Stanford Social Innovation Review : Informing and inspiring leaders of social change

Social Innovations

Information Overload, Action Deficit

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by information? Then you’d appreciate this quote:

"...the [Gulf] oil spill is truly a metaphor for our Information Age: a time when raw and live data gushes over us without any filter, but instead of informing and guiding action, it simply pollutes the infosphere and leaves us transfixed and dazed".

My friend and social innovator, Kavitha Kannan, emailed me this quote recently. She found it on Personal Democracy TechPresident blog @ The Oil Spill as Metaphor for Our Times .

Let’s not focus on the obvious fact that the Internet has given us access to information and knowledge in remarkable and once unimaginable quantities. It’s true, but what’s seems particularly concerning... (continue reading this blog post)

Social Innovations

Connectivity for Youth

This week, I met Professor Iqbal Quadir, the founder of Grameenphone, at Net Change—a week-long event in Toronto that explores the exciting intersection between technology and social change. Professor Quadir’s well-known quip, “connectivity is productivity” is perhaps most relevant to youth in developing countries because they are early adopters of technology. Connectivity has great potential for promoting youth education, entrepreneurship and social innovation.

From Nairobi to Dakar to the West Bank, young people have grasped the power of connectivity. They are adept at using mobile phones... (continue reading this blog post)

Nonprofits

The Nonprofit Sector Needs More Buffalo

Author, political commentator, and veteran campaign strategist Donna Brazile offers some sage advice in this month’s O Magazine:

Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee nation, once told me how the cow runs away from the storm while the buffalo charges directly toward it—and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo.

As the first African-American woman to manage a presidential campaign... (continue reading this blog post)

Nonprofits

Danny Lopez: A Profile in Third Sector Grit

Growing up in Miami, Danny Lopez was exposed to drugs and alcohol at a very young age. At just 12 years of age, he began experimenting with hardcore drugs. By the age of 20, Danny was addicted, jobless, and living on the streets. Setting up camp on the side of US 1 in Miami, his daily existence centered on determining where and how he was going to get his next fix... (continue reading this blog post)

Government

How the Fast Food Industry Can Fight Obesity

My typical ballpark snack, a giant salted pretzel, was short stopped by a new addition to the food stands at Yankee Stadium: calorie labels. I'm not usually a calorie-counter, but seeing the shocking 630-calorie label on a seemingly harmless pretzel suddenly made the 175-calorie cotton candy more appealing.

This is the response New York City health officials hoped for when they became the first city in the U.S. to implement a law requiring chain restaurants to post the calorie count of each item, in the same size and font as the price... (continue reading this blog post)

Social Innovations

Social Innovation Fund Names Director

The Corporation for National and Community Service announced earlier this month that they have named Paul Carttar as director of the Social Innovation Fund. To my surprise and great honor, Paul called me the day before the announcement to say that he and his team have been reading my commentary on the Fund at Tactical Philanthropy and to fill me in on his plans... (continue reading this blog post)

Social Innovations

TEDxVolcano: Stranded in London

Cara Mertes, the director of the Sundance Institute's documentary film program, called it the first "flash forum" she'd ever attended. Truth is, last night's TEDxVolcano gathering was the first such instant event that any of us had ever attended -- a little over two hours of short talks, film clips and music that had been pulled together (crowdsourced) spontaneously by blogger Nathaniel Whittemore and several other cause-wired souls for the hundreds of Skoll World Forum attendees stranded in London... (continue reading this blog post)

Social Innovations

Five People You Should Be Following on Twitter

Taking a page from Chris Brogan’s book, today I’m highlighting a few awesome people on Twitter that I think all you dear readers would benefit from following. Consider these my “Follow Friday” recommendations for the week as is the tradition on Twitter. Wait, you’re still not on Twitter yet? For shame! If you’re not tweeting yet, read my Twitter 101 guide and make these folks the first people you follow... (continue reading this blog post)

Social Innovations

Asking the Right Questions: Jeffrey Sachs Speaks at Stanford University

Jeffrey D. Sachs, the Director of The Earth Institute, Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University recently came to speak at Stanford University and raised some interesting points that are very relevant to the questions that are continually being asked by SSIR... (continue reading this blog post)

Nonprofits

Gaming for Good

What’s the hottest new company in Silicon Valley right now? Answer: Zynga. Online gaming has taken off like crazy. The buzz is everywhere. I hear it among entrepreneurs, investors and even academia, but what about the social and public sectors? Once again, somehow we’re missing the party... (continue reading this blog post)