Social entrepreneurship are certainly a buzz word today—a phrase that combines business sense with a do-gooder moral compass. But what does the term mean when put into practice?
In many ways, it overlaps with charity work and business entrepreneurship, but we should really understand how it is different (if it is) so that the public and private sector better understand their roles when interacting with these enterprises.
The annual America’s Civic Health Index, based on survey data collected in May 2009, is a look at the state of civic engagement in America that reflects the impact of the economic crisis.
The survey’s results reflect the hard choices Americans have made during the downturn, with 72 percent of respondents saying they have cut back on time engaged in civic participation, which includes time spent volunteering, participating in groups or performing other civic activities in their communities.
The 2009 National Conference on Citizenship was held September 9 in the Library of Congress.
Perhaps the most notable difference between the 2009 event and year’s past was the proliferation of social media, or Web 2.0 technologies, that allowed the conference discussions to go beyond the walls of the Library of Congress to engage hundreds of individuals across the country. Thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers who staffed our social media stations, our conference more than doubled its attendance by allowing online participation.
The Civic 50 is now open for business at Civic50.org. NCoC proudly announces the launch of the second year of this groundbreaking program to rank the most community-minded companies in the nation. Partnering with Points of Light and Bloomberg LP, The Civic 50 sets the standard for corporate civic engagement nationwide and creates a roadmap for companies seeking to best use their time, talent and resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. The survey is powered by True Impact.
The ideals of citizenship and volunteerism were deeply embedded in America’s founding documents, and recent legislation, public initiatives, and corporate investment have given these values renewed momentum to help citizens solve problems in their communities.
Stanley Litow, President of IBM International Foundation articulates the importance of cooperation between government-sponsored programs and private-sector efforts in catalyzing 21st century citizenship. Litow says “They must be viewed together. At this vital point in our nation’s history, it is our challenge — and our opportunity — to understand and view them as one and then use that knowledge to jumpstart, energize and sustain a new model of citizenship.”
The 65th Annual National Conference on Citizenship was held September 17 in the Library of Congress.
As the Conference was streamed online for people across the country to participate, participants were invited to Tweet, Blog, Photograph, and Flipcam their experience, which has been compiled into this post-conference round-up.
More than 600 people participated in person and online, and generated over 2800 Tweets. Through our programs and website, NCoC is committed to continuing this robust conversation throughout the year.
This year, for the first time, NCoC’s Annual Conference was held outside Washington DC. The 2011 Conference consisted of a series of events during Citizenship week; they began September 15 in Philadelphia and culminated September 22-23 in Arizona. NCoC was honored to work in collaboration with the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) as its 2011 Conference Host partner.
A post-conference report, including summary video, program highlights, and photos is available here.
It’s a chance for young people to come together and ease the political gridlock in Washington.
Mobilize.org believes the Millennial Generation should play an active role in the future of education in our country and that one of the single most important factors in reversing generational poverty is educational attainment.
At a series of summits entitled “Target 2020: My Education. Our Future.” 150 students from America’s community colleges will identify barriers they face in achieving their postsecondary educational goals and develop Millennial-led solutions to address them.
The “Arizona We Want 2.0: The Case for Action” outlines leader and citizen-driven goals, providing a roadmap for the state’s future. Using the citizen voice captured by the 2009 Gallup Arizona Poll, the new report revisits goals for Education, Job Creation, Environment and Water, Young Talent, Civic Engagement and Community Involvement.
The state of New Hampshire is in good civic health, ranking higher than the national average on several key indicators such as voter turnout, engaging in political discussions, contacting public officials, volunteering, and charitable giving, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
NCoC launched the first ever Civic Data Challenge in April 2012. The Challenge was launched by NCoC to bring new eyes, minds, findings, and skill sets to ‘civic health’ data – information that shows how citizens are participating in their neighborhoods, communities and democracy. The Challenge served as a launching pad to inspire others to create engaging tools and applications.