Charlotte's reflections on North Shore Country Day School Fall Interim

By: Charlotte, Student at North Shore Country Day School

Every year our school holds a week of experiential learning where students discover outside of the classroom. I choose to do the Social Entrepreneurship program with Allow Good, where a few of us went into downtown Chicago and spoke with different businesses about how they were helping with a social venture within communities around them or throughout society as a whole. We also learned about the for-profit, nonprofit, and for-profit with social venture spectrum to see where different companies were coming from in their business plan.

By the end of the week, we had heard from about eleven businesses with completely different business plans and social ventures. Out of these my favorites were UNICEF USA, A Better Chicago, and Regroup Therapy.

UNICEF USA is a non-profit organization that works to protect all children (individuals under the age of 18). This presentation allowed me to learn more about the widely known organization, such as different processes they have to go through in order to enter a country to help and how they help the children by working not only on the ground, but also with the governments of countries to help the problem from multiple angles. It was also interesting to see behind-the-scenes aspects of the organization by learning about their funding and about how simple it is for ordinary citizens to help children in need, even if it with the smallest contribution. This presentation made us think about not only helping the communities around us, but also about becoming global citizens as we continued to grow.

A Better Chicago is also a non-profit organization, although it is much smaller than UNICEF USA. A Better Chicago stood out to me because it is a business concept I had never heard of. The company helps improve the education system in the Chicago area by sponsoring different organizations that are helping the community. Their method of doing this is that individuals donate to A Better Chicago and they place the money in areas that will be the most beneficial to the community. They understand that when individuals are donating money they are obviously trying to help a cause, however, these donations are often made without much research on organizations being donated to and the money is not always guaranteed to make as much of a difference as one expected. This is where A Better Chicago comes in as they have already done the research for you! This ensures that everyone is benefitting to the greatest extent with these donations. I also found this business very interesting because of their size; they are so small, yet they are able to make a significant difference.

Regroup Therapy is a company that is helping with psychologists and psychiatrists shortages in areas. The company works with hospitals and/or doctor’s offices to provide sessions for patients through video chat. In doing this, patients are able to speak to someone without having to travel far, which is not an option for many individuals. This service is also available for all ages, which was quite interesting to learn about, as the resource is available for all patients struggling with mental health. It was really fascinating to learn about the company what the company does on a regular basis to ensure this resource is continually available for patients.

At the end of the week, we returned to the classroom where we reflected on the different business plans and companies we had spoken with. We also had the opportunity to create our businesses using the information and business plans we had learned about for the past four days. Creating presentations we answered a variety of questions about how our company would work and also about social entrepreneurship in general. This allowed the group and myself to pay more attention to businesses we encounter on a daily basis and also find a cause we are passionate about and see how we could also begin to help.

Summer Fun and Inspiration with Allow Good

By: Julian
Julian participated in our Summer Summit 2017 youth program. He is an incoming sophomore at Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago. 

I wasn’t sure how I was going to spend the early part of my summer. My mother later told me about a week-long summer program though Allow Good. What sparked my interest in it was the fact that this program focused on philanthropy. When I applied to the program, I shared my understanding of philanthropy at the time, but I felt an interest in learning more and I’m now glad I was able to. I made many friends, have had many great experiences, and I’ve gained new knowledge that I can use for my future, and to help others.

During the Summer Summit, I found many of the speeches given by the various panelists very interesting and thought-provoking--from their stories to their messages. The many activities we participated in provided more depth into the subject matter and showed us ways in which to apply what we learned. I especially enjoyed the brainstorming activity at Groupon.

Julian (left) presents an idea to his peers at the Groupon workshop. 

Our final activity about making the organization, EducaFun, was one that stood out to me, for it was interesting to see how something you are passionate about can be the key idea for an organization aiding a social issue. Furthermore, it was exciting to see how multiple ideas could have such synergy so as to make one big organization. With the messages and activities the speakers delivered, I broadened my understanding of philanthropy and learned that it can be expressed in many unique ways. These ways can also incorporate what we’re passionate about, which makes it even more meaningful. These panels inspired me to just follow my passions, for it’ll make sense later.

