond.

    In this third edition of the Journal, we feature articles that examine innovations in special education, mentoring, fresh food and nutrition, and government services access. You’ll meet leaders who have created new education models that target children who have special education needs and are achieving success. You’ll learn how a group of Philadelphia leaders and policy-makers tackled “food deserts,” took their Fresh Food Financing Initiative to the White House and made it a national model for replication. You’ll see how one for-profit company created a public benefit software program and through partnerships with local nonprofits is now connecting thousands of people to government benefits they qualify for here in the region and beyond. And you’ll gain insight into new models of providing mobile dental services to inner-city children and youth, along with new ways of connecting with vulnerable youth that will change the future of how we provide mentoring services.

    We have also invited contributions from local and national experts in organizational leadership, in management, in performance-based and high-impact nonprofits, and in leadership development. As always, some of these articles are provocative by design, and we look forward to getting your reactions and feedback. What excites us is that regionally and nationally known and up-and-coming authors are contributing thought pieces on disruptive innovations and lessons about what works and does not work in the social sector.

    We have many people and organizations to thank, including our local funders and investors: United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Foundation, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, Independence Foundation, The Thomas Scattergood Foundation and St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children, William Penn Foundation and Wachovia Foundation. We also want to thank our partners from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Fels Institute of Government, and School of Social Policy and Practice, along with La Salle University and Drexel University.

    Finally, we appreciate all your feedback and welcome your input and ideas. We encourage you to get involved, whether by contributing articles, blogging or sharing ideas about social innovators and innovations that we might highlight in future issues. This Summer we’ll feature several innovators who were nominated through “Nominate an Innovator.” To reach us, please email Tine Hansen-Turton at tine@philasocialinnovations.org or Nicholas Torres at nick@philasocialinnovations.org.

    Thank you for tuning in! We look forward to hearing from you.

    Yours,
    Nick and Tine

  • Issue 2 | Winter 2010
    No. 2 (2009)

    Dear Reader:

    We are excited to bring to you the Winter edition of Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal. The first regional web-based journal of its kind, the Journal brings together Philadelphia’s top social innovators and entrepreneurs who are on the front lines solving our most pressing social issues.

    In this second edition of the Journal, you’ll meet leaders who have created new models of behavioral health care that makes mental health services accessible within primary care settings and in the community. You’ll learn how local young people can effectively gain life-changing intern opportunities in the local business community. You’ll reap insights from a social innovator and former felon who has been instrumental in preventing youth crime by having ex-felons serve as mentors. And you’ll gain knowledge of innovations leading to incentivizing people to go back to college to finish their degrees. Finally, you’ll have a better idea of the cost of partnering and how to ensure you get a return on investment for your efforts.

    We have also invited contributions from local and national experts in organizational leadership, in management, in performance-based and high-impact nonprofits, and in leadership development. Some of these articles are provocative by design. As in the fall, when one of our articles by David Hunter went viral, we hope they will spur passionate discussions among our readers — and with this in mind visit us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

    We’ve had an exciting journey since our October kick-off — and best of all we’ve met so many amazing regional innovators across all sectors. A growing group of over 60 volunteers, of all ages and professions, edit, blog and write op-eds, and help manage the Journal. Regionally and nationally known and up-and-coming authors are contributing thought pieces on disruptive innovations and lessons about what works and does not work in the social sector. And our wonderful students from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Fels Institute of Government, and School of Social Policy and Practice, and from Drexel University’s School of Public Health, are producing feature articles on regional innovators and innovations in the healthcare, violence prevention and human capital (education and employment) sectors and on partnerships.

    We appreciate all your feedback and encourage you to participate, whether through blogging or writing articles. When we hear comments from colleagues like “it’s been a difficult year for our country — but the Journal is like fresh air, it is positive energy, and it gives me and others hope that we are still a country and people who can innovate,” we know that together with you we are on to something that we need to continue to foster and grow in this region.

    We have many people and organizations to thank, including our local funders and investors: United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Foundation, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, Independence Foundation, The Thomas Scattergood Foundation and St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children. We also want thank our partners from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Fels Institute of Government, and School of Social Policy and Practice, along with La Salle University and Drexel University.

