Neighborhood Innovation : Innovation + Job News

Editor's note: This is presented as part of a partnership with the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal.

Next week, the Winter 2012 edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal (PSIJ), titled "Innovations in Community Impact," will launch on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, second floor (19 S. 22nd St., Philadelphia).  You can read the Winter edition then by going to the PSIJ website.  The event is open to the public, but requires an RSVP by emailing here.  The forum runs from 8:30 a.m.-12 noon, and will showcase two panels discussing health, education, criminal justice, child welfare innovative solutions to impact Philadelphia communities.  Some of the voices you will hear or read include:

• Dan Hilferty and Independence Blue Cross’s newly created Social Impact Foundation that serves as a model for Corporate Social Responsibility and Responsible social investing;
• Kenny Gamble and Adur Rahim Islam, a successful real estate developer in South Philadelphia who took the unusual step of getting into the business of education, seeking to address at a holistic level the social ills that plagued local neighborhoods by focusing on schools as a way to redevelop a sense of pride and ownership within communities;
• Anne Marie Ambrose and the Department of Human Services’ program, Improving Outcomes for Children, which aims to improve service delivery and outcomes for children in care by engaging community partners, streamlining case management and vigilantly tracking outcomes indicators to measure the initiative’s success;
• District Attorney Seth Williams’ commitment to The Choice is Yours (TCY), an alternative-to-incarceration program to increase public safety and reduce recidivism rates by diverting first-time, non-violent felony drug offenders away from prison and into the labor market through positive job training and support;
• Ann Karlen and Fair Food’s strategy to strengthen the Philadelphia regional food system by increasing the demand for a humane, sustainable, local agriculture system; and
• Dr. Lee Nunery and the School District’s efforts to create alternative education settings that ensure all students can succeed in schools and their partnership with colleges to create direct college access and completion pipelines.

Philadelphia Social Innovation Journal publishes "Nominate an Innovator" articles which are public nominations of social innovations.  The Winter issue will highlight PolicyMap, demonstrating how programs can make "data-driven" decisions using a dynamic web-based tool, Naveguemos con Salud, a program providing breast health education and treatment assistance for Latinas, and Sunday Suppers, a novel intervention focused on educating low-income residents of the Norris Square neighborhood about the importance of taking time for nutritious family meals.

The Winter edition will highlight one of PSIJ columnists who explores the notion that problem-solving requires a different level of thought than our current thinking, which actually creates programs; the growing relevance of nonprofit collaboration; and the need for nonprofits to think strategically about partnerships as a way to grow revenue.

PSIJ 2012 Editions: In the Spring you will read about innovations in Arts and Culture, followed by innovations in Philanthropy and Responsible Investing in late Summer/early Fall.  Late Fall you will read about innovations in Collaborations, Affiliations, Partnerships and Mergers.

Increased partnership with foundations and universities: We welcome Independence Blue Cross Foundation and the Patricia Kind Foundation to our advisory board, which is composed of Independence Foundation, The Philadelphia Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Scattergood Foundation, St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, William Penn Foundation, Wells Fargo, Inglis Foundation, Barra Foundation, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as well as the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, the Wharton School, and Sage Communications.

PSIJ is guided by an advisory board of regional foundations, the University of Pennsylvania, and thought leaders that include: Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Patricia Kind Foundation, Independence Foundation, The Philadelphia Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Scattergood Foundation, St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, Wells Fargo, Inglis Foundation, Barra Foundation, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government, School of Social Policy and Practice,  and the Wharton School; and Sage Communications.

NICHOLAS TORRES and TINE HANSEN-TURTON are co-founders of Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal. Send feedback here.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal is the first online publication to bring a public focus to social innovators and their nonprofit organizations, foundations and social sector businesses in Greater Philadelphia Area, to recognize success and encourage others around the country to strive for similar results.

This is the first installment of an ongoing series that catches up with last November’s TEDxPhilly speakers.

For more videos of last year's TEDxPhilly talks, visit the event's YouTube channel.

 

Jennifer Pahlka has made cities her life work. She considers herself a product of American cities, from New York, where she grew up, to Oakland and San Francisco more recently, and now Philadelphia, where she’s visited close to a dozen times in the last year or so. She refered to Philly as a “city of love” in her TEDxPhilly talk last November at Temple University.

