SICI Blog
A collection of reflections from the SICI community.
Meet the 2021 Cheng Fellows!
The 2021 Cheng Fellows are building healthy communities, reimagining education systems, creating economic security and opportunity, and changing narratives. They include intrapreneurs, educators, nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, organizers, and community change-makers. The 2021 cohort represents students across four Harvard schools: HBS, HGSE, HKS, and Harvard College. This cohort exemplifies the strength and promise of cross-sectoral, cross-community social problem-solving.
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Meet the 2021-22 Marla and Barry Beck Visiting Social Innovators
The Social Innovation and Change Initiative (SICI) is honored to announce the Marla and Barry Beck Visiting Social Innovators for the 2021-2022 academic year. Each year, SICI is privileged to host a group of accomplished practitioners from around the world who operate beyond traditional boundaries, bringing a multi-sector, global, systems perspective to their social innovation work.
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A Year of Power
We could not be prouder to work with SICI’s Founder and Faculty Chair, Julie Battilana, than we are today as she releases her first book: Power, For All: How It Really Works and Why It’s Everyone’s Business. Power is a word we all hear and use often, and yet this book makes it clear that … Read More
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Sensemaking and Impact
Since COVID 19 emerged on the scene, an increasing collection of broad social issues have been reconceptualized as health issues in the public sphere. For example, while public health experts have long pointed to discrimination, employment status, and the neighborhood you live in as major social determinants of health, it seems much more common these … Read More
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Using the Academy for Social Good
As summer descends, three questions have been circulating in our SICI community on both a personal and professional level: Which voices could, should, and will most influence what our “back to work” reality looks like? Will all of us, or just some, have jobs to get back to (will recovery be V or K shaped)? … Read More
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Forging a Collective Purpose
May at Harvard is a time for graduation, celebration, and reflection. This month, our team participated in multiple moving, tear-filled closing ceremonies involving the always inspiring SICI community. I believe I speak for all staff and faculty when I say we cherished each one a little more than usual this year. We have been through … Read More
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Lessons From Our Community
April at SICI was focused on engaging and learning virtually alongside a wide variety of social impact organizations outside of Harvard University. Online platforms have come a long way in just one year’s time and I was hearted by the deep sense of humanity present in the communities I encountered. Starting in early April, we … Read More
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Step Up, Step Aside, Share Power
In honor of Women’s History Month, our SICI team has been inspired to read about projects that elevate women: highlighting their perseverance, leadership, wisdom, creativity, and aspirations for equity and inclusion around the world. In light of the violence and oppression that women, and particularly BIPOC and trans women, must face, this work could not … Read More
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Expanding Empathy
This month, thanks to encouragement from our SICI colleague Mu-Chieh Yun, I took some time to read about a recent wave of Anti-Asian violence, rolling across the United States, often in connection with xenophobic narratives related to COVID-19. I was surprised by how little I’d heard, given the ballooning numbers Mu described. After discovering this … Read More
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Changing Hearts and Minds
Amanda Gorman at the 2018 Gleitsman Award. Photo credit: Tom Fitzsimmons. Working in the social innovation space from Harvard Kennedy School, an institution steeped in research on human rights, democracy, politics, and power, we at SICI often find ourselves gravitating to examples of leaders who are capable of changing hearts and minds, rather than those … Read More
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Closing 2020
As December comes to a close, we at SICI have turned our attention towards: Nurturing rituals that support reflection and renewal Hopeful conversations about a better future A profound sense of gratitude for the people and organizations in our community 2020 came and it is now almost complete. The year that follows will be shaped … Read More
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A Time of Transition
Wow, November, how different you seem from just 30 days ago. The US elections were called (including the norm shattering election of Vice President-Elect, Kamala Harris), multiple COVID-19 vaccines are on the scene, and the cumulative linguistic impact of 2020 was so profound and expansive that Oxford’s Word of the Year panel declared last week … Read More
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Being Apolitical Is an Illusion
One month ago, Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, a cryptocurrency startup innovating in the finance space, published a blog post, which began: “There have been a lot of difficult events in the world this year: a global pandemic, shelter in place, social unrest, widespread protests and riots, and west coast wildfires. On top of that, … Read More
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Change That Lasts
People gather to mourn the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court in Washington, on Sept. 20. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo As someone who teaches about social innovation and social change, I am always on the lookout for exemplars that reveal both timeless and contemporary lessons. So on September 18th, when Supreme … Read More
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Meet the 2020-21 Marla and Barry Beck Visiting Social Innovators
The Social Innovation and Change Initiative (SICI) is honored to announce the Marla and Barry Beck Visiting Social Innovators for the 2020-2021 academic year. Each year, SICI is privileged to host a group of accomplished practitioners from around the world who operate beyond traditional boundaries, bringing a multi-sector, global, systems perspective to their social innovation work.
