FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2009
Contact: Tine Hansen-Turton (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 215-731-7140)

PHILADELPHIA LAUNCHES WEB SITE TO FOCUS ON REGIONAL SOCIAL INNOVATIONS AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

PHILADELPHIA, PA—On October 14 Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, the first regional web-based journal of its kind, launches to bring together Philadelphia’s top social innovators and entrepreneurs to recognize and solve current social issues. The Journal will provide a forum for the Greater Philadelphia 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.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal co-founders Nicholas Torres of Congreso and Tine Hansen-Turton of National Nursing Centers Consortium and Public Health Management Corporation want 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.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal founders have partnered with local funders and investors such as United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Foundation, Greentree 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.

"The Wharton School and University of Pennsylvania have been engaging in social innovations with impact for many years. Philadelphia is home to many innovative leaders, whose efforts have had significant social impact not only locally, but globally,” says Dr. Leonard Lodish, Vice Dean for the Program for Social Impact at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. “I am delighted to see this new initiative that recognizes and highlights these innovators and how they bring social value and social impact to our region."

In conjunction with Eisenhower Fellowships’ annual meeting, Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal will hold a launch celebration on October 14. Eisenhower Fellowship president John Wolf said, “Philadelphia Social Innovation Journal is a way to chronicle the imagination and dedication by hundreds of organizations and thousands of their employees and volunteers who help, every day, to improve their communities.” The event, he added, will “congratulate those who have seen this journal as a way to encourage others to share in and invest back into our community and indeed communities all over the country.” The Philadelphia-based Eisenhower Fellowships engages emerging leaders in a global community network. Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal founders Hansen-Turton and Torres both are Eisenhower Fellows.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal will be published quarterly at www.philasocialinnovations.org.