"Social innovation" is a hot topic these days. Why such an interest in social innovation? Long considered as exclusively for Western countries, this notion also resonates in Africa. This article aims to present the experience of 2iE, an institution training engineers from 27 countries and actively working for social innovation through entrepreneurship in Africa. This article will expose the interest for social innovation, present 2iE’s model of education to promote social innovation and finally, provide examples of successful social businesses emerging from 2iE.

In 2009, YMCA of the USA (Y) and UnitedHealth Group (UHG) formed what would turn out to be a historic partnership. Under the terms of this agreement, UHG would reimburse the Y for each of its eligible insured customers who successfully participated in the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program (YMCA’s DPP). This program targets individuals with prediabetes—the precursor to the disease—and aims to help them lose at least 5% of their body weight.

When we think of domestic violence, disturbing images of physical and psychological attacks come to mind. We know that this kind of violence goes on in our community every day, but it tends to be more comfortable to believe it only happens to people very different from ourselves.

Ceiba, a coalition of four Latino nonprofits in Philadelphia, used collaborative leadership principles to coalesce 20 organizations to turn concern about the new Voter ID law's potential to suppress voting in the Hispanic community into a catalyst to promote voter registration and turnout. This collaborative leadership encouraged dialogue, promoted trust, and fostered a sense of ownership of the work of the collective among the participating organizations in the group.

Four nonprofit organizations in the North Penn community of Montgomery County—Advanced Living Communities (a developer of affordable senior housing), Manna on Main Street (a soup kitchen and  food pantry), North Penn YMCA and The PEAK Center (a senior center)—have developed an innovative partnership, the Lansdale Collaboration Project, to co-locate their facilities on a shared campus in Lansdale. By sharing facilities and resources, the partners intend to collaborate on programs, provide better access to services and use financial and volunteer resources most effectively.

The Freedom Rings Partnership was formed in 2010 to tackle the problem of the digital divide in Philadelphia, where nearly one in two residents lacks reliable Internet access. The partnership seeks to address this problem by increasing access, both at computer labs and at home, and providing computer training that is integrated into broader social services programs. By taking a collaborative and community-based approach, the partnership has seen success in connecting residents to resources that allow them to improve their quality of life as well as in fostering capacity building and best-practice sharing in local nonprofit organizations.

With today’s challenging economy placing even greater pressure on companies, how have leading entities been able to design innovative value propositions that quickly secure engagement from their intended audiences? The following interview shares insights gleaned from my interview with Mr. Bret Perkins, Vice President, External and Government Affairs of the Comcast Corporation.

In her TED talk about philanthropy five years ago, Katherine Fultonof the Monitor Institute presented two sets of words side by side...

Among competing theories of what it takes to dramatically improve public schools K-12, study after study continues to reveal that teacher effectiveness is essential. In fact, excellent teachers appear to matter more in student achievement than any other factor. Yet recruiting, developing and retaining excellent teachers is an ongoing challenge, particularly in urban areas. In addition, while many nonprofit organizations can provide critical support to public schools, they often face and may succumb to high rents, lack of adequate physical resources and missed opportunities to maximize efforts in partnerships with other nonprofits.

The curriculum incubator proposed here was developed during a recent review of graduate programs at the University of the Artsas a way tostart new graduate programs without disrupting currentones. Although conceived with the University of the Arts in mind, it speaks to problems at many universities.

A young Teach for America teacher is handed the end-of-the-school-year reading achievement data for his incoming first grade class from their kindergarten year. He then spends the first 83 teaching days of the current year getting his class back to those reading levels. It is not until November 28th that his students finally catch up to where they had been the previous June.

Since 2010, five million Americans have exhausted their unemployment benefits, leaving them with no form of income and uncertainty regarding their family's future. A local Philadelphia nonprofit, Benefits Data Trust, has developed an innovative model, working with the Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Labor and Industry to identify these people, outreach to them, and help them get back on their feet.

While the desire to create social change was once unique to the public sector, entrepreneurs of various backgrounds are now more focused on how their organizations and actions impact the world around them. The emerging social economy is marked by the central importance of innovation as a driver. Social innovators, change makers, and social entrepreneurs, social enterprises, and social ventures are all in the business of identifying, shaping, and harnessing opportunities for social change, the “triple bottom line” strategy of a focus on social and environmental capital rather than a focus on financial gain.

North Carolina has a burgeoning coworking market, responding to the demand from entrepreneurs, creatives and telecommuters, among others. As it becomes increasingly difficult to secure employment, more Gen Zers are turning to entrepreneurship as a source of employment. Coworking provides connectivity as well as an environment that encourages emerging enterprises.

The Common Market is a values-driven food distribution organization in Philadelphia. The Common Market’s dual goals are to broaden access to local food to diverse communities and to enhance the viability of family farms in the Philadelphia region. The Common Market recognized that farmers, in need of selling product, and procurement staff at institutions such as hospitals, schools and retail stores, in need of purchasing product, were having a difficult time connecting with one another.

Navigating America’s health system can be a challenge for the most active, able-bodied among us.  While our health system’s capabilities are extraordinary, the system leaves even the most sophisticated consumers bewildered. For people living with physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities, the experience can be especially frustrating, traumatic and, in some cases, life-threatening.

Depending on why you come to Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, you might think of it first and foremost as a biodynamic farming and gardening training center, or as an example of intentional community living, or as a place where people with so-called mental disabilities live alongside their non-labeled counterparts, a model for compassionate home-integrated elder care, a local organic food producer and source of organic-biodynamic vegetables, whole-grain sourdough bread, or lunch, or a workshop and conference site.

The United States spends more than double what any other nation spends on healthcare on a per capita basis (Squires 2011). Nearly one-fifth of our gross domestic product now is related to healthcare (NHE Fact Sheet 2011), which would not in itself be unacceptable if we could demonstrate that our investment led to a healthier population and that funds were not being wasted.

These are some of the stated aspirations of the Partnership for Patients, the public-private partnership for improved healthcare quality and safety announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The words are hopeful, but the devil is in the details. How do we move the needle on this most important component of a successful health outcome: the patient’s sense of control over their own health?

Each quarter, this section of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal brings you a selection of recent news reports and other publications featuring topics and trends related to social innovation, disruptive innovation and social entrepreneurship. These “tidbits” offer brief summaries of stories and articles from around the country and the world, and fall under themes such as social media, technology, leadership, “what works,” evolving trends, philanthropy and others. If you come across something you think is worth highlighting here, please send it to Caroline Ridgway at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .