In India and Africa, syringes are frequently reused, despite the obvious dangers of cross infection and death. Marc Koska talks about his involvement with Star Syringe, which designed and licensed an auto-disable syringe that prevents syringe reuse. He discusses how single-use syringe adoption is progressing in India, and also talks about the activities and aims of his charity SafePoint Trust.
Dan Burden has studied and defined what makes for a pedestrian-friendly community. Even more important, he knows why such places are so valuable for everyone—walkers and drivers alike. In this audio lecture, Burden discusses why walkability is crucial to the sustainability of communities, and what they can do to encourage it.
What fuels the creation of a nonprofit organization? In this panel discussion, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, panelists talk about their experiences founding an education-related nonprofit in the United States and a microenterprise in Africa. They explore how they came up with the ideas for their enterprises, how they focused and manifested those ideas, and what smart and not-so-smart choices they made along the way. A portfolio manager adds her insights on what elements make a startup appealing to potential funders.
The notion of "golden years" of endless leisure is giving way to a new form of practical idealism: real jobs tackling real problems and making real impact. The Encore Careers campaign aims to engage millions of baby boomers in careers later in life, producing a windfall of human talent to solve society's greatest problems. In this 2008 Encore Careers Summit panel discussion sponsored by the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford, panelists share their "encore" journeys, and how they've had the energy to stay professionally vital and active.
From investment to football to soap operas to jobs, culture can be a force for good in the world. In this panel discussion sponsored by the Skoll World Forum, experts on social entrepreneurship share their experiences and insights about how to use culture and media as tools for conflict resolution.
How can the United States and the world benefit from the work of people who have been dedicated to social change over the last 30 years? What can those with the most diverse array of backgrounds and careers do to impact social, economic, and political policy, particularly in this unprecedented era of new political leadership? In this panel discussion from the 2008 Encore Careers Summit, activist leaders from the women's, civil rights, and environmental movements discuss how we can reinvent this country by drawing on lessons from the past.
Should the internet be regulated? In this audio lecture, Jeffrey Eisenach presents the potential for harm caused by cyberspace while outlining the challenges faced by regulation to the digital economy. In the end, he emphasizes the necessity of global institutions and frameworks to bring order to the online sphere.
In this audio interview, forecaster Paul Saffo covers a range of interesting subjects, including different methodologies for forecasting social trends. Topics he offers predictions about include global warming, the mortgage crisis, and the decline of the nation state.
In a climate resistant to government spending on social causes, the focused donations of billionaire philanthropists may be the greatest force for societal change in our world. So says journalist Matthew Bishop in this Stanford Center for Social Innovation sponsored talk. Discussing his recent book, Philanthrocapitalism, Bishop shares anecdotes, analysis, and profiles of a small group of people who are influencing the lives of many by bringing their success in capitalism to giving, rather than to making money.
What does the ability to resist marshmallows have in common with a successful life? In this fascinating audio lecture, David Brooks of the New York Times talks about neuroscience and sociology, what these seemingly disjointed topics have in common, and why they are important. He explores why some people succeed and why some people don't, and how success fits into the transformation from a global, physical economy to a global, human-capital economy.
