Issue 41 | Boston Edition

Dear Readers,

We live in an ever expanding -- and yet, with technology -- ever shrinking global ecosystem in which the sharing, within and between regional ecosystems, of social innovations are of upmost importance. 

We are proud to have joined forces with the SOCIAL INNOVATION FORUM; Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics; Harvard Kennedy School ASH CENTER for Democratic Governance and Innovation; MASSCHALLEGE; CITY AWAKE; SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS BOSTON, GREENLIGHT FUND BOSTON; and AMPLIFIED IMPACT to publish and distribute Boston’s SOCIAL INNOVATORS, SOCIAL ENTERPRISES, AND PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.   

The Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics best summarizes the focus of this edition that showcases Boston’s social innovations to the world.  

“From global leadership to national policy to state and local ideology, there is no doubt that change -- both beautiful and terrifying -- is imminent. It is in these moments where opportunity exists: opportunity to redirect the rhetoric, opportunity to slow the pace, opportunity to shift the paradigm. For those who see, seek, and seize these opportunities, the impact is often grand. And yet, because the entirety of impact is often felt long after implementation, it is difficult to recognize those movement makers, those insightful implementers, those do-ers as they make, implement, and do.

In this moment, the City of Boston itself swirls in change. Within the city, questions of stability and mobility, equity, safety, and quality of life pervade our homes, our workplaces, our streets, our schools, our people. Amidst these questions, our own Bostonians -- community leaders, entrepreneurs, students, parents, immigrants, academics, and artists -- are pursuing solutions. From community models that capitalize social capital into financial capital to research methods repurposed to learn about experiences and disparity to programs that empower Bostonians to demand and obtain the things they want and need to thrive, the City of Boston is rich with opportunity -- and those who seize the moment to create something new. As the City’s internal social innovation office, we at New Urban Mechanics relish, value, and take pride in working with and alongside this strong fabric of innovators, entrepreneurs, and experts.

This edition of the Social Innovation Journal highlights a fraction of the social innovations that keep the City of Boston on pace with change. From the viewpoints of the movement makers, the insightful implementers, and the do-ers themselves, you’ll learn about Boston’s challenges and opportunities. And you’ll also get to glimpse into the authors’ collective vision for Boston’s future.”

We want to thank the Bostion Edition Editorial Advisory Board for their work and contributions that led to this edition publication.  

Sarah Beaulieu: Greenlight Fund 
Darcy Brownell: SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS BOSTON
Tim Burke: Harvard Kennedy School ASH CENTER for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Danielle Curry: CITY AWAKE
Melissa Duggan: SOCIAL INNOVATION FORUM
Kiki Mills Johnston: MASS CHALLENGE
Justin Kang: CITY AWAKE
Kimberly Lucas: BOSTON MAYOR'S OFFICE OF NEW URBAN MECHANICS
Atyia Martin: City of Boston
Christina Marchand: Harvard Kennedy School ASH CENTER for Democratic Governance & Innovation
Andrea McGrath: AMPLIFIED IMPACT
Anna Trieschmann: SOCIAL INNOVATION FORUM

We hope this edition and its articles will inspire social innovators to continue sharing their ideas and inspiring new ideas across the globe. Join us on this journey to change the world in the belief that the potential for good ideas to inspire more good ideas cannot be underestimated and the value that entrepreneurs and innovators bring to local communities and regions across the nation needs to be harnessed and shared. Please take the time to read and share these articles which, ideally, will provide you with the inspiration, knowledge, and tools to become a civically-minded innovator to improve your local, regional, and/or national health, education, social mobility, and human services challenges to ensure dignity and respect for everyone.

 

Sincerely,

Nicholas Torres
Tine Hansen-Turton
Co-Founders

The Social Innovations Journal’s mission is to promote innovative ideas and incubate social innovation and thought leadership (i.e. teaching leaders “how” to think and not “what” to think) to spark a culture of innovation to create new models and systems change. The Social Innovations Journal (SIJ) takes a regional approach to sourcing social innovations and enterprises. Since 2008, SIJ has published hundreds of articles and convened thousands of people to discuss social innovations and social sector models at the local level. SIJ has a regional, national, and global following reaching millions of readers across the globe daily. 

 

This Edition titled Boston’s SOCIAL INNOVATORS, SOCIAL ENTERPRISES, AND PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS was made possible in partnership with Boston’s Social Sector Ecosystem.  THANK YOU!

Issue 41