Technological innovation quickly becomes commonplace, integrated into everyday life. In the social field, knowing when a solution ceases to be an innovation is one of the challenges for social entrepreneurs. But is it so important that the solution is an innovation?
The sudden freeze of USAID’s funding by the Trump Administration has crippled global humanitarian efforts, halting life-saving programs in disaster zones and developing countries. Organizations face bankruptcy, essential aid is disrupted, and vulnerable populations are left without food, medicine, or education. As the U.S. withdraws from its leadership role, will the European Union and global philanthropists step up to prevent a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe?
Over the last few years, I have come to know the ‘Dance with Impact’ project of the Ensaio d'Elogios Association, which promotes dance as a universal language that transcends language and cultural barriers. In an increasingly divided world, dance serves as a link that promotes growth, understanding and mutual respect.
At IRIS, the Social Innovation Incubator, we closely follow many female entrepreneurs who start social impact projects, sometimes linked to personal causes, and in many cases with the involvement of their families in the project.
While recognising that the increase in life expectancy has not been accompanied by an improvement in well-being, the Active and Healthy Ageing Action Plan is based on a vision of ageing that will not change the existing paradigm.
The source of danger for 2024 is not economic but geo-political, with dark clouds in the horizon at all levels – national, regional and global. It will be a dangerous year for sustainability and prosperity at a global level and a key challenge is that sustainability will only be achieved though cooperation and solidarity.
Overwhelmed by what can be done, we move between the real world, subject to failure and mortality, and the virtual world, which tends to be immune to failure and where we can possibly find room for "better versions of ourselves", moving further and further away from the centre of ourselves. Could the ethics of AI focus more on the question of what Good we seek to fulfil through technology and the data that feeds it?
Despite many challenges, the push for a sustainable future continued gaining momentum in 2023, with advancements in public awareness and relevant action in several fields.
One of the aims of a society that aspires to a greater presence of volunteering in its practices and behaviour is to make a significant contribution to valuing human beings. How?
To flourish in the context of an organization implies that it should be built around an ethics of generosity, for which promoting interaction and cooperation between people, among other aspects, is fundamental.
There's a lot of talk about corporate volunteering. But how deeply do we reflect on its contribution to society? I ask this because that's what volunteering is there for, right?
