Happy Birthday to us!

Social Innovation for All turns 4 today, which in England means we would be starting school in September - embarking into the very system that we are seeking to change. Right now, we are cautiously optimistic that change might be afoot, but waiting to see how the curriculum review and enrichment benchmarks will be translated from paper into practice... 

I initially wrote a blog about four things we are getting right and four that are work in progress. But it seemed so dull in comparison to the amazing energy and creativity on show throughout our programmes. So I pressed delete and instead am sharing some of my standout moments from our fourth year. 

Bringing together schools, partners and volunteers for our first North East regional showcase event in Newcastle. Previously schools had to travel all the way from the North East to London, so it felt brilliant to bring everyone together at Newcastle University.

Our first transport solution to win a national prize! It all started on a very wet and dreary January morning in Worthing, but the team's ambition and pitch was brilliant after just 3 hours of work - the progress by London was phenomenal. Keep your eyes peeled to see where Ridewise goes next.

An amazing pitch from Oasis Academy Wintringham in Grimsby, who had travelled all the way to Manchester for our showcase event. They didn’t just address fast fashion, but need a compelling case linking climate change and social justice. 

The moment Zack Polanski dropped in unexpectedly to our London showcase event. 

And finally the boy from a Northamptonshire school who looked around London City Hall in awe, stating this was a ‘once in a school days event’.

Social Innovation for All exists because talent is universal, but opportunity is not. We want to bring these opportunities to more and more young people and next year is looking very exciting - the team is growing, we are bringing new partners and schools on board and we get to keep working with some amazingly creative young people and teachers.