Wrapping Up

The end of the semester is well and gone, and now summer is wrapping up too. As always, time is passing by far too quickly, and I'll take this moment to summarize the end of my semester.

Kevin, Sarah, and I made our case study for My Happy Shirts, and it was later presented at the SEEED conference.

Our case study introduced the venture we were working with, identifying its goals, missions, and possible opportunities.

  

When our case study was finished, we started to work on our final projects. Some of us decided to work with new ventures or on new ideas, but Kevin and I decided to stick with working on and researching the orphan crisis.

In the end, our final acted as a definition and, we hope, a wake-up call. Kevin and I soon learned that  the orphan crisis is one of the most pervasive problems we have to face, as it is the result of a countless number of issues - poverty, warfare, healthcare, education, and environmental factors, to name a few - while simultaneously propagating the very same cycle.

I made a perceptual map highlighting some of the factors that are both a cause and effect of the orphan crisis:

As you can see, the idea of fighting the orphan crisis is really quite different than the reality. How can you choose one area to combat? Is focusing on one area a futile cause?

Kevin and I struggled with the actual effectiveness of any possible solutions we came up with. Since the problem was so large and daunting, any small-scale attempt might feel more pointless than powerful, despite how much it is really helping.

After trying to narrow our focus to one or two sectors - for example, healthcare for refugees, or family planning in less developed countries - we also learned that a lot of these organizations exist but are operating independently in different spheres. We saw the value in trying to unite all of these organizations, to show them that the problems they face are connected and that they can help each other.

To do this, we felt that the first step was to show that the orphan crisis is, in some ways, passed on as if it were heritage. We wanted to connect people to an individual story and show them that people are subject to circumstances outside of their control, and without help, this cycle of misfortune continues throughout generations, both domestically and internationally.

Kevin and I decided that an online platform would be most accessible, and wanted to create different stories that would appeal to a broad audience. Kevin worked on the interactive side of the project - how our stories would act almost like pop-up books where users could click on different symbols on the page and be shown data and statistics about the orphan crisis. I worked on creating one of the more in-depth stories which highlighted the moment of impact that our cause could have.

The purpose of this story was to show that knowledge really is power. While we may never be able to control the unpredictable situations life brings us, we do have the capability to expose and alleviate the cyclical nature of the orphan crisis, and finally bring attention to the "Unseen, Unheard, Unbroken" members of our global society; young and vulnerable children left without parents, family, or guardians to support them.

SVPRI: Social Venture Proposal

Personal interest in continuing with project….

One thing that really struck me when we spoke with Eric was that in some ways, this company was really just a t-shirt company that happened to have a cause. Eric spoke about his attempts at strengthening the correlation between this simple product and this complicated effort to spread awareness on the global orphan crisis.

I am interested in making a more realistic and obvious connection between product and cause. Even within the umbrella of SVPRI, the idea of an interconnected network of services, products, and proactive cause relief exists. I want to explore the possibilities of making more than just a ‘My Happy’ t-shirt. If we can change the physical design by having a design contest where children around the world can participate, then the design becomes a story as well as a reason to buy the shirt. Another example is if the shirt design that wins is by a student in Ethiopia, then any percentage of the sales of that particular design can be used to send to the school itself to fund further educational resources. By making community connections in creating My Happy Shirts, the brand is engaging global interest as well as broadening its scope of potential customers.

Information & background on the orphan crisis

Where to go now...

I really enjoy learning about alternative farming solutions in urban communities, the issues surrounding poverty such as homelessness and literacy, and understanding gender discrimination. I am also very fascinated (and appalled) by the prison industrial complex and the ideas of systematic oppression.

What most interests me is looking at large issues in society and understanding the root cause; I feel that we are currently trained to ameliorate symptoms without taking the time and consideration to fully regard the problem. Creating an alternative approach to an extremely complicated sociological issue is very important to me, though I may not yet know what that is.

Infographics on Gender & LGBTQ+ Issues

Women & LGBTQ+ Rights in Rhode Island and the United States at large. Unsurprisingly, we have a long way yet to go.

