C4SI - Collaborate for Social Impact
Old Problems. New Solutions. Big Impact.
Collaborate for Social Impact (C4SI) is an experiential education program which challenges students and young professionals to engage innovatively with pressing social issues. We aim to bring together individuals from a diversity of disciplines, including business, technology, international affairs, and international development, to collaborate in response to real world problems.
Over a two-month period, C4SI brings together students and young professionals to co-create social innovations in response to global and local social challenges identified by leading international affairs and development organizations, private companies and NGOs.
KICKOFF
The program begins with a two-day KickOff event, in which participants form teams around a number of challenges identified by leading international affairs and development organizations, private companies and NGOs. To facilitate this process, the KickOff encompasses a range of workshops, including team-building exercises and collaborative brainstorming sessions.
BUILD PHASE
After the KickOff, participants will work in their teams to develop innovative solutions to their respective challenges. Along the way, the teams will have access to mentors for advice and feedback.
BUILDING IMPACT
During the Build phase, participants will also attend three half-day ‘Building Impact’ events, focused on developing their skills and know-how concerning the process of social innovation. This year, these events will encompass a number of workshops, ranging from design thinking and ideation to prototyping and presentation skills.
DEMO DAY
The program culminates on Demo Day, which will take place on 24 November 2016. This year, Demo Day will begin with a workshop to help equip participants on how to take the next steps with the innovations they have created, after which the teams will get the chance to present their innovations in front of the challenge setters, mentors and other teams.
WHO?
Participants are students and young professionals based in Switzerland from any discipline, ranging from business and technology, to international affairs and development.
Mentors are either academic or professional experts, or experienced entrepreneurs who are willing to make themselves available for the duration of the program. Mentors are expected to be a source of advice and support to participating teams as they develop their innovations.
Challenge Setters are international affairs and development organizations, private companies and NGOs. They provide concrete challenges based on issues they have identified in their respective fields, which they will be asked to present at the KickOff event. Challenge setters should be willing to be contacted by participating teams with questions or clarifications on the challenge they have identified.
WHEN?
This year C4SI will run from
23 September until
24 November 2016.
WHERE?
For the 2016 program, all events are expected to occur at various locations around Geneva, Switzerland, including Impact Hub Geneva, The Graduate Institute Geneva, CERN, and Salle de Madelaine.
More info available at http://www.justinnovate.org/c4si/