By Stephanie Kim MPA’16
- A reverse vending machine that provides transit credits in exchange for recyclable goods.
- An immersive, cross-cultural exchange and language learning program that doesn’t require a passport.
- A grassroots anti-smoking movement to improve the health, environment, and brand of a city.
- A network of rooftop gardens connecting corporations with communities.
These are four ideas that were pitched to a panel of judges not by experienced social entrepreneurs, but by teams of Philadelphia-area high school students. These students—relative strangers to each other—had 45 minutes to come up with their vision, and just five hours to turn it into a cogent, shark-tank pitch for grown-ups.
And, the real kicker: they couldn’t use the internet.
Read more Building a Changemaker: Notes from the Germination Project