AllGrow

Younger generations has an increased interest in technology and a stronger motivation to contribute to making the world a better place and increased interest in sustainability. However, they lack the guidance and resources to do so. 

According to a 2020 study conducted by the UK Safer Internet Centre, 34% of young people say the internet has inspired them to take action on a cause. Furthermore, in a Deloitte study from 2022 it was revealed that Gen Z is more likely to engage in sustainable behaviors than any other group, demonstrating that the younger generation is more motivated to mitigate the effects of climate change and pollution and become more socially active. The same study says that 90% of Gen Z and millennials are making at least some efforts to reduce their own impact on the environment. 

This is also a generation that was born into digital technology.  Young people aged 14 and up are technologically savvy, and the internet is their go-to source for information, entertainment, social well-being, and so on. BrainBoxol demonstrated that Gen Z communicates primarily through handheld communication devices and accessories. They are self-sufficient and prefer to work with their peers to solve problems. (stage of authority issues/rebellion. Unfortunately, being raised with this technology provides Gen Z with a natural advantage over previous generations, and traditional methods of teaching are becoming outdated. Gen-Z is motivated by a strong desire to make the world a better place, which drives them to self-learn and teach themselves how to do so.

There are many platforms which are crowdsourcing solutions from young people and innovators (Hero X, Iris, Open Ideo, Ashoka Changemakers, etc.) however they do not provide the guidance in building those solutions from diving deeper into the problem, understanding the root cause and building solutions accordingly. The support comes often after the solutions with the most potential have been selected. 

There are also many initiatives in the solution and capacity building space from academia and non academia (JCI, Junior achievement, Acumen, etc.). However, these initiatives are often happening in person, as a course, sporadically and in one geography. Leaving many of the potential changemakers on the outside. 

This is a missed opportunity in making the solutions crowdsourcing platforms and social ventures accelerators more successful and enabling anyone who sees a problem learn how to address it immediately by collaborating with others regardless of geography, educational institution and resources. In doing so, the problem solvers contribute with tested solutions to the world's biggest challenges (SDGs) and develop 21st century skills and competencies in the process.

We are building an app where people from around the world come together to solve problems they care about and receive access to the tools, resources and support necessary to create change regardless of background or culture.

The app is interactive, user centered and available year round. It aims to give problem solvers guidance in applying the design thinking steps towards designing a practical solution addressing real issues they observe. It also brings together young innovators and inspires them to create change by collaborating and exchanging best practices and solutions.

 More specifically the AllGrow app:

Promotes interactive learning: 

Putting it simply, we want our users to be engaged and learn along the way. This is achieved through integrating gamification in our process by giving rewards and brings together people who want to solve the same challenges together, with the help of a mentor along the way. Furthermore, the interactive learning materials are provided in a digital format through which users apply the design thinking process and build social innovations. It provides users essential knowledge in a fun and engaging approach for youngsters as well as adults. 

Offers guidance to act on interests: 

Individuals that want to work together to address the same issue will work together. There is also the option to be paired with an experienced mentor to guide them when they hit a roadblock. Anybody can become mentors after obtaining experience with a broad spectrum of projects. The app also provides video guidance along the way, clear steps, as well as a network of peers who are in the same learning/changemaking journey from across the world.

Facilitates continuous engagement and eliminates space boundaries:

There are no geographical or time boundaries as users may collaborate with people from all over the world, accomplish social change together, build friendships, and raise awareness regarding the SDG's and their practical solutions. The application provides knowledge showcasing existing solutions for the identified problem and offers help throughout the entire process. In addition, there is no end to the process because people who acquire expertise have the option of expanding their knowledge in novel endeavors or guiding newcomers, all of which is incorporated into the application's gamification strategy.

The AllGrow app itself will be used by the community as a tool to network, learn and create. We want individuals to connect with others from all over the world regardless of where they are, and the app provides them with the resources  to resolve any social or environmental topics they are particularly interested in. 

We aim to push changemakers to the next level of social innovation and raise awareness of existing issues and the numerous ways to address them in a world where the Internet makes everything possible. We believe that by joining a diverse intercultural community, we would be able to connect people from various backgrounds, ideas, and cultures who will only benefit one another. 

We believe that by working together, we can be more powerful, and we can All Grow.

