Social Impact Round Up: Week of Nov 18

Wharton Social Impact Fellows and Wharton students participated in a tour of West Philadelphia recently, led by Glenn Bryan, the Associate Vice President of Community Relations at Penn. — Wharton students and Social Impact Fellows recently participated in a tour of West Philadelphia led by Glenn Bryan, the Associate Vice President of Community Relations at Penn.

Every week, Wharton Social Impact Initiative presents a roundup of social impact events, conferences, opportunities and news at Wharton, and across Penn.

News

Pictured above: Through the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Fellowship program, two dozen students recently attended a tour of West Philadelphia. Led by Glenn Bryan (C’74, SW’76) Assistant Vice President of Community Relations at Penn, the tour was designed to provide the Penn community a visual overview of the University’s local engagement, community partnerships and role in local public education, health, economic development, and culture.

Executive MBA graduate Lindsay Beck (WG’13) is quoted in the New York Times discussing her idea to create a “stock market for nonprofits.”

Knowledge@Wharton interviewed KIPP co-founder and Penn graduate Michael Feinberg. Wharton Magazine also published a recap of the Lauren & Bobby Turner Social Impact Speaker Series featuring Feinberg.

FastFWD, our collaboration with the City of Philadelphia and GoodCompany Group, was featured in a segment on Fox Business.

Impact Magazine, the new student-run publication, released their first print issue. Wharton Social Impact Initiative contributed a column about the Spark program, and the intersection of social impact and youth education programs.

For Wharton Magazine, Wharton junior Katlyn Grasso wrote about her summer experience running a leadership camp for high school girls.

The Wharton Social Impact Club is teaming up with Arzu, a 501 (c)(3) empowering women in Afghanistan through social entrepreneurship. The Social Impact Club is soliciting donations for Arzu — founded by Wharton alum Connie Duckworth — now through November 22 on their Team Wharton crowdfunding page.

Events

Impact Magazine, a new student-run venture, published its first print issue this month.

Info Session: Social Impact Bonds

Nov. 18, noon and 3 p.m.: The Fels Institute of Government presents GAFL 741-001, a new graduate-level social impact course exploring the development, mechanisms and potential impact of social impact bonds. Taught by John K. Roman, this course also includes a trip to the United Kingdom. In addition to travel, the course uses case studies to explore the development of social impact bonds in the United States and abroad, as students work to develop their own plan for a SIB transaction. Interested in learning more? Register for one of two info sessions on Monday, Nov. 18 at noon or 3 p.m. or contact karener@sas.upenn.edu for more info.

ThinkImpact Institute for Social Innovation

Nov 18, 3 p.m.: ThinkImpact invites Penn students to learn about summer opportunities for experiential learning programs in Africa or Latin America. ThinkImpact’s program helps students explore social innovation and entrepreneurship, while developing business skills, collaborating with peers, and gaining perspective through international travel. To learn more, join an online info session at https://join.me/thinkimpact.com. The webinar will help to define “social innovation” and explain the Institute’s summer curriculum, as well as steps to apply.

Social Impact Through Crowd Sourcing and Big Data: A Workshop

Nov. 19: Wharton | San Francisco hosts an exciting half-day workshop exploring how big data analytics and crowdsourcing are being applied to address social challenges such as multi-continent epidemics, disaster relief, and other topics.

Hear from 10 expert speakers, including Ari Gesher of Palantir Technologies, the United Nations’ Oliver Delarue, and LinkedIn’s Principal Data Scientist, Peter Skomoroch, as they focus on crowdsourcing, big data and expert case studies. Register online.

Speaker: Salah-Eddine Kandri

Nov. 20, 5 p.m., JMHH G60: Following the release of IMPACT Magazine’s first print issue, the student-run publication presents social impact speaker Salah-Eddine Kandri, Manager for Consumer Services at IFC in the World Bank. Kandri is responsible for the IFC investment program in sectors like education, healthcare, and life sciences, and will share his expertise on education and skills development in emerging markets.

To register for the free event, visit IMPACT’s Facebook event.

Speaker: Sivan Ya’ari

Nov. 22, noon to 1 p.m., JMHH 225: Sivan Borowich Ya’ari is the founder and president of Innovation: Africa, a non-profit organization that brings technology and innovation to African villages. During this speaker event, introduced by Professor Katherine Klein, Vice Dean for Social Impact, Ya’ari will discuss the challenges facing rural African villages and the solutions to be found in Israeli innovation. The luncheon is free to attend, but please RSVP to emma@innoafrica.org.

Penn International Development Conference

Nov. 22, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., JMHH 255: The Penn International Development Conference (Penn IDC) is an annual conference hosting leading experts, policymakers, and scholars from the development field. Open to undergraduates, grad students, alumni and professionals from a variety of schools and fields, the conference will discuss current trends in international development — specifically how innovations in technology and the changing role of the private sector are disrupting traditional notions of development. To register online, visit www.pennsid.org/conference.

Do you have a social impact event or news item you’d like us to share? Email your information to Allie Harcharek at aharch@wharton.upenn.edu.