PopTech Blog

Am I normal? Am I special? Am I going to make it? These are questions teenagers struggle with around the globe. And for vulnerable girls in Kenya, the answer to the last question - if Social Innovation Fellow Megan White Mukuria has anything to do with it - is yes. Making it means making sure those girls receive an education. So White wondered, "If educating girls is the number one things we can do, what's the simplest thing I can do to change the world and keep more girls in school?"

On the heels of PopTech's recent Climate Lab in Nairobi, Kenya in which we looked at the impact of climate change on girls and women, White's concerns about making it and the question she set forth are particularly relevant. When White learned that over 860,000 girls in Kenya wind up staying home and missing a month and a half of school each year because they can't afford sanitary pads during menstruation, the simple solution became clear: help provide affordable pads and health education to these young women. ZanaAfrica, the organization she founded, gives girls the freedom and self-confidence to stay in school and provides them with an opportunity to connect online with a community of like-minded young women. The results of ZanaAfrica's work with 800 young women in the Kibera slums in Kenya has positively changed the dynamic within classrooms, families, and communities, and with plans to scale this project, we have yet to see the full potential this program will have on the lives of young women.

"Female Eye", costume design, Krewe of Comus, New Orleans Mardi Gras, 1869

It was Comus, who, in 1857, saved and transformed the dying flame of the old Creole Carnival with his enchanter's cup; it was Comus who introduced torch lit processions and thematic floats to Mardi Gras; and it was Comus who ritually closed, and still closes, the most cherished festivities of New Orleans with splendor and pomp. - Wiki

Image: The Public Doman Review

There's always something brewing in the PopTech community. From the world-changing people, projects and ideas in our network, a handful of this week's highlights follows.

• Next week Ghanian-born, New York-based rapper, composer, and producer Blitz the Ambassador (PopTech 2011) will be performing and then speaking at the United Nations on the topic of hip hop and global diplomacy. 

• Our official PopTech conference photographer Kris Krug was in Alberta, Canada this week working with the DeSmogBlog, making media to challenge the government of Alberta, which, it's been speculated, has made plans to initiate a large-scale wolf slaughter to hide the destruction wrought by the industrialization of the boreal forest ecosystem.

• Samasource, founded by 2010 Social Innovation Fellow Leila Janah has received the 2012 Secretary’s Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

• If you missed it, PopTech was in Kenya last week for a Climate Resilience Lab! Here's a recap! 

If you'd like to receive a stream of these updates (and more) throughout the week in real time, follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, sign up for our newsletter, and subscribe to the PopTech blog.

Image: Kris Krug

Nominations for the PopTech Social Innovation Fellows program opened earlier this month. Whether you’re nominating yourself or someone else, how can you best make the case?

Based on past years’ most compelling nominations, here are some helpful tips:

• Give specific examples of the nominee’s leadership and collaborative success.
• Describe clearly the central innovation and how it has begun to prove its impact. Why is this a breakthrough idea? What demonstrates that it really works?
• Indicate the most promising path and potential timeframe for reaching scale and sustainability. How many people could be reached, how, and when?
• Include a personal highlight or two to help reveal the nominee’s passion, dedication and other key qualities.

We need your help identifying the strongest candidates for this year’s class of Fellows. Please have a look at the call for nominations and submit your nominations any time between now and April 3, 2012.

Image: captain.orange

We admit it: we kind of have hashtag fever. While the initial novelty of Twitter is wearing off (and as it has increasingly become a place for spambots and psychotrons), it's interesting to see how the tool usage is morphing and how it still very much has the power to do what all social media claims to do: bring people together.

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the pro-scientist movement started by marine biologist Kevin Zelnio with his Twitter hashtag #IamScience. This time, fresh off of Valentine's day, we're checking out #ilovearchitecture. Conceived by Architecture for Humanity, the I Love Architecture movement encourages architects to "Put down the coffee for a moment and spend minutes reminding yourself why you love architecture and, if you feel so bold, let the world know. It could be a building you worked on, a client who made you think differently or a community you’ve helped to transform. It could be the work of a fellow practitioner or perhaps a great space that inspired you to become the person you are today."

Recognizing their contributions, PopTech has welcomed many architects to the stage over the years including 2011 Social Innovation Fellow Michael Murphy, RISD architecture professor Kyna Leski, and Architecture for Humanity project partner Neema Mgana.  

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