Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal

Posted by on October 5, 2009

New web journal to highlight regional social innovation

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, the first regional web-based journal of its kind, launches on October 14th to bring together the Delaware Valley’s top social innovators and entrepreneurs to recognize and solve current social issues.

The Journal will provide a forum for the region’s top social innovators—those who have demonstrated an exceptional capacity to recognize social problems and apply entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage high-impact social change locally, regionally and beyond.

“Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal will build a pipeline of social innovations for expansion, meeting our community’s needs. Now more than ever, we need to invest in programs that work and find innovative, effective solutions to our nation’s most serious challenges,” comments Michele Jolin, Senior Advisor for Social Innovation for the White House Domestic Policy Council.

The Journal is the brainchild of co-founders Nicholas Torres of Congreso de Latinos Unidos and Tine Hansen-Turton of National Nursing Centers Consortium and Public Health Management Corporation.  Their concept is to bridge formal research with practice. Inspired by Stanford Social Innovation Review, also a sponsor of the Journal, Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal pioneers a new avenue, bringing attention to the current and ongoing innovative work in the Greater Philadelphia nonprofit and social sector business community with respect to access to health care, human capital, education and workforce development, and violence prevention.

“The Philadelphia region leads in creating cutting edge social innovations, many of which go unnoticed,” says Torres. “Many of our region’s organizations and their leaders receive a great deal of regional, state, national, and in some cases international recognition; yet, we see very little opportunity for these agencies to publish their own social innovations, share best practices or lessons learned. Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal presents that opportunity.”

Hansen-Turton agrees: “Leaders of social innovations spend most of their time doing and less time publishing, and Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal serves to shine a light on these innovators.”

In recent remarks, President Barack Obama stated that government cannot solve our nation’s problems alone. He launched the White House’s Office of Social Innovation to uncover opportunities to partner with those who are leading change in their communities and to help create a policy environment in which these innovations can thrive. “We applaud local communities’ efforts to lead change. It is exciting that Philadelphia is launching Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal,” said Jolin.

The journal is supported by local funders and investors such as United Way of Southeaster Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Foundation, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, Independence Foundation, The Thomas Scattergood Foundation, and St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children, representatives of which make up part of its Editorial Board.

Professors and students from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Fels Institute of Government and School of Social Policy and Practice, along with LaSalle University, Drexel University and Thomas Jefferson University, have teamed up with the Journal. These academic partners have committed to providing master-level students to serve as writers. The Journal invites graduate students from partner universities to become Philadelphia Social Innovations Fellows and co-author articles.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal will be published quarterly here.

http://www.philasocialinnovations.org/