Read More
Meet the 2020 Cheng Fellows!
This year, Fellows are building community wealth, creating healthier communities, transforming healthcare systems, and re-imagining education. They include healthcare intrapreneurs, educators, nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, organizers, and community change-makers. And for the first time, the 2020 cohort represents students across five Harvard schools: HBS, HGSE, HKS, HSPH, and Harvard College. This cohort exemplifies the strength and promise of cross-sectoral, cross-community social problem-solving.
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“Wait and See” Mode
Two weeks ago, I emailed a colleague to ask if I could introduce him to someone and he wrote back “Would love the intro. Off this week, but back next week, and raring to go for the fall!” Raring to go for fall?! I had to blink back shock for a full minute before I … Read More
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Transparent Gatekeeping
As many of you know, one of SICI’s most cherished undertakings is the New World Social Innovation Fellows Program, an accelerator for aspiring social changemaker students at Harvard. Applications for our sixth cohort of Fellows closed on July 12th and are currently moving through a rigorous series of selection proceedings. Thousands of institutions in the … Read More
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Getting Beyond Incrementalism
As part of the Social Innovation + Change Initiative, I am frequently asked how I can tell if a social impact effort is “truly innovative” (interestingly, far fewer people ask the same question about “true social change”). My response, though perhaps disappointing for some, is that most of the ideas we study and support at … Read More
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New Beginnings
For those who work in higher education, it is almost impossible to be on campus in May without thinking about graduation. Soon the people we’ve come to know, learn from, and care for will move on to other places and roles. While no one was sure how the virtual version would go this year, in … Read More
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Charting a Sustainable Future
Earlier this month, April 22nd, marked 50 years since the very first Earth Day, a day when 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — mobilized to raise awareness about mankind’s ongoing environmental destruction and called for a new direction with respect to global environmental policy. For many of us, … Read More
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COVID-19 Update From SICI
I am sitting in front of my living room window as I write, looking onto our neighborhood in Cambridge, astounded by the change that has transpired on Harvard’s campus, and in our world, in six weeks time. It is my deepest hope that, as a part of our cherished community, you are reading this in … Read More
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Proximate Work Is Effective Work
This week I had the profound privilege of sitting with Ms. Tarana Burke, the original originator of the #metoo movement, as part of a day-long series celebrating her accomplishments and contributions as well as her receipt of the Center for Public Leadership’s Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award at Harvard Kennedy School. [If you have 6 minutes … Read More
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Navigating Through Complex Problems
While the start of the academic calendar for most students begins in late summer, the start of the year for Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) begins in January. For those who don’t know yet, ALI is worth checking out. It is a University level, year-long, third stage, higher education program designed to organize and train … Read More
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Committing Fully
In San Antonio, on the day before his death, President John F. Kennedy described in detail a boyhood story by Irish author Frank O’Connor. Adventuring through the countryside, O’Connor and his friends established a practice of tossing their caps over high walls—walls oftentimes higher than ones they had scaled in the past. They knew they … Read More
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Small Acts of Change
In his 1984 paper, “Small Wins: Redefining the Scale of Social Problems,” organizational theorist Karl Weick observed that social problems are often so complex and grand in scope and scale that simply thinking about them can overwhelm and paralyze even the most dedicated social changemakers. His proposed strategy for handling this psychological obstacle is to … Read More
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Codifying SICI’s 3P Pedagogy
Three years into the Social Innovation + Change Initiative and, like the early-stage social innovators we support, our team has grown, our activities have found a certain rhythm, and we are seeing signs of positive impact. A new, more focused institutional phase is emerging now and we are currently undertaking a project to codify our … Read More
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Who Is a Social Innovator?
