Social Innovation: The Social Ideas Podcast

THE SOCIAL INNOVATION THINK TANK   The Social Innovation Think Tank series explores the power of social innovation in the modern world; sharing its necessity and capacity to challenge the status quo.  In this episode, Dr Neil Stott and Professor Paul Tracey, co-directors of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, chat to graduates of the MSt in Social Innovation about their experiences on the...

THE SOCIAL INNOVATION THINK TANK   The Social Innovation Think Tank series explores the power of social innovation in the modern world; sharing its necessity and capacity to challenge the status quo.  In this episode, Dr Neil Stott and Professor Paul Tracey, co-directors of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, chat to graduates of the MSt in Social Innovation about their experiences on the...

In the second episode of The Social Innovation Think Tank, our guests discuss social-symbolic work amid the current global issues, with the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic, being the dominants.   Our guests, Professor Nelson Phillips from the Imperial College Business School and Professor Tom Lawrence from the Said Business School, are the co-authors of the recently published...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast Bill McHugh, MSt in Social Innovation graduate, shares his journey from probation officer to doctoral student at the Faculty of Education , at the University of Cambridge . Bill's journey to the Cambridge Judge Business School began when he decided to see how he could challenge both himself and the environment he worked in. During his time as a stud...

This episode of The Social Ideas Podcast features MSt in Social Innovation alumna, Jessica Rose. Jessica discusses how her work as a fundraiser for the charity and higher education sectors led her to study social innovation. Jessica focused her final dissertation on the issues of sexual harassment fundraisers have to deal with. Her research and her desire to affect real, transformational change ca...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Nicole Helwig shares the importance of social enterprises in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Nicole is the manager for the Centre for Social Enterprise, for the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Twenty-five years after a cod fishing moratorium was put in place, the towns built around the fisheries continue to suffer the economic i...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Dr Joana Nascimento discuss the meaning and purpose of social anthropology. And, in her new role as a Teaching Associate for the Masters in Social Innovation, Joana shares how she envisages social anthropology intersecting with social innovation. Read Joana's blog - Worldviews, world-making and social innovation  Applications for the MSt in Social...

Once a Masters programme is completed knowing what to do next can be challenging.  In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, our graduate, Imogen, shares what motivated her to apply for our programme in the first place and where her journey has taken her now. Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation - https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/centres/social-innovation/ Apply now - https://www.jb...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, James Timpson, the Chief Executive of a service retailer in the UK, shares his philosophy on business and the importance of upside down management. One of the services provided by Timpson is key cutting, and James discusses the public's reaction to his company actively employing ex-offenders. James also discusses the impact the pandemic has had on...

The Social Ideas Podcast: shattering the concrete wall In this episode, Dr Simone Phipps discusses the systemic racism Black women have to overcome to become valued business leaders. Dr Simone Phipps is an Associate Professor of Management at Middle Georgia State University, in the US and a Fellow with the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation. Her research focuses on Management History, with a s...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Masters in Social Innovation student Adriana Dhabha, discusses how predictive analytics could be used in her job as a Social Worker. ‘I believe that social care is the heartbeat of society, some people will say it’s economics, but I believe it is social care …’ https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/centres/social-innovation/ Follow the Cambridge Ce...

In this episode the chair of the Cambridge Refugee Support group shares what motivated her to work with refugees settled in Cambridge, UK. Sol Escobar talks about her work and how attending a Cambridge Social Ventures weekend is inspiring her take on the challenge of encouraging companies to work more closely with refugees. Follow the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation on: Facebook Instagram L...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Dr Mary Murphy, a Post Doc researcher with the Faculty of Education and a Research Associate at Lucy Cavendish College in Cambridge, discusses her work in South Africa, and how she harnessed the power of the humble earthworm. For Mary, at the heart of her work are social justice and environmental sustainability, which she describes as the defining chall...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, we hear from Ioana Belu, a student on our MSt in Social Innovation programme , and Dr Belinda Bell, the Programme Director for Cambridge Social Ventures . They spent time last year working together to mentor young entrepreneurs from Gaza. The group of young people work with and are supported by a tech hub organisation called Gaza Sky Geeks. Follow the C...

Dr Mónica Moreno Figueroa is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Cambridge; she is also the Fellow of Social Sciences at Downing College. Mónica splits her time between the UK and Mexico, where she focuses her research and practice to develop strategies for the elimination of racism by publicising. In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Mónica discusses her work, its impact a...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Szczepan Orlowski from Animorph and Mark Goodson from Cambridge Social Ventures discuss how the workers' cooperative format is helping Szczepan and his colleagues at Animorph to deliver tech-based products and stay true to their ethos of sustainability and support for all. Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation - https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-r...

“… [If] the children are happy, the family is happy, the parents are happy, and the whole society is happy.” Since 1950, Vietnam has celebrated International Children’s Day on the 1 June. Originally started in 1925, when representatives from various countries gathered in Geneva, Switzerland for the first “World Conference for the Well-being of Children”. The aim was, and continues to be, to raise...

In less time than it will take you to drink a cup of coffee, this mini episode of The Social Ideas Podcast will help you decide whether or not you should apply for our Masters programme. Eidi is a student on the MSt in Social Innovation, and it is a topic she is passionate about! https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/professional-practice/mst-social-innovation/ Follow the Cambridge Centre for Socia...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, we hear from Szczepan Orlowski, the XR Developer for Animorph. Animorph is a workers' co-operative, which uses augmented and virtual realities to develop solutions for current problems, and problems that have yet to be seen by the greater population. Szczepan also discusses the issue of the unintended racism inherent in the design of items and soft...

Pivoting is an art, both in sports and business. In the latest episode of The Social Ideas podcast, Professor Paul Tracey explains how a company that brought back the Polaroid camera, almost lost its loyal and fervent customer base because it tried to link its traditional camera with the digital production of photographs.  Read the summary of Paul’s research - https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-res...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Dr Lilia Giugni shares the value and the social importance of mutual aid groups. Throughout the current global pandemic, it has become obvious that without the mobilisation of grass-roots organisations so many would be struggling and suffering. Follow the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter YouTube

Cambridgeshire in the UK is home to more than three hundred churches, the majority of which are hundreds of years old; and, in this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, we hear from the team involved with the REACH Ely project. The three-year project aims to help communities make fuller use of their historic churches, going beyond a just being a place of worship and becoming a space for the wider...

During the mid-90s the Marsh Farm estate in Luton, Bedfordshire, UK, dealt with years of tension between police and disenfranchised youth, which eventually exploded into three nights of rioting.  More than twenty years later, the community after suffering through high unemployment rates and stark poverty is finally experiencing regeneration. Glenn Jenkins is one of the Marsh Farm Community Organis...

Schools across the world have closed their doors and are now delivering lessons via the internet. It’s easy to assume that, in this day and age, everybody has access to Wi-Fi enabled equipment, but it simply isn’t true. There are too many children to count who don’t have a computer or laptop in order to continue their education at home.  Every day, we’re hearing the remarkable stories of individua...

In this episode of The Social Ideas Podcast, Tamzin Byrne, the Programme Manager for Cambridge Social Ventures, explains why social entrepreneurs are usually reluctant to invest in their own personal development, and reasons why such selflessness should be re-examined. Cambridge Social Ventures - https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/centres/social-innovation/cambridge-social-ventures/ The Ca...