In NEMESIS we are trying a social innovation education model for and with schools to empower the changemakers of tomorrow. For that to work, the combination of teacher and social innovators expertise is essential. In three years, we aim to develop a European social innovator community and engage around 200 SIPs (‘social innovation practitioners’, our code for social entrepreneurs). We have begun working closely with four of them already.
Alexandros Theodoridis
Alex is from Greece, but studied in London and Germany where he has family connections. In 2012 he funded Boruome with his friends Alia Moatsou and Xenia Papastavrou to connect those who had extra food to give away and those who needed it. Now, the non-profit provides food to over 600 charitable institutions, soup kitchens and municipal social services all over Greece. They also work with schools to raise awareness on the subject of food waste, volunteering and giving. So it’s no surprise then that Alex didn’t hesitate when offered the chance to join NEMESIS.
“It’s great fun to be with kids and try to inspire them to do something nice with their life”
Jordina Arcal
Jordina is from a village in Barcelona. Despite graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering, she never practiced. Instead she joined a technological cluster as an innovation manager. Then one day, something clicked: “after evaluating so many ideas I decided to try out my own”. She founded HealthApp with her friend Jordi Cusidó, a company developing gamified apps to provide therapy to patients and connect them to healthcare professionals, equipping the app with real time data and analysis so they can adjust treatment for better care.
“When I heard about the project it was like, ‘oh, you said the three magical words: social, innovation and teaching’. These three words are like music for me”
Natasha Athanasiadou
Half Greek, half English, Natasha was once a successful fashion executive. Then, during a visit to a factory in East Asia, she came face to face with the conditions of people working for large fashion companies. She went back, quit her job, and founded Generation Generous, a company producing sustainable bags and providing consultancy for fashion industries interested in sustainable models. Amazing, right? Visit her TEDx talk to listen to the whole story.
“Can you imagine a future where everyone does something to make the world a better place?”
Sam Khebizi
Sam is founder and director of Les Têtes de L’Art, a French organization based in Marseille, and is working at the crossroads of culture, informal education and social and solidarity-based education. He is also an actor and dramaturge with a passion for education and the arts. It is his belief that the combination of both can help us reflect on the challenges and problems of the world.
“If you mix education with social innovation and the tools coming from the art field, you can do amazing things”
| Would you like to be one of our social innovation practitioners? Inspire students? Read more about how to join in our dedicated section. |