    We welcome your input and ideas to help us mature and grow, and we encourage you to get involved whether by contributing articles or sharing ideas about social innovators and innovations that we might highlight in future issues. Please email Tine Hansen-Turton at tine@philasocialinnovations.org or Nicholas Torres at nick@philasocialinnovations.org.

    Thank you for tuning in! We look forward to hearing from you.

    Yours,
    Nick and Tine

    Why an Old-fashioned Light Bulb?

    A funder recently told us, “I love the Journal and its articles, but why did you use an old-fashioned light bulb for a logo?”

    The truth is that we debated using a modern light bulb, and you will see one on our website pages. But we went with the traditional one for our logo, because social innovation at its core is about creating a simple solution to an old problem. Our old-fashioned light bulb changed human existence and thus itself symbolizes change.

  • Issue 1 | Fall 2009
    No. 1 (2009)

    Dear Reader:

    We are excited to bring to you the quarterly Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal. The first regional web-based journal of its kind, it brings together Philadelphia’s top social innovators and entrepreneurs who are at the front lines solving our most prominent social issues. We hope the Journal will stimulate our private citizens to engage with the Greater Philadelphia region’s social innovation minds and increase the area’s already exceptional capacity to recognize social problems and apply entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage high-impact social change.

    The idea for this publication began on a journey to the Eisenhower Fellowships international 2008 conference in Brazil, at which we joined a network of 1600 social change agents from around the world. Participating in conversations on global change with other Eisenhower Fellows, in combination with discussions on the innovations represented by our partner in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, led us quickly to conclude that it would be great to have a regional vehicle to highlight social innovators and innovations.

    Here we are, 15 months later, presenting you with our first edition of Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal. Our motivation for starting an on-line social innovation community is somewhat self-serving as we maintain that, despite popular beliefs, the Philadelphia region is leading and creating cutting-edge social innovations. Leaders of these social innovations, typically heads or emerging leaders of the most effective nonprofit organizations, spend most of their time “doing” and less time publishing. Also, many of us spend most of our time within our own silos, making cross pollination difficult. Few of us get the opportunity to learn from each other and develop ideas for how we might partner. But Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, we hope, will change that paradigm.

    In this first edition, we’ll introduce you to several inspirational social innovators and their organizations working in the health, violence prevention and human capital (education and employment) sectors. You’ll meet leaders who have created a new model of primary healthcare that will revolutionize the way we gain access to care in the future. You will learn from two social innovators who have successfully created models to assure low income children and adults benefit from excellent quality education backed by high school diplomas and associates degrees, setting them on a path out of poverty. You’ll read insights from a social innovator who has been instrumental in changing the local and national approach to preventing elderly abuse … and much, much more.

    We have also invited contributions from local and national leaders who are known for their expertise in organizational leadership, in management, in performance-based and high-impact nonprofits, and in leadership development. Some of these articles are provocative by design. We hope they will spur passionate discussions among our readers, and with this in mind we have established and online discussion network to facilitate dialogue.

    We have many people and organizations to thank, including our local funders and investors: United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Foundation, Greentree Community Health Foundation, Independence Foundation, The Thomas Scattergood Foundation and St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children. We also want thank our partners from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Fels Institute of Government and School of Social Policy and Practice, along with La Salle University, Drexel University and Jefferson University, all of which have teamed up with the Journal. These academic partners have committed to providing master-level students to serve as writers. Last, but hardly least, we want to thank our staff at Congreso, National Nursing Centers Consortium and Public Health Management Corporation, who put up with us this summer as we were planning the Journal and who contributed immensely to our ability to introduce the publication this fall by authoring articles and helping us construct the framework.

    As with all new ventures, Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal is in the start-up phase. We welcome your input and ideas to help us mature and grow, and we encourage you to get involved whether by contributing articles or sharing ideas about social innovators and innovations that we might highlight in future issues. Please email Tine Hansen-Turton at tine@philasocialinnovations.org or Nicholas Torres at nick@philasocialinnovations.org.

    Thank you for tuning in! We look forward to hearing from you.

    Yours,
    Nick and Tine

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