Young people (GenZ) from around the world are more preoccupied than older generations to mitigate the effects of climate change and pollution and become more socially active. Furthermore, they are digitally native and spend a considerable amount of time on their devices. Lastly, the school environment around the world is struggling to keep up with the fast moving world. In this context they are missing the space that leverages technology and enables them to address issues they care about that the school ecosystem is not able to provide. 

The web based app gives young people and anyone interested in creating change a practical tool to pursue their interest and receive technical and community support along the way. The app will first inspire users to take action by seeing relatable examples of solutions designed by their peers. The app will provide appropriate tools necessary to take an idea or observation into a tested prototype and in doing so contribute to the development of 21st century skills. Some of the skills users will develop are critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, empathy, innovation and communication. 

We want to make changemaking accessible and attractive to anyone interested no matter where they are in the world. The app targets mostly young people however we feel that age is just a number, and anybody who is enthusiastic about making a difference in the world is invited to join the community.

Furthermore we are building a social network for good where anyone who wants to become part of the community can join. We know that being part of a community can give your life a purpose and significance while also enhancing your sense of identity and health and happiness. Mentors who will be volunteering the support changemakers will also benefit from their engagement with the users since volunteering is also credited with decreasing stress and alleviating symptoms associated with disorders related to mental health. This is also having a major effect on optimizing interpersonal connections. As this will be advantageous to someone's professional development, it will also contribute to their personal growth.

The meta result of this project is that we are building a community of changemakers from all across the world and we are building testable solutions, which contribute to their personal and professional growth as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals.

We are a non-profit organization from Romania and have been doing this work offline since 2017. More specifically over 6000 children and youth have been engaged in the changemaking process through guidance received from their teachers. We adapted the design thinking method and created a student centered curriculum to enable young people to design social innovations and develop 21st century skills. We also trained educators and mentors in creating spaces for young people, building social innovations and contributing to the SDGs. There have been over 150 social innovation projects to address issues young people identified as important and wanted to address.

We realized that this approach has limitations towards serving a larger number of people and adapting to the needs of youth. When they get a bit older there are more rebellions towards authority, especially as they are getting into highschooler and prefer more independent and peer learning as opposed to teacher driven. Another limitation is that the school schedule doesn't always permit such activities and students experiencing such activities depends widely on their educators interests. In short, if the educator is interested in the topic, students will experience such a changemaking process if not they are left on the outside. These observations are relevant across Europe, as we have studied the context of social innovation education as part of multiple consortiums co-funded by the European Commission as part of Erasmus+ - strategic partnerships projects.

For this app we had built a consortium of staff and volunteers formed by programmers from Oracle, project management and designers from HPE as well as teachers and young people who experienced our curriculum. This enables us to have diverse perspectives and expertise necessary to build the AllGrow up. Each team member has an important role to play. For example, innovative teachers are constantly improving the curriculum and updating it based on students' needs, including students with special educational needs. Volunteers with technical expertise from supporting organizations such as Oracle and HPE are guiding the technical development of the app and ensuring that the latest technology is being integrated. However the most important voice in our consortium is that of users. We have started with listening to their needs and bringing them on board in the design of the app process. This enables us to build something relevant and impactful from day one. The needs assessment process was followed by a series of focus groups with the young people and in the future they will also become the first testers of the app. So far we have a community of over 150 young people interested in the AllGrow app.

Our team has developed the curriculum, learning activities and methodology to engage users. This is something we have been doing since 2017. The transfer of this entire experience in the online space is something we are currently working on. We have identified a group of young people who are interested in testing our product and have been engaged since the start by providing input and feedback. The technical aspects are something we are still working on, since we want to leverage gamification and collaboration across multiple geographies. Therefore, we are not in the concept phase but rather in the early prototype stage. 

We are interested in growing our initiative globally and align the impact generated with corporate ESG reporting as part of our business model. This is why the network of impact-minded leaders and strategic advice from experts is important to us, potentially working with few companies and organizations to pilot our work and make it available to changemakers from across the world. We believe our solution has the potential to create impact across the world but it needs to be well aligned with larger goals such as the SDGs and ESGs, including having relevant indicators which can be tracked and measure real time impact using the app. 

