Category Archives: innovation

Why do I do what I do? {Guest Post by Clare Herbert}

Today I am happy to present a guest blog from the lovely Clare Herbert, who works on social entrepreneurship projects by day and is a writer by night. I love her blog and am glad she’s here to share some thoughts with us about her passion, what makes her tick, and why she does what…

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The dilemma of ‘free’

There’s something magical about free. Free is a place where incredible things can be done and beautiful art can be created. Free defies boundaries or expectations, because who would think we do so many amazing things for free? When you hit free, all bets are off. Most of my biggest accomplishments and most enjoyable moments have…

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Gayle Tzemach Lemmon on Women Entrepreneurs

I absolutely love this TED Talk by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon on women entrepreneurs. She writes about all the entrepreneurs she’s met in her travels to Afghanistan and Rwanda – women who are seeking real investment, not microfinance. Who want to open factories, export their products, and hire hundreds of people. Who want $500,000 investments, not…

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Karen Tse at TEDxZurich: On how to end torture worldwide

I was thrilled to find this TEDxZurich talk by Karen Tse, Founder and CEO of International Bridges to Justice (IBJ). I previously interned with IBJ and to this day, credit my time there for sparking my passion for access to justice issues. IBJ is an incredible and innovative organization that works to end torture worldwide…

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What gets me excited

I have a lot of interests and passions. I am driven to find ideas in justice & social change that make sense, are about the people, and fill real needs. So what excites me? Carlos recently asked me, “So how do you keep yourself motivated when it doesn’t seem like things are changing in this…

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Note to social entrepreneurs: change requires politics

As an undergraduate studying abroad at LSE, I had my first introduction to microfinance and became enamored with social enterprise. I co-founded a student development think tank that focused on providing student consulting services to microfinance institutions (MFIs) including research, development, and marketing. We pitched it as a social enterprise in a business plan competition…

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New mobile gender justice court tries rape case in Congo

My inspiring story of the day (other than, you know, all the protests happening in Bahrain, Wisconsin, etc..) was about an innovative mobile gender justice court prosecuting perpetrators of sexual violence and rape in Congo. The court is trying eleven soldiers, responsible for a mass rape on New Year’s Day of dozens of women and…

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Feature Friday: Jane Sujen Bock, creative lawyer & advocate

A couple of days ago, I ran into this incredible profile of Jane Sujen Bock, a lawyer and advocate for the homeless, on the “How Creativity Can Be Applied to Anything” mini-series on Oprah website. I think this is an excellent example of creative lawyering; this is the type of lawyer I’d want to be….

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Feature Friday: Center for Court Innovation

I loved the idea of the Center for Court Innovation, a non-profit and think tank, the first time I ran across it. The organization, created via a public/private partnership, works to improve the functioning of the court system by using innovative methods and structures.  The focus is primarily on helping courts and criminal justice agencies…

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My thoughts on DIY aid

Nick Kristof’s recent article, “The D.I.Y. Foreign Aid Revolution,” has inflamed a lot of tempers across the internet. He wrote about a number of well-meaning Westerners who went abroad, started “DIY” aid projects in order to help people in developing countries. The article is geared towards the idea that, since governments and intergovernmental agencies haven’t…

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