As founder and executive director of Code for America, she helps match web professionals with cities to create efficiency and promote accessibility among municipal offices by sorting databases, building apps, and freeing up data. Philadelphia is one of only two programs to be a part of CfA for two consecutive years, and this year’s edition recently welcomed CfA fellows Alex Yule, Elizabeth Hunt, and Michelle Lee.

Flying Kite talked to Pahlka and the three new fellows to catch up on their work in Philly and how CfA has grown into a game-changing experience for cities across the country.

Flying Kite (FK): How has your project in Philadelphia advanced since TEDxPhilly?
Jennifer Pahlka (JP): The big news is that our 2012 fellows just started their work in Philadelphia on Monday (Jan. 30). Michelle Lee, Alex Yule, and Liz Hunt are the new team, and they are accomplished, talented, and passionate about making the City of Philadelphia work better for all its residents. They're starting five weeks of meeting with everyone they can and figuring out how they can make a bit impact there this year.

Part of their work will be carrying on Change by Us in Philly, which currently hosts 418 ideas and 50 active projects, in which citizens are helping to make their neighborhoods better.

FK: Any changes to report? New partners, funding, accolades or other growth?
JP: At the end of last year, Code for America received a $1.5M grant from Google to start two new programs, including what we call the CfA Brigade, which will help civic developers and others anywhere in the country to stand up civic apps for their communities, and a start up accelerator for civic businesses.  We're hoping to have a big Philly presence when we get it up and running.

FK: What is one thing you've learned since TEDxPhilly about cities or Philadelphia?
JP: Sixty percent of the world will be living in cities by 2020!

FK: What's the next milestone for your work and why is it important?
JP: Our call for applications for our 2013 cities program closes on April 1. We hope that more and more cities around the country want to be a part of this movement, so that more cities can work openly, efficiently, and be deeply engaged with their citizens.

FK: What are your specific tasks while in Philadelphia?
Elizabeth Hunt (EH): As part of our year-long fellowship with Code for America, we’re spending 5 weeks in discovery mode in Philadelphia: understanding how the city serves its citizens, what Philadelphians want and need from their city, and how technology might help make local government more open, efficient, and engaging.

Alex Yule (AY): To that end, we’re meeting with citizens, officials across city government, as well as members of the tech and civic communities. We are also searching for champions – strong local partners who can help us build solutions, and maintain them once we’re gone. We want the tools and solutions we build to live on!

FK: What do you think of Philly's potential as a tech hub/leader?
Michelle Lee (ML): At Code for America, our past successes can be attributed to great partners at every level of city government and community. They help us make sure any technology we build is relevant to the real, existing, and complex urban challenges that cities face today.

Similarly, Drexel University’s ExCITE (Expressive and Creative Interactive Technologies) program is bridging technology with the arts. Philadelphia is an established national leader in healthcare and education, and has recently won major awards for sustainability and the arts. There’s a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of our sustainability, education, and especially our healthcare strengths in the same way.

FK: What are Philly's most pressing tech challenges?
AY: It seems to me that Philadelphia’s most pressing challenge is that people outside Philadelphia don’t seem to know there’s a vibrant tech scene here. So it may be difficult for companies here to attract more tech talent.

FK: What has impressed you about technology in Philadelphia?
ML: You could argue that the relative scarcity of technology investment capital here so far has actually had a silver lining. Philadelphia’s tech community has created sustainable businesses, very much in touch with their users and customers. I don’t believe you’d see a dot-com bust here.

AY: Philly has a strong core of companies who live in Philly because they truly love and believe in their city. Some other cities are full of companies who are there because “they’re supposed to be.” You get a very clear sense of that traveling around the city and chatting with people -- there are no opportunists or fair-weather friends here. People are in it for the long haul, they’re dedicated to building this city up as an even greater place to live and work.

Is there a difference between your initial perception of the city and the way you feel after being here for a bit?
AY: I’d heard about Azavea’s great mapping work while I was still back in school -- but I had no idea the scene was so vibrant! The city really is a bit of a hidden gem.

EH: I’m from San Francisco. I’d never really thought about it as a place with a tech scene. Since I’ve been here, I’ve learned there are thriving tech, civic, and arts communities. Some of the initiatives we’ve learned about -- the Urban Apps and Maps program at Temple and the new ExCITE program at Drexel for example -- are strong indicators that Philadelphia is a city on the verge of becoming an exciting hub of opportunity, whether you’re a tech person, an artist, or civic leader. Now is the time to move to Philly!