Nonetheless the visibility and reputation of the MIT Solve team will also give us tremendous opportunity to attract talent and investors. The sooner we raise awareness, the sooner we can mobilise individuals to confront global issues.  Our goal is to promote awareness and shed light on the significant issues that influence our daily lives. Our solution provides updated knowledge for those interested, as well as a platform to unite everyone interested in participating in positive change. The MIT platform will take our project to the next level and accelerate the process of implementing solutions.We believe in the power of collaboration and this is why we have been successful this far and we believe this is also the recipe for the future and collaborating with individuals and organizations who share our values of collaboration, courage and desire to make a difference, as MIT does.

Our solution is innovative in two ways - filling an existing market gap and linking the social impact to corporate impact.

First by its nature. It fills the gap of ongoing capacity building for aspiring changemakers regardless of geography, education institution or training. It is a phase prior to solutions/problem solving crowdsourcing space and early pre-accelerators. We are not specifically asking for a solution but rather starting a step earlier in the design process by focusing first on the problem and providing those who see problems with a framework to design solutions. In this process they become better problem solvers and learn from experience. The focus is on the collaborative learning journey rather than the solution. If the solution is innovative that is a bonus, but not a requirement. If a solution is really innovative we would then suggest them to apply to solutions crowd space competitions such as MIT Solve, Hero X and others. We intend to provide people with all of the information and resources they need to solve their challenges by utilising all of the market's available options.

It is also available year round not in a form of a competition, but rather using gamification and incentives. This gives aspiring problem observers the possibility to act upon the problem they found immediately and receive inspiration from existing solutions. By using geolocation we are able to identify problems across the globe and by doing so identify opportunities which could be addressed by the users but also by larger institutions. Some of the solutions we will use for inspiration will be chosen from existing social entrepreneurs or networks such as Hero X, Ashoka, IDEO, MIT SOLVE, BIG IDEA, Changemakers Exchange, among others. Networks which would be also used as recommendations for scaling their solutions depending on their area.

The second innovative part is the business model. The democratic problem solving process enables us to connect the impact generated by our App to the larger corporate responsibility reporting such as the ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance. We believe that the impact our work creates can be valuable to companies who are struggling to support their communities in a meaningful way and fight greenwashing. We are providing them with a platform to identify areas for investment, support existing innovators and engage their employees in a meaningful experience at local and global level as mentors. We will provide key indicators companies can report upon and in the same time enable us to improve our services to our users.

Create a social network for good where over 10 million problem observers find the tools, resources and inspiration to become changemakers and contribute to the sustainable development goals.

To do so we are envisioning a step by step approach where we first test our app in a diverse context, learn from it and integrate those changes to conduct a controlled growth. The last phase is exponential growth, when the app will become popular due to gamification and social networks. There are for sure many more steps in between, including twists and turns, however our north star remains the 10mil + users by the end of 2030 and the end of the SDG's.  

Pilot September '23 - February '24 (6 months) 

We want to start the pilot in September 2023. We are targeting over 100 users in the USA and 100 more in Romania. We would also like to engage with two companies who would join us in measuring impact during the pilot phase. This phase will enable us to gain user feedback, better design and measure our impact and define key indicators we can measure and report upon from learning experience to local impact. The diversity of the users will help us improve the app and the user experience.

Small Scaling March '24 - December '24 (10 months)

In this small scale we want to increase the number of companies who are part of our ecosystem to 10 and reach over 1000 users. This conservative growth will help us to finetune the experience of our users and also test the capacity of the app. Once the app works well we will consider integrating AI language capabilities to give users the possibility to use the app in their native language and remove language barriers. 

Growth - January '25  - January '30 (5 years)

This is where we believe that the app will grow naturally and reach at least 10 million users and continue to grow exponentially.  The gamification aspects will keep the users engaged and the social network aspect will enable them to exchange best practices and support their peers grow and achieve social impact. We believe we are starting early on to grow the next generation of changemakers.

Some of our indicators have been already defined when others are yet to be defined. We will be looking at:

• Users level of skills development: We will be using the Bloom taxonomy to evaluate users' development of the social innovations and 21st Century skills from applying some of the frameworks to creating a new innovation. We will assess the competencies users develop such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. These indicators will also be used to create a user profile which could then be used towards professional development recommendations and growth through courses or others.

• Contribution to SDGs: each innovation/idea will contribute to an area of one or more SDG's we plan on track that impact and report upon it. We will be cross referencing our impact with the SDG's impact. Besides output indicators from self reporting - such as number of people who are working on an innovation addressing an SDG we will try to connect some key indicators we are contributing towards with ESG reporting. We want to make it simple so that it is easy to track, this is why having companies on board early on will help us in this process. 

