The fall semester is in full swing, and the Wharton and Penn communities are ready to make things happen. Here we take a look at some of the social impact events happening on campus this week, and some later in the month.
SPARK Info Session:
Spark addresses the drop-out crisis by connecting volunteer professionals with under served, at-risk, 7th and 8th grade students in workplace apprenticeships to “spark” their potential. Through hands-on activities within a meaningful adult relationship, Spark mentors help students understand and re-engage in the relevance of their education. Spark, in partnership with WSII, is currently seeking mentors to host students from the Lea, Clemente, and William Dick schools in the afternoons weekly over 10 weeks starting in early October 2013.
An info session and orientation will be held Monday, Sept 9th, at 5 p.m. in Huntsman F70.
IMPACT MAGAZINE meeting:
Impact Magazine, Penn’s new student-run publication dedicated to social impact, is hosting its first general board meeting. The group’s session is open to all students on Monday, Sept. 9, at 6 pm in the Terrace Room in Claudia Cohen Hall. Impact Magazine recently recently raised $5,000 in a successful Kickstarter, to begin publishing a print edition this fall.
Hack The Change:
Penn Society for International Development (PennSID) is once again preparing for its annual social impact and international development hack-a-thon, Hack the Change. The hack-a-thon brings together programmers and social impact enthusiasts from across the world with global NGOs and social enterprises that work in sectors of international development and social impact. Within 28 hours the participants create and present mobile and computer applications that address everything from mobile health and governance to education and microeconomic issues.
Hack the Change is scheduled for September 27-28. To learn more, contact hackthechange@gmail.com or visit the event’s Facebook page.
Hunger Symposium:
On September 17, Philabundance presents the 2013 Hunger Symposium, bringing together diverse perspectives, voices and experiences all focused on eradicating hunger. A packed agenda features action-based panel discussions featuring community leaders, perspectives from people affect by food insecurities, and a presentation from Wharton MBA graduate Carra Cote-Ackah.
Tickets are available online, and include breakfast and lunch. Admission for Wharton and Penn students and faculty is $50; $75 for general admission.
Greening the Sports Industry:
Join Wharton IGEL,Wharton SBI and the NRDC at the Leadership in Greening the Sports Industry Conference on September 20 at Wharton. This sustainability focused conference examines the best business practices for sports organizations to improve environmental performance and become leaders in sustainable development. Discussions will highlight leadership, corporate partnerships, communications, fan engagement, resource management and merchandise, as well as potential future business opportunities. The event is free to attend, but registration is required.
Millennial Motivator:
The Wharton Ethics Program welcomes guest speaker Liz Braden of Building Tomorrow, an international social profit organization that empowers young people to invest their time, talents, and resources in providing children in East Africa with access to education. As Building Tomorrow’s “millennial motivator,” Braden will share her story about working with the organization in college to raise more than $70,000 towards the construction of academies in Uganda.
In “The Impact You Can Make” presentation on September 25, she will speak about the impact young people have made on the global education crisis and ways students can be involved with Building Tomorrow’s work.
Mark your calendars for noon to 1:30 p.m. in JMHH 350. The event is free, but please RSVP to Lauretta Tomasco at tomascol@wharton.upenn.edu.
Do you have a social impact event you’d like us to share? Email your information to Allie Harcharek at aharch@wharton.upenn.edu.