Issue 54 | Greater Philadelphia 2019 Social Innovation Ecosystem

Dear Reader, 

“Fortune favors the audacious.” This sentiment from Erasmus serves as a common thread for the innovators featured in this edition, “The 2019 Greater Philadelphia Social Innovations Ecosystem,” subtitled as “Greater Philadelphia’s Innovations Inspiring the World Toward Social Impact.” These social entrepreneurs, innovators, and Changemakers all bring audacious approaches to solving some of our greatest social challenges here at home in Philadelphia, and breathe audacity into their work, organizations, and teams -- that inspire social impact work around the globe. If fortune favors the audacious, this edition of the Social Innovations Journal shines light on the bright future instore for Greater Philadelphia by featuring those leaders imagining and leading social innovations that are addressing our most intractable problems. 

As in years past, our first edition of the year dedicated to Greater Philadelphia celebrates the region’s social sector leaders who too often go without the recognition they deserve because their focus is instead on “doing” and creating change rather than promoting themselves. At the Social Innovations Journal, we are honored to have the opportunity to highlight these Changemakers through this edition and our annual recognition, The Greater Philadelphia Social Innovations Awards.  

Ten years ago, we started the Social Innovations Journal to share the stories and work of social innovators while building a community of the audacious, risk-takers that refuse to accept the status quo – and are selflessly dedicated to disrupting business as usual. We are beyond thrilled with how our community of mavericks has grown over the past decade, yet we are constantly exploring new ways to further engage, and become more interactive, with our readers and partners. Greater Philadelphia has built a social innovation ecosystem and we have been there every step of the way to support and provide a platform for the voices of the social impact community. Yet, we would be remiss if we didn’t ask, what do the next ten years look like? The innovators in this edition provide a glimpse of what the response to that question looks like. 

We hope this edition, along with its social innovators and leaders, will continue to inspire social impact work around Greater Philadelphia and across the globe. We hope that it continues to pave the way for the future of social innovation and the sharing of ideas, initiatives, and policies that will inspire and give birth to social innovations. Join us on this journey to change the world in our steadfast belief that “the potential for good ideas to inspire more good ideas cannot be underestimated.” We hope you too find immense value in the contributions social entrepreneurs and innovators bring to their local communities as the Journal works to harness this power through their stories that provide best practices for implementing new policies, tools for replicating programs, and lessons to reinvent and spawn new iterations. Please take the time to read and share these articles written and inspired by the social sector leaders who are truly changing Greater Philadelphia, and in turn, the world.

 

Yours in Social Innovation,

Nicholas Torres and Tine Hansen-Turton, co-founders

Mike Clark, President and Alescia M. Dingle, Managing Editor

Issue 54