Jon Feinman– Using Weight Training to Reduce Youth & Gun Violence in the United States
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
Release Date: 05/14/2017
Sumitra Pasupathy, Global Partnerships Director, Ashoka
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
In this episode we meet Sumitra Pasupathy, who is the Global Partnerships Director at Ashoka. Ashoka is absolutely legendary in the world of social entrepreneurship. And it's based on the idea that the most powerful force for good in the world is a social entrepreneur.
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Cynthia Cheung, Incubation Program Lead at UNDP and Citi Foundation's Youth Co:Lab
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
In this episode we meet Cynthia Cheung, who leads the incubation programs for young entrepreneurs in over 24 countries at the Youth Co:Lab, an initiative co-led by the UNDP Asia-Pacific and Citi Foundation to economically empower the next generation in the region, through youth entrepreneurship and government innovation.
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Kevin Moon, Head of Impact Investments at Lonsdale Capital on Finding and Scaling Startups that Change the World
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
Now you might have heard about impact investing before, but for many people this is quite a new and up and coming area of investing. So, we’re going to find out more about what exactly it’s all about.
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Bernhard Kowatsch, Head of the United Nations World Food Program Innovation Accelerator; Accelerating Solutions to End World Hunger
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
On this episode we meet Bernhard Kowatsch who is the founder and head of the Innovation Accelerator at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The WFP Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as one of the 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2017 in Food for its work in identifying, nurturing and scaling disruptive start-ups that accelerate innovations to address global hunger. Innovations include blockchain, agri-tech, supply chain and new businesses to end hunger.
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Catherine Chen, Founder of AvantFaire Investment Management on Impact Investing
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
The impact investing space has boomed in popularity over the past decade, with many institutions adapting the idea that you can invest & generate financial returns from assets, ideas and businesses that also generate positive impact. Founded in 2017 by Catherine Chen, Avantfaire is one of the very few signatories of the United Nationals supported Principles of Responsible Investment, are a member of the Global Impact Investing Network, and are a certified B-Corporation.
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John 'Bob' Ranck, CEO of Orbis International; Home of the Flying Eye Hospital
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
Imagine living without sight. A shocking 75% of all visual impairment can be prevented or treated. Orbis International is an international non-profit that trains medical professionals around the world, rallying world class experts to train local eye care teams. They partner with local hospital and clinics to improve and strengthen services and, though their most iconic tool – the Flying Eye Hospital – they deliver most of their program work in country, on the ground alongside local communities and partn
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Susan Bissell: Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
In this interview I chat with Susan Bissell who is the Director at the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children at UNICEF. Although this episode was recorded a few years ago (I know, I’m sorry I’m slow at editing), Susan’s insights on the work to eliminate violence against children is still highly relevant with 1 in 2 children experiencing violence every year.
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Pete Yao; Chief Impact Officer at Thankyou
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
In this interview I chat with Pete Yao who is the Chief Impact Officer of Thankyou. I love Thankyou because they’ve flipped the whole FMCG model on its head and as a result are doing incredible work and creating huge impact. In this episode we go into detail about how they track impact with a custom-made system that they’ve built. We chat about how they’ve managed to effectively combine the business and social elements into a thriving social enterprise that has impacted over 750,000 people in 20 count
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Andy Last: Leveraging Authentic Communications for Social Impact
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
In this episode I had a chat with Andy Last who is the co-founder of Salt. Recently acquired by MullenLowe, and now known as MullenLowe Salt, the company is a strategic communications agency. As one of the first companies in the UK to be accredited as a B-Corporation, MullenLowe Salt advises organisations on they can use social issues to drive growth, and how communications can effect change to bring about better business results and social progress.
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Tharani Jegatheeswaran: Intrapraneurship, Career Changes and Social Impact Consulting at Deloitte
Doing Good Podcast by Amra Naidoo
Why does a Big Four accounting firm like Deloitte do social impact consulting? Is this for CSR purposes? is this for publicity because being involved in impact is 'cool'? Are there business reasons behind this decision and if so, what were they? Do they charge clients for the consulting they do or is this pro bono? In this episode we hear from Tharani how she made a successful career change into social impact and built Deloitte's social impact consultancy from nothing.
info_outlineI had a really great interview with Jon Feinman, who is the Executive Director and CEO of Innercity Weightlifting, a non-profit based in Boston. They own and operate a few gyms around the city and work with young people who have been identified as a high risk for violence. Their programs focus on social inclusion and reducing youth violence by working with these guys (mainly guys) in the gym. They connect these young people with new networks and opportunities, including meaningful career tracks in and beyond personal training. According to them, they use the gym to replace segregation and isolation with economic mobility and social inclusion, disrupting the system that leads to urban street violence. For a little bit of background, in Boston, just 1% of youth between the ages of 15-24, are responsible for over 50% of city-wide shootings. The City of Boston has identified 300 to 400 of the city’s highest risk gang affiliated youth as “most likely to be involved in a violent act.” This is called the “Pact List” and it is this group ICW strives to serve. 97% of their students have done at least 6 months of jail time, prior to enrolling at ICW. And 100% of their enrolled students report being shot, shot at, or stabbed prior to enrolling at ICW.
This interview was recorded while Jon was in one of the gyms so you’ll probably hear a few weights and grunts in the background, don’t mind them, it’s all part of creating the atmosphere! I absolutely love the work that Jon and Innercity Weightlifting are doing. They are completely flipping the typical non-profit model on its head with the way that they are running their programs but not only are they changing the lives of the students they are working with, they are changing the lives of the clients who choose to train at the gym with the students. Jon mentions in this episode that most of the clients that come to the gym have never met someone who has been in jail before. Making this introduction and fostering a connection promotes social inclusion not just for the students, but for the clients too. Excited for you to listen to this episode!