The process of creating the social venture, EducaFun, was very engaging and involved many decisions. It first started as two separate ideas.  My partner and I had similar paths we wanted our organizations to go, so it was natural to merge our ideas. For my cause, I was inspired by the thought of exposing children to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), a subject I’m very passionate about. The subjects of math and science really intrigue me. My partner’s desire was to increase enthusiasm and academic results among inner city youth. From there, we incorporated aspects from both sides to create our nonprofit organization with income- generating activities. Presenting our organization at the end of the Summer Summit was an experience in public speaking that helped build my confidence.

The experiences I had at the Summer Summit will shape my future social endeavors, for I now know more about the meaning of philanthropy and the creative ways it can be put towards a common good.

I encourage any young person who is interested in learning about philanthropy, while having a fun and fulfilling summer experience, to participate in a future Summer Summit with Allow Good.  

Julian (right) and his project partner Jack present about their organization, EducaFun.

Community Development and Social Entrepreneurship in Our Interconnected World

By: Karin Scott, AfG Program Director

During one of my presentations at a secondary school in Lviv I was asked the question, “What differences do you see between Ukrainians and Americans?” This question took me by surprise, but I realized I had been thinking about this unconsciously throughout my trip.

What are Ukrainian social values? How do citizens connect with their communities? What does the civic sector look like in Lviv? What causes are youth passionate about? Are the answers different in the United States? In the Chicago area? Do I even know those answers to begin with?

Karin presenting at a secondary school in Lviv.

As I digested this question, I thought back to my first five days in Lviv. To the conversations I’ve had with youth, teachers, NGO employees, volunteers, and university students.

“I think we actually have more similarities than differences,” I stated. I spoke about how both Americans and Ukrainians are interested in the same goals - creating inclusive, positive, and innovative societies that best benefit their citizens. Perhaps this was an idealistic understanding of my time here and of my thoughts about America, but that is how I feel in the moment.

After this presentation I ate lunch with Olga, one of the program managers at my host organization, Society Initiatives Institute (ICI). She had heard my presentation and had her own thoughts about that question.

“We operate in these social activist circles, you and I. When we travel to other countries we meet with like-minded people, because we want to discuss social issues we are passionate about. But in every country there are people who do not share our values. People who are close-minded and don’t believe what we believe in.”

Her comments shifted my rosy-colored perception of Americans and Ukrainians more towards reality. It is true that each nation has a diverse population, of people who are liberal and conservative, young and old, tolerant and intolerant. However, I think that further supports my statement that we are more similar than different. We are countries full of individuals, who are just that, individuals. I think we forget that sometimes. That the world is full of individual people - not numbers, statistics, facts, or victims. People - with bodies, hearts, minds, and hope.

The ICI team and volunteers share their personal asset maps.

I had the opportunity to join the ICI team and volunteers for a team building retreat. About 20Ukrainians, ages 16 to 30 gathered for this event. After doing some entertaining icebreaker games (which I will be taking back to the States), I had the chance to lead the group in a workshop about Asset Based Community Development. This included personal asset mapping and discussing the social challenges of Sykhiv, the neighborhood of Lviv where ICI runs many programs. The conversation brought up hard realities, like city councils unwilling to recognize societal faults, school principals unwilling to bring in innovative programs, and businesses unwilling to accommodate individuals who are differently abled.

On my last day in Lviv, I spoke with attendees of the Lviv Model United Nations conference. Nearly 100 university students gathered from Israel, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Slovakia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. Our conversation around global social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility brought up challenging and important questions.

How are corporations held accountable for the negative impact they might have on the environment? In what ways can private-public partnerships improve transportation options in urban centers? What are some best practices in the corporate social responsibility space?

I cannot claim to be an expert in this field, which I also explained to my audience. However, I can encourage this dialogue amongst passionate, young people and offer my ideas while encouraging them to share theirs.

Lviv Model United Nations conference

The persistence, passion, and energy of ICI members and their community is palpable. I have no doubts that they have and will continue to improve Sykhiv, and moreover, Lviv. But there is no doubt that this will come with frustration, disappointment, and obstacles. Such is the life of social activists trying to make positive changes in their community, whether it be in Evanston or Sykhiv, Chicago or Lviv, the United States or Ukraine.

I am so thankful to Allowance for Good, American Councils, Society Initiatives Institute, and WorldChicago for their support of this program and enhancing both my professional and personal growth. I look forward to continuing this bicontinental partnership in the months to come.