Social Innovation Forum
Keith Patankar
2018 Social Innovators
On Monday, May 14, the Social Innovation Forum (SIF) put on its 15th annual Social Innovator Showcase, and the 2018 Social Innovators brought the audience to its feet. This year's eight Innovators pitched their eloquent and inspirational solutions to our region’s toughest social issues to a full house of philanthropists, business leaders, and potential supporters.
SIF’s Executive Director, Susan Musinsky, kicked off the evening at MIT by welcoming the room and recognizing all the Social Innovators, past and present, for their incredible work for social impact. The 2018 Innovators, who have completed the first six months of the SIF nonprofit accelerator program, then took the stage to present their pitches, developed with the guidance of SIF consultants, coaches, volunteers, and in-kind partners. They concluded their presentations by describing their two-year plans for growth and inviting audience members to become involved in their work. The pitch portion of the evening was brought to a close with a standing ovation.
PAIR Project
Anita P. Sharma from PAIR Project kicked off the Social Innovator pitches with a powerful presentation on the hardships of seeking asylum: “There are many barriers to winning asylum. The law is complicated and cases can take over 200 hours of attorney time.” PAIR works to ease those burdens by providing pro bono legal services and other support services to asylum seekers in greater Boston.
The Renew Collaborative
Matt Pritchard of The Renew Collaborative, a program of Home Start, shared a harsh reality of homelessness in our community. “The eviction crisis is one of the reasons that the average age of a person experiencing homelessness in the United States is 9,” explained Matt. The Renew Collaborative addresses homelessness in Massachusetts through an innovative and scalable eviction prevention approach that saves property owners thousands on costly evictions by working with tenants and paying some of the overdue rent costs.
Partners for Youth with Disabilities
Regina Snowden of Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD) put faces on the startlingly high statistic of 1 in 4 people in the U.S. living with a disability. She shared stories of several incredible people in the PYD community. PYD's programs support and empower young people with disabilities to become more independent and improve self-esteem. Some of PYD's offering include a Youth Leadership Forum that teaches leadership skills and a Theatre Arts program to develop lasting communication and artistic skills.
GreenRoots
Roseann Bongiovanni of GreenRoots painted a picture of the disparity in access to healthy living in Chelsea and East Boston due to air, water, and land pollution. GreenRoots organizes community members to stand up for environmental justice, safety, and public health for all. Roseann emphasized, “We could organize, empower folks, and change our outcomes for generations to come.”
Community Boating Center
Andy Herlihy represented Community Boating Center with an impassioned presentation that framed boating, beyond just a sport, as a tool to teach children about responsibility, comradery, and empowerment. “The Community Boating Center believes that all kids can be steered toward success,” Andy explained. Community Boating Center connects New Bedford's youth with mentorship and instills values of integrity, sound judgement, teamwork, and environmental awareness through year-round programs.
ACT Lawrence
Ana Luna of ACT Lawrence described the dire financial landscape she found in Lawrence twenty years ago, so unsurmountable that authorities intended to bulldoze the city. ACT Lawrence, Ana explained, provides financial education in its community to foster hope and independence for its residents. Their trainings include skill building programs, like the Home Buyer Workshop and youth workforce trainings to connect young people with job opportunities. ACT Lawrence hopes to expand the programs and services it offers to continue to uplift and empower its community.
Strategies for Youth
Lisa Thurau from Strategies for Youth offered a glimpse into a future where police are equipped with a constructive understanding on how to handle situations with youth and where youth receive tools to help them handle encounters with law enforcement. By offering training programs like “Policing the Teen Brain Training” to police officers, Thurau illustrated to audience members how Strategies for Youth is working toward a common understanding between youth and the law enforcement policing their communities.
Fathers' UpLift
Charles Daniels of Fathers' UpLift brought the audience to a standing ovation with his personal story and passion to connect fathers and children. He described Fathers’ UpLift's model to set fathers up to be a positive and constant presence in their children's lives, including through a program that begins working with incarcerated fathers several months before their release to provide them with tools to acclimate to life at home. Fathers' UpLift also provides mentoring programs to youth to connect them with positive male role models.
This event was sponsored by Eastern Bank, Goodwin, Nutter, Marcus Partners, RINET, Delta Dental of Massachusetts, and John Hancock.
Download the 2018 Social Impact Investment Guide for more information about the Innovators.
MISSED THE SHOWCASE?
Our Innovators will be presenting again on June 14 from 8:30 am – 10:00 am at Foley & Lardner at our Second Look event. This free event is a great opportunity for those who missed the Showcase to meet our Innovators and hear their presentations. Register here.