Stone and Nelson Present at International Social Innovation Conferences

At the 16th annual meeting of ISIRC at the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland, communication professor and Social Impact Hub faculty director Anne Stone and Social Impact Hub staff director Melissa Nelson gave a presentation titled “Classroom to Countryside: Problem-Based Learning Exercise Prepares Students to Explore Global Challenges.” The presentation highlighted the value of problem-based learning activities as part of courses with embedded field studies during which students learn the value of trans-disciplinary problem solving and demonstrate information literacy and critical-thinking skills to address some of the world’s most complex global challenges.

The main goal of the conference is to join together academics from a variety of fields with an interest in the topics of social innovation and social entrepreneurship, providing a forum of debate for researchers and practitioners, supporting the sharing of experiences, and promoting cross-knowledge.

At the Ashoka Changemaker Summit in Hamburg, Germany, Stone and Nelson also developed a workshop titled “Learning from Each Other: The Changemaker Campus Network as a Local and Global Ecosystem Activator of Social Impact” alongside educators from Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, and the U.S. As part of the workshop, Nelson and Stone shared about the importance of collaboration with local community leaders as co-educators in supporting the development of the next generation of responsible leaders through programs like the Impact Incubator.

The summit brought together Ashoka fellows, AshokaU change leaders, young changemakers, and community leaders from across the world to discuss the value of true participation. Rollins has been a designated Ashoka U Changemaker Campus since 2012 when it became the first college in Florida to receive the honor.