Precedent Study: Catchafire Inforgraphic

First version of a Catchafire infographic

CATCHAFIRE: WELCOME TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF ONLINE VOLUNTEERING

Comparing to another precedent:
Catchafire, a social business venture, is a for-profit talent matching agency. They help find pro-bono talent for non-profits looking for short-term professionals on projects. The company is most similar to ReBoot and Root Cause, both for-profit agencies that revolve around gathering information on communities or non-profits for the benefit of agencies or third parties. All of these companies are searching to make social good into a sustainable business model. Their expertise is the gathering of information and understanding the companies or people they research.

Second version of infographic

Reading Responses 3

THE POWER OF UNREASONABLE PEOPLE
This article was all about the different kinds of social change organizations and how they tend to operate.

The first level are the non-profits, which leverage available resources so they can measure up to the nature and scale of their challenges. They usually get philanthropic-based funding, which makes it difficult to expand, and they work to deliver public goods to the economically under-served. An example of this is Barefoot College, a program that infuses local traditional knowledge with the skills to provide with rural villages in India.

The second consists of hybrid non-profit ventures, which have businesslike aspects that are familiar and appear reliable to most standard companies. They also serve to deliver goods & services to the under-served, but with the possibility of profit, which would help them cover the costs of working. Examples include Aravind eye care in India, which charges medical patients on a sliding scale--those who can afford it pay more, while the less financially advantaged receive heavily subsidized but still excellent eyecare.

The third level are social business ventures, which are structured for profit yet are also in business to drive change. Profits are generated but often not as the end goal, and many times these profits go to benefit lower income groups. Micro financing is very popular in this field, but Whole Foods is one of the most famous examples as it considers business as a way for people to recognize valid and legitimate concerns.

BREWING A FUTURE

A brewery in Namibia is making changes to produce absolutely no waste in their production process. Taking the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure," the scientists are taking the production of raw materials and finding ways to use the by-products to benefit the country. This is a new way of looking at zero waste, as it turns existing protocol into opportunities for development.

A Definition

WHAT IS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP? A WORKING DEFINITION...
Social entrepreneurship is the financing, design, and implementation of a product or system that creates lasting change and is interdependent within local communities and the world at large.
02/17/2013

Self-Assesment

WHAT DESIGN STUDIO COURSES HAVE YOU TAKEN IN THE PAST? WHICH DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST? WHY?

Since I've entered RISD, I've taken Design Principles I and II, and two special topic studios-- Next Manufacturing Paradigm with Soojung and Ergonomics in Commercial Fishing with Tom. I've also recently taken a design/build course in landscape architecture in Costa Rica focused on sustainable building practices and localization.

I've most enjoyed my Next Manufacturing Paradigm (NMP) and Costa Rica design/build courses, but for different reasons. NMP was very research-oriented, and our projects combined "blue sky" exploration with a grounding in new materials, technologies, and other possibilities to make our idea a reality (be it now or in the future). Unlike DP, these projects had a tactile, planned quality that felt satisfying and solid, not just designing for the sake of design but for a purpose.

My design/build was enjoyable because I really, really like working so hard physically that I'm exhausted by the end of the day. We worked for 30 days designing, refining, and building a classroom structure out of local materials, and the process of creating something with your own hands and truly unskilled labor is fulfilling on a very basic level. 

WHICH COURSES OR ASPECTS OF COURSES HAVE BEEN THE MOST CHALLENGING?

I've definitely discovered that I'm good at understanding and dedicating myself to research-based projects. I enjoy taking my time to understand a project or opportunity fully, and so in prototyping-based classes it takes me more time to get into the habit of quickly testing a product, making revisions, and rapidly making another prototype.

DO YOU HAVE A BACKGROUND OR A PREVIOUS DEGREE IN ANOTHER DISCIPLINE?

Nope! Though I have taken a full year of liberal arts courses and another of fine arts in two different universities.

WHAT STRENGTHS DO YOU BRING TO GROUP WORK?

In group settings, I am usually the person who tries to negotiate a compromise of the best aspects of different ideas. I am very flexible and open to trying out new ideas, while also generally avoiding conflict.

WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES IN A GROUP OR A GROUP DISCUSSION?

Sometimes in a group setting, if two different parties in continuous conflict are unwilling to compromise, I tend to excuse myself once the arguing becomes redundant. Because I am ridiculously non-confrontational, I usually leave the argument (for better or worse) until a settlement is reached, and then rejoin to make collaborative decisions once more.

WHAT ARE YOUR STRONGEST SKILLS IN TERMS OF CRAFT/VISUAL COMMUNICATION?

I've gotten reasonably skilled at Illustrator (after much work and little sleep last semester) and I do enjoy making a well-organized presentation. I have also taken Wood and Metal II.

WHAT SKILLS WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUILD DURING THIS COURSE?

One thing I am trying to improve upon are my presentational skills. I can easily organize my thoughts on paper or while making a presentation, but when I get up to present I almost always end up forgetting something important about my project.

WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS IN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP OR DESIGNING FOR OTHERS?

In many ways, I actually kind of hate industrial design and how it has been operating within our society. I hate capitalist mass-production made with no regards to ethics or the environment, and that planned obsolescence is only another part of the system. I love the idea of connecting products and customers in an engaging and beneficial manner, and reinstating a modicum of humanity into production once again. I am very interested in designing systems in urban settings that promote health, growth, and education in a community, through urban farming, composting, or a wholly new technology, I'm not sure yet. I am most interested in the issues of homelessness, access to healthy food, education, our literal mountainous piles of garbage, and civil rights.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS COURSE AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST INTERESTED IN WORKING ON?

I transferred to RISD with the idea of meticulous, planned design with meaning, and this course is finally fulfilling what I hoped to learn more about. The idea of realistically connecting social advocacy with industrial design is absolutely thrilling and I am so excited to see the process of dream-->opportunity.

Week 1 Reading Responses

Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition

This article works to define the activities of a social entrepreneur, and makes a case that the broadening of its definition only works to confuse and dilute its meaning. The authors differentiate between a pure entrepreneur and a "socent," saying that entrepreneurs are always expected to receive some personal financial gain; profit is the only way to maintain a long-lasting venture, as well as to create a new market equilibrium. On the other hand, the socent is not confined by earning but by instigating a change that eventually leads to a newly satisfactory market equilibrium, though this change may not be as a result of the socent or his or her own organization.

The Meaning of "Social Entrepreneurship"

Again, the author attempts to expand upon socent vs. entrepreneurs. He says that for the former, profit and earnings are a means to an end while for the latter they are a measure of success. He also argues that one of the most essential characteristics of a socent is believing beyond one's resources--that most people live according to their jobs and capabilities, but socents are able to use other people's resources to accomplish their goals. While that sounds sort of awfully manipulative, I think this is really true. Finally, best line ever: "Should everyone aspire to be a social entrepreneur? No." okay tell me what you really think...

Reshaping Social Entrepreneurship

This article takes a different approach to its definition. Instead, it looks at the flaws of defining entrepreneurs as hailed individuals, which I appreciate because when you're reading about these people there's really no hope of ever reaching their level. It says that the dangers of talking about individuals shifts the focus from what the entrepreneur does to how well they can sell an idea. It also addresses the need for a mix of diverse talents for social entrepreneurship to be truly effective, qualities that need a backing of an organization or many people working together. 
"A social entrepreneur is an individual, group, network, organization, or alliance of organizations that seeks sustainable, large-scale change through pattern-breaking ideas in what or how governments, nonprofits, and businesses do to address significant social problems."

This quote feels very critical because it creates an entire field for socent to grow into, and reflects the connected nature global to local support.

The Rise of the Social Entrepreneur

As society is becoming increasingly complicated and divided within the roles government should play, there are small-scale progressive changes being instituted by local citizens across the country. A key aspect of the changes made by these and other social entrepreneurs are that they are make change together--in teams, interacting and networking with the community and other local agents of change. These local socents are facilitators of change, and inspire others to join in movements of great opportunity.