• Output indicators - number of users on the platform, time spent on designing and testing a solution, number individuals collaborating, number of innovative solutions designed, success scaling rate for user generated solutions, number of companies engaged, number of mentors, satisfaction rate with the app, percentage of return users and other real time date we could collect and use in assessing the impact.

Each and every one of us has the capacity to become an agent of change in his/her community when he/she discovers through practical experiences their own capacity to create change. 

However, the changemaking experiences are limited to existing opportunities, educational programs and private initiatives. What if, the changemaking experience is available to any person who sees a problem and has the desire to solve it regardless of background or culture. By experiencing the step by step guided process in designing a solution their own self efficacy increases and overall the confidence that they have the power to make a difference. This will lead to engaged community members who have skills, competencies and courage to make a difference. Receiving support, inspiration and guidance through the app any person can become a changemaker and if desired a social entrepreneur.  

We want to make it available to anybody who takes an interest in it, as well as promote awareness that it is creating possibilities for people to discover/follow their passion while feeling supported along the way. 

Being a part of a community both attracts and keeps individuals connected. We wish to use online resources to build a community open for people who have the same interests in an era where online typically divides communication and triggers uncertainty.  Many people lose their passion because they feel the need to be pushed from behind, which is precisely what we want to do. To provide people the opportunity to see that their passion counts and that there are others who share their enthusiasm for what they do.  People united in their pursuit of greatness can accomplish brilliance while also spreading beneficial purposes.

We are building a web based app which will integrate machine learning, social networks and geolocation. This will enable us to collect data about the impact of our solution and provide users with a better experience. For example when joining each person will be asked about what they would like to solve - what is their pain point and bases on that customized content will be provided to inspire the user to start their solutions building journey. The machine learning will be used in order to determine what are the relevant tools for each user as well as help in matching with mentors. Lastly the social network and gamification aspects will contribute to increasing users engagement and introduce social sharing component. 

Our team is diverse and it has an equal number of males and females since it combines both a female dominated field (education) and male dominated field (technology). Each team member opinion is respected and valued and we are all linked by our organizational values of Collaboration, Courage and Desire to make a difference. 

Firstly our users will gain critical skills by engaging in our activities. As a bonus they might develop social innovations which could be scaled into a business. 

Secondly, our impact is also created at a society level as our users take action and inspire others to get involved by creating a movement. 

Thirdly, the impact and their observations is valuable to companies and governments who also have an interest in developing those communities. They receive access to community solutions and individuals who are taking action towards solving the problem. This benefit to governments or organizations could be monetized and support more people become changemakers. 

The ideas, the data collected and the impact indicators will all become valuable inputs for those interested in community developments, social innovation, professional development and education. 

The app will be free for the users because we want to reach those who are left behind at the bottom of the pyramid. However companies and governments will be asked to pay a membership fee depending on the area they are interested in. Some of the money will go towards developing the app and part of it will go towards supporting the innovators who are innovating in the area they company or government is interested in. For example if we have companies interested in supporting women inclusion we will offer rewards to the best innovations in that space. Or if a manufacturer wants to support a specific community we will reward those innovators from the area. All this will be visible and transparent on our website and users will have the option to sign out of this option. 

We will specifically target ESG reporting and companies who align with our values and try to build indicators integrated in the app which could make reporting transparent for the companies as well as offer the needed support to our users. This will create a win-win situation for companies and users, however the ethical, values and transparency of our work will prevail.

Our app is two folded - We are offering users the possibility to use the app for free. In the same time the value created by them and the data collected becomes input we are selling to businesses and governments who also have an interest in the area. They will pay for the service in the form of a membership or by sponsoring a specific challenge. The key in ensuring that the data/indicators we are collecting also has business value. This is why aligning and embedding ESG reporting in our users reporting is key in ensuring the value generated through the app can also be valuable to companies as there is an increased pressure from customers and governments in this area.

Our offline work has received funding in form of grants from the European Commission, EEA Grants, Romanian American Foundation, Aspen Institute, Discovery Channel Romania. We also have individual donors who are supporting our work. 

So far our app did not receive financial investment, however we have a team of 6 corporate volunteers from Oracle and HP Enterprise who are working on this as part of their community impact commitment.