José Rico, co-presenter of the Upswell workshop “Leading and ‘Living’ Community-Led Initiatives,” is senior vice president of community impact at United Way of Metro Chicago. We took some time to get to know José better – including what motivates him, who inspired his journey to changework, and his hidden superpower! Q: If you could change…
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The constant news drumbeat about challenges facing Chicago often drowns out the great work underway to strengthen the city’s neighborhoods. José Rico, chief partnership and initiatives officer at United Way of Metro Chicago, wants to change that (check out our Q&A with José). Along with lead agency Austin Coming Together, he’ll be spreading the good…
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Upswell can bring together dynamic changemakers and put together a zany program with everything from traditional deep-dive workshops to group ukulele lessons. But at the end of the day, nobody can give you a more authentic experience or a sense of what’s happening on the ground in a city’s many diverse neighborhoods than the locals.…
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/ By Debra Rainey / The word community evokes thoughts of identity, common interests, and acceptance. Upswell’s ever-growing community of changemakers reflects all of these, for sure. But in Chicago, the site of Upswell this November, community means so much more. In the Windy City, community also means 77 specific areas. These “community areas” are…
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What are the biggest opportunities in the social sector? The most urgent trends? The toughest challenges, brightest innovations, and must-have skills for changing society for the better? That’s what we asked you. Or, more precisely, we asked you and your fellow changemakers across the country to co-create Upswell Chicago — to pitch ideas that can…
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Twelve years ago, you could have surveyed a room of changemakers in Chicago, and it’s unlikely that any of them would recognize Eboo Patel’s name. Not the case now. In 2011, the premise of an organization that Patel created became the model for the Obama administration’s initiative to promote interfaith cooperation on college campuses. Also…
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Insightful. Trustworthy. Relaxed, yet rigorous. They all come to mind when you hear Michele Norris, who for a decade graced the airwaves as the first African-American female host of NPR’s longest-running program, All Things Considered. Perhaps you also heard and saw her very recently when she interviewed former First lady Michelle Obama during her “Becoming”…
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Star Trek fans know that for series creator Gene Roddenberry, a vivid imagination, progressive values, and innovative thinking were key to driving social change and creating a world of diversity, inclusion, and respect. So it should come as no surprise that The Roddenberry Foundation advances his philosophy to “think, question, and challenge the status quo”…
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/ By Tamieka Briscoe / We’ve carefully designed Upswell as an opportunity to elevate local ideas in a national spotlight. As we head to Chicago for Upswell later this year, we have our eye on innovative projects taking place throughout the city. In this installment of Innovation in Chicago, BallotReady—a nonprofit that uses data and…
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As founder and executive director of 2020 Mom, Joy Burkhard’s work to increase and improve maternal mental health awareness, diagnosis, and treatment is well known. In 2016, Independent Sector highlighted Joy’s work and organization in a story about strong champions for women and children. As an early registrant for our inaugural Upswell In Los Angeles…
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