The problem
If you take one look at the news headlines nowadays, you might find that it’s easy to come away with an impression of a chaotic and violent world. Whether it’s crime, corruption or impending disaster, this image presented by the media is certainly filled with a lot of despair.
But thankfully, there is a lot of good news out there too – it just doesn’t always make the headlines.
According to Steven Pinker for one, we are in fact living in the least violent time in our history – and this is why #ImpactJournalismDay is so important.
A solution
Held earlier this year on June 16th, #ImpactJournalismDay brought together journalists from all over the world to take a critical look at the state of our affairs, and what they found was overwhelming positivity, progression and impact – something that’s been gaining more and more momentum ever since, with thanks to the widespread response to the global Sustainable Development Goals.
In the midst of all this negative news, we think it’s important to sit up and pay attention to all the positive action that came out of this international event. So if you’re craving some uplifting news today, take a look at our top picks from the event this year…
Highlights from #ImpactJournalismDay
Many communities from across the world came together to celebrate #ImpactJournalismDay 2018. From Turkey and Spain to Sweden, Italy and Switzerland, Impact Hubs connected far and wide to discuss why positivity in the media matters now. Here are just a few highlights…
1. Turkey’s social impact ecosystem
At Impact Hub Istanbul, social entrepreneurs came together to discuss Turkey’s social impact ecosystem. With the UNDP Turkey acting as moderators, the community heard from local innovators who are striving to make a positive impact on the world and reach the Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030. Some of the most inspirational participants included:
– The team at Önemsiyoruz, a social initiative that works to raise awareness of and access to children’s fundamental rights. They spoke to the Istanbul community about their project ‘An Armful of Toys’ that meets the special needs of children aged 0-6, living in prison with their incarcerated mothers.
– Minopreneurs. This inspiring organization uses blockchain technology to help raise people up to the age of 25 to become future entrepreneurs, making hugely positive impacts on their lives personally, and on the future of social entrepreneurship as a whole.
– The team at Wholesurplus, who spoke to the community about how they’re reducing the world’s waste. By providing the most accurate data analytics, this company is providing real-time insights into the availability of food for food banks, aiming to cut wastage down to zero.
2. Startup stories from Stockholm
To mark #ImpactJournalismDay at Impact Hub Stockholm, the community organized an event to share inspiring stories of positive impact in their city. By zoning in on what role journalists play in how we understand contemporary media, the Stockholm team engaged in a lively and hopeful discussion with some incredible speakers, including:
– Viktor Lidholt: founder of Newsvoice.com, a news outlet that aims to democratize the news by separating the monetary interest of corporations from the news itself.
– The founder of Learn With Lara, Katarina Stevenson, who shared her story of how she established an open-source education platform for children in need.
– Christina Crevert, who co-founded Impactually; a management consultancy that uses behavioral insights to create positive impact – both in business, and in society.
3. Madrid celebrating positive journalism
To inspire others to create positive change in their community, Impact Hub Madrid brought together a cast of brilliant journalists to discuss new ways of telling each others’ stories. Some of whom included:
– Alejandra Agudo; journalist from El País.
– Brenda Chávez; journalist and writer on responsible consumption.
– Sara Acosta; environment and economy expert for Ballena Blanca.
– Ricardo Blanco, co-director of radio program from Madrid City Hall.
Featuring many other inspiring projects such as Apadrina un Olivo and Soulem (a social company that employs women saved from sexual slavery), Madrid featured some truly exciting work that we look forward to seeing more of in the future!
4. Geneva’s circular economy
Geneva’s community took part in #ImpactJournalismDay by celebrating their local circular economy initiatives. Impact Hub Geneva invited key actors in this field to their discussion, where they also showcased their upcoming programs and activities. Some of their best bits included contributions from:
– Corporate consultants from Sofies Group and EA Solutions, who discussed the pros and cons of circular economy.
– Local journalist Frederic Juillard of Tribune de Geneve, on why they joined #ImpactJournalismDay.
– The Impact Hub members behind Fab Lab, elaborating on why their workshop-approach to sustainability is beneficial for circular economy.
So why now?
Why, might you ask, are we looking back at an event from June earlier this year? Good question.
The answer is simple: creating positive impact never stops being important. And while we may only have one official day of the year to celebrate it, this topic is one that we need to remind ourselves of daily so that we don’t get wrapped up in the chaos of the mainstream media.
From clickbait to fake news and who knows what else, it’s a jungle out there. We need to remember to stick to the data, and when you look past all of the emotive headlines and shocking imagery, you’ll see a whole lot of positive impact being made.
If you’d like to have some more uplifting news in your life, stay tuned to our blog for weekly insights on how positive impact being made in the world!
Until then, you can discover how to reduce inequalities at work, check out the startups who are tackling trash, or see how these big companies are reducing their carbon footprints.
