New technology for social good? I was all ears at last month’s Social Good Summit, which was an incredible opportunity to explore the intersection between new media and tech and changing the world for the better. The founders of this annual summit clearly recognize the gap between super cool, state-of-the-art tech and the objectives that move the needle on some of the world’s most pressing issues – from gender equality to hunger, and parts between. The good news is through summits like this we can create the conversations needed to connect the architects of new technology with changemakers.
This year’s theme for the summit was #2030Now and attendees were encouraged to consider “What type of world do I want to live in by the year 2030?”
Realizing a need for the voices of change to reflect a diverse population, this year the United Nations Foundation partnered with ColorComm, a network of women of color in communications to treat 4 of its select members to a VIP experience at the conference. As a new (and spirited!) ColorComm member, I was eager to meet the 4 lucky women and chat about the experiences they found most valuable – from hearing from the world’s leaders, attending Master classes, dining with leaders in the communications industry and more. Here’s the scoop:
Me, Chelsea Williams (plant based blogger) and Claire Ross (UN Foundation)
- With respect to strong emotions fueling the social conversations around politics, Laura Walker, CEO & President of New York Public Radio advises use to think in “dialogue not diatribe.” Let’s not add lip service to gimmicks, but instead contribute to honest conversations in a productive, honest way.
- Chelsea Handler, comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer says, we can’t afford to not talk politics in social environments. We’re no longer in a neutral-friendly environment, these conversations matter and they have to happen everywhere.
- Feeding Children Everywhere is an app that uses real time data to track where hunger is and gets meals delivered strategically to people in most need, mainly hungry children. Learn about how you can host a hunger project in your community.
- The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture are working on providing cellular services and mobile tech in remote places with the purpose of sharing high quality, multi-disciplinary education with people everywhere.
- Erykah Badu’s “20 feet tall” – get into the lyrics, that’s all.
Thanks to the UN Foundation and the ColorComm fellows for the invaluable insights… til next year!
Color Comm Women at the Social Good Summit