Hello from the Social Innovation and Change Initiative (SICI) offices at Harvard Kennedy School! This note marks the first of what I expect will be monthly roundups about our work and our growing community. Our hope is that these recaps encourage you to stay in touch with us and connect with each other. For those … Read More
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2018 in Review: What makes an effective social innovator?
Whether or not 2018 was the worst year in human history or the best, the Social Innovation and Change Initiative (SICI) team is lucky to have spent the year teaching, learning, and growing with Harvard’s community of social innovators. This community represents the students from all Harvard schools who are making progress against pressing social … Read More
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Reblog: Meghan McCormick – Harvard innovation labs
Meghan McCormick, a 2018 Cheng Fellow, is the Founder of OZÉ, a platform that empowers small-business owners to make data-driven decisions. Meghan and the OZE team is passionate about enabling small businesses and local ownership to grow with technology, particularly in emerging markets. In April, OZÉ won the $75,000 Grand Prize in the Social Impact & Cultural … Read More
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Meet the 2018 Adrian Cheng Fellows
The Social Innovation and Change Initiative is pleased to announce the members of the 2018 Cheng Fellow cohort. The Cheng Fellowship is a rigorous program that selects and supports students who are actively advancing social innovation projects while in school. The co-curricular experience works to bridge research, theory, and social change frameworks with experiential insights … Read More
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Anika Manzoor: Making Activism Accessible in the United States
Anika Manzoor (MPP ’18, Cheng Fellow) was 12 when she “accidentally” co-founded an advocacy campaign. It happened in a small cafe owned by her friend’s mother. She had been invited by this friend to learn about the inaccessibility of education for girls in developing countries, especially in Bangladesh — a country Manzoor’s family once called … Read More
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Introducing the 2018 Beck Visiting Social Innovators
We are excited to announce our 2018 Beck Visiting Social Innovators (VSI).
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Micaela Connery: Building Inclusive Housing in the Bay Area
Housing crises in urban areas across the United States threaten to prevent many people from accessing shelter, community, and services. This trend is even worse for the millions of people with disabilities, in the US. Micaela Connery (MPP ’16, Cheng Fellow) is seeking to revolutionize affordable urban housing with The Kelsey, a replicable model for … Read More
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Meet the SICI Staff
The Social Innovation and Change Initiative. Behind the name is a movement to advance the practice of innovation with a social intent within and beyond Harvard. We illuminate the different pathways and platforms that individuals can take to bring positive social change. For us, this means developing cutting-edge research through our faculty, connecting cross-sector communities, … Read More
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Ricky Sharma: Promoting Girls Health in India
Ensuring a healthy transition from childhood to adulthood for the 120 million adolescent girls living in India today is a formidable challenge. Studies show that at least half of the girls in India are anemic, twice the rate of their male counterparts.
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Emmanuel Bukenya: Advancing Energy Investments in Uganda
Growing up in Uganda’s capital of Kampala, Emmanuel Bukenya (MC/MPA ’18, Cheng Fellow) watched power lines sway above his family’s home.
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Sibella Matthews: Ending Girls Incarceration in Australia
Later this year, twenty-four individuals representing constituencies from across Australia will come together for the inaugural convention of the Girls Justice Reform Community. The coalition, a brainchild of Sibella Matthews (MPP ’18, Cheng Fellow), will meet quarterly with one objective: to end the incarceration of girls in Australia by 2025.
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Introducing the Fellow Spotlight Series
A Juvenile Justice Center in Australia. A home in Uganda. A school in India. An inclusive housing community in the Bay Area. These are just a few of the diverse settings where our Adrian Cheng Fellows are seeding and leading initiatives for impact. The Cheng Fellowship, an integral part of our work at the Social … Read More
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