SUE SPOLAN is Innovation & Jobs News editor for Flying Kite. Send feedback here.

JOE PETRUCCI is managing editor for Flying Kite. Send feedback here.

Photo
From left, Liz Hunt, Alex Yule, Michelle Lee, Mayor Michael Nutter, Manager of Civic Innovation and Participation Jeff Friedman, and Director Of Communications And Strategic Partnerships Desiree Peterkin Bell,

(Editor's note: This story originally appeared here in Generocity, Greater Philadelphia's source for local nonprofit news, giving and networking. Sign up here to become more engaged, whether it's for donating, promoting or engaging.

There's an unmistakable California lilt in the voice of Yael Lehmann, executive director of Philadelphia nonprofit The Food Trust, and a San Francisco native. "I moved here at the end of 2000," she said. "I'd never been here, or lived outside of SF, and I had this grad-school fantasy. My only reference was Robin Williams movies with kids in the library with the desks with lamps on them."

Concurrent with earning her masters in Social Policy and Practice from UPenn, Lehmann was promoted from assistant director to executive director of the nonprofit, supervising everything from more than 30 farmers markets featuring exclusively local growers to coordinating nutrition education and other programs promoting access to affordable, healthy food in low-income neighborhoods.

She sat down for a chat with Generocity.org to talk about the necessity of risk-taking in the nonprofit world, comparing wardrobe notes with Michelle Obama, and why girls should play bass as loud as possible.

You've been with the Food Trust since 2001 and Executive Director since 2006. In ten years you must have done it all… aren't you bored by now?
The reason I love my job is there is no day to day… if you like to know what you're doing from 9-5 every day, it is not that! I'm never bored and I have no idea what might happen… We do stuff that is a little risky, and we try to be creative, too, so that keeps me motivated and really engaged.

When we opened up the Headhouse Farmers Market at Second and Lombard in the Shambles, many people had tried and failed many times to set up events there. We didn't know at all what would happen when launching Night Market, or if people would even show up. One thing I believe in is trying to do things where you don't know the outcome… we had no idea how many people would show up! Everyone ran out of food after the first hour.

I was at that first Night Market (East Passyunk Ave.). It was really funny because people were waiting in line for an hour-plus for something like a taco… when you can walk a block in any direction and get great tacos.
[Laughing] I'm sorry! We just had no idea what would happen. The area restaurants did well that night, when there was no more food. The first Night Market definitely flopped.

The Food Trust's work has been recognized by everyone from First Lady Michelle Obama to New York Times columnist Mark Bittman. What do you think your leadership has brought to the organization that has helped made it so successful?
I started with the organization in 2001, working closely with founder Dwayne Perry. It was a really small place then – just 4 people here – so I've had to wear every hat in the agency. I've been out to schools, our farmers markets, I made keys for people, I did everything. When I came on, I knew the place really well, but it's really the staff who are so incredible. I am definitely not the reason for the recognition!

Are there things you pay a lot of attention to that surprise you?
I'm turning 44 next month, and I was in my late thirties when I came on – it was a big learning period for me, I learned a lot about just running a business. I had always been on program side, in the research world, so the payroll, digging into financial statements, moving our offices… just in the functions of running a business I learned a lot. When I came on I learned pretty quickly that this would be part of my position as well, not just coming up with ideas for programs. My mother's a CPA and I worked for her while I was an undergrad, answering phones and whatever, but my experience working for her in her office paid off for me later in life.

What's the thing you least like doing everyday? Every job has its headache…
Oh yeah definitely! Half of our funding is federal money, so wading through all the paper work can be tough. If you come to the office you'll see tons of binders everywhere, with paper work you have to submit to the state to go to the federal government. Luckily, we have Karima Rose on staff here, who is the mastermind! I'm very grateful for that funding; it's totally worth it – we're doing nutrition education in low income schools in Philly and Reading, and it's a huge part of that funding.

