Methodologies for Change Makers
My 8 favorite trends in the microfinance sector. 2013 Microfinance Week.
Last week I participated in the 2013 European Microfinance Week, one of the main conferences on financial inclusion. It brings microfinance stakeholders together to discuss important developments in the sector and contributes to shaping the global approach to microfinance. This time it gathered 378 participants form 59 countries and focused on the future of the…
21 Must-read Articles on Happiness
Each of these articles delivers a unique, healthy message concerning the topic of happiness. I’ve read them all… and yes, I think you should read them too. They need no further introduction. Enjoy! The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance. The wise grows it under his feet. – James Openheim The Art of Smiling How To Be…
Free for Download: My presentation on how to use DESIGN THINKING to Innovate for Social Change (Human-Centered Design-IDEO)
Today, I want to share with you my latest presentation describing the Human Centered Desing toolkit developed by IDEO. The methodology intends to help international development organisations, NGOs and Social Entrepreneurs to understand the Comunity needs and find innovative solutions that are at the same time economically viable. [slideshare id=9997444] For years, businesses have used…
Resources: Social Innovation Articles and Reports
Here you can find some key articles and documents about Social Innovation Strategic Collaboration Between. Nonprofits and Businesses. James E. Austin. Harvard Business School http://www.utexas.edu/courses/streeter/393T19/JAustin.pdf Nambisan, S. “Platforms for Collaboration”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Summer 2009. Howaldt, J./ Schwarz, M. “Social Innovation: Concepts, research fields and international trends”, IMO international monitoring, 2010. “Let’s hear those ideas”. The Economist.…
The Science of Happiness: try this and make you and other people happier!
“Psychologists have scientifically proven that one of the greatest contributing factors to overall happiness in your life is how much gratitude you show.” ~ Soul Pancake One month ago I wrote about the impact of gratitude in our happiness and proposed you a GRATITUDE CHALLENGE during 21 days. I have done it now for 30 days and…
The power of words
Watch this touching video The Power of Words, to see how changing just a few words can make a dramatic difference in your life and in the lives of those around you. Question: Can you think of a time when words have had a major impact on you or on those around you?
My 10 favorite Crowdsourcing platforms for social good
I have written often in this blog about the power of collective action and how crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platforms are changing the economy (also see: The top 10 ways people are changing the economy for more examples of people action´s to improve the world). Today I want to share with you my 10 favourite crowdsourcing platforms for…
Citizenship 2.0: Debating Europe, connecting European citizens and politicians
In a recent article, I listed 10 ways people can change the economy, I received a lot of comments and proposals and some of you expressed interest in finding out how to participate and interact with the government and public authorities. For those of you that follow European issues I want to share today a…
The Top 10 Ways People Are Changing the Economy
There is a crisis out there, but also a lot of people that are thinking of new ways to change the economy for the good and that are implementing them. Here is a list of 10 trends you may be considering…. we are also mapping them in this maps: Planet for Change so if you want to…
Young at Heart: How to be an innovator for life
Recently I have listened to a great podcast where Tom Kelley, general manager at IDEO, presents 5 core practices that enhance creativity and describes how they can help us be more innovative and successful in every part of our lives. The podcast is titled Young at Heart: How to Be an Innovator for Life and is shared by the Entrepreneurial Thought…
Creativity requires Time
Some people say they feel more creative when they are pushed for time, while others feel more creative when they have as much time as they want? What about you? [su_youtube_advanced url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPbjSnZnWP0″]
Dreamstarter: a crowdfunding platform launched by StartSomeGood and ING Direct in Australia
This year I am teaching again Development Finance and Innovative Finance Models in different Universities. I always look for innovative cases to discuss with students and I have found this interesting initiative of how banks can support social businesses. It has happened in Australia, where the crowdfunding platform, StartSomeGood has partnered with ING DIRECT Australia to launch…
30 Things You Can Do To Promote Creativity in Your Classroom
Today, I want to share with you an amazing article by Miriam Clifford, that proposes 30 things you can do to promote creativity in trainings, workshops and in class. I have tried some of them in our LABs for Change and the impact is amazing! “The concept of teaching creativity has been around for quite some…
New booklet: EU initiatives addressing societal challenges through digital innovation. Available online
This booklet highlights some of the many EU initiatives and co-funded research and innovation projects which address societal challenges through digital innovation, such as better healthcare, independent living for the elderly, delivering effective public services, energy saving, smart transport, secure internet, inclusion, preservation of cultural heritage. A showcase of policy actions and projects illustrates what role ICT…