Is there anything that brings a tear to your eye when you think back on what The Food Trust has achieved?
There are kind of huge tearjerker moments, like when Headhouse launched and all these people showed up. I had the opportunity to meet the First Lady twice, and each time it was really hard for me to keep it together. When I think about how Night Markets have evolved, we've gotten a lot better at it… and I think this year will be so much better. At the last one in Chinatown, DJ Fox was playing and the crowd was just kind of watching him, but no one was dancing and it was mildly awkward. I think he just went into a particular song and the whole crowd bum rushed the middle of the street, and all of us are jumping up and down dancing right under the Chinatown Friendship Gate. It was so unexpected and fun to just dance in the middle of the street.

What was it like to meet First Lady Michelle Obama? Was she as genuine in person as she seems in the press?
You rarely get to meet your heroes in life. She's my inspiration. The First Lady is fairly tall, beyond gorgeous, and very warm. When I was lucky enough to visit the White House in July last year, I almost fell over when she told me that she also owned the exact same dress I was wearing that day! Her Let's Move campaign is a multi-faceted approach to solving food access issues and increasing physical activity, but even more than that, it has started a country-wide conversation about food and healthy living. It's a conversation and campaign that could change the way we think about eating as dramatically as government anti-smoking efforts did. With the First Lady as spokeswomen, this is our moment, when the attention to and momentum of the food movement could bring about real change across the country.

I read you play bass in a band, Happy Accident, with your husband Blake and Brian "Bucky" Lang. How role does music play in your life?
Music is super important to me. It's really fun to plug in the bass and just play super loud. Every girl should do it! Bass or drums or whatever, it's the best feeling ever. It's a good excuse for all of us to drink beer, and this fun thing to have – Blake and I have an 8 year old son, so this is something we do together. I also volunteer with Girls Rock Philly, even though my schedule is insane. I just love music so much, and I think it's so empowering for girls and women to participate in music. I'm all for Philly music.

If you could give one piece of advice to others working in the nonprofit sector, what would it be?
I would say that I think one of the best things we did early on was bring in a research director, Dr. Alison Carpin. From the very beginning we were able to carefully evaluate and look at the effectiveness of the programs. Alison has been posting a ton, and we continue to publish: it's a way to legitimize the work you are doing. I think that was a great thing to do – we did that even when we had a really small staff. In the end it's just about finding and hiring really smart and effective people. It sounds maybe too simple, but that's what is it.

Keep up with The Food Trust by following them on Twitter @TheFoodTrust, and "Like" them on Facebook. Look out for a series of events celebrating the organizations' 20th anniversary throughout 2012.

Photo via Yael Lehmann

A 2010 Edelman goodpurpose study found that 86 percent of global consumers believe that business needs to place at least equal weight on society's interests as on business interests. This thinking is at the root of social entrepreneurship, an increasingly used model employed by both non- and for-profit entrepreneurs to build successful and sustainable businesses.

Two local groups are looking to nurture those ideas through separate programs.

The Women for Social Innovation, a giving circle of Women's Way, is taking applications for its Turning Point Prize, a $15,000 annual award given the last three years to an emerging female social entrepreneur living or studying in Greater Philadelphia and who is developing a non-profit venture. Last year's winner, Tracie Gilbert, developed a 10-month community education initiative to help women gain tools necessary to help their pre-teen and teen daughters make healthy and empowered decisions about sexual health.

"The prize winner gains important help in navigating the challenges of establishing a new venture," says Nancy Moses, WSI founder. "It's a win-win, since our members are also enriched by the experience of helping an emerging social entrepreneur."

The application deadline for this year's competition is 5 p.m. on Dec. 28. Information on eligibility, selection criteria and application guidelines available here.

Applications have already closed for another program, the Tribe 12 Social Entrepreneur Fellowship – a group of 22-40 year-old Jewish difference-makers looking to plant the seeds of innovation in Philadelphia. However, the group is always looking to engage potential fellows.

Last year's fellows include Todd Baylson, the manager of planning and policy at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, who aimed to green the land occupied by Jewish religious institutions, and School District of Philadelphia special education teacher Sara Landman, who worked to utilize retired Jewish educators to increase the literacy skills of urban students and their parents. The next group of fellows take over in January.

"The Tribe 12 Social Entrepreneur Fellowship enables innovators on the cutting edge of creativity to work together to launch socially-minded ventures that change the world," Ben Wachstein, Project Director of Tribe 12. "Our Fellows are informal educators and community organizers, nonprofit managers and environmental activists, programmers and artists, biotech visionaries and Israel advocates."

Source: Rachel Dukeman
Writer: Joe Petrucci