• See the impossible
  • Play from the soul
  • Move the crowd

Mission

The mission of the Symphonic Circle™ is to find, refine, and to advance ideas that elevate™.

About the Circle

The Symphonic Circle™ is a chorus of people and organizations who have come together to combine their experience, knowledge, and skills to solve seemingly intractable social challenges.

Origins of the Symphonic Circle: Personal Testimony

The idea behind the Symphonic Circle™ began while I was a graduate student at Harvard. It was during my time in Cambridge that I came to really understand how isolating the Academy can be, especially for those who crave collaborative discourse.
 
I was constantly amazed at not only just how deep the intellectual cleavages were, but also just how acceptable it was to remain buried behind a desk in a remote piece of real estate on the Harvard campus—never to ask the person next to you what he or she was working on and how it might relate to your own views on the world.
 
It was not until I left Cambridge, with degree in hand, and began working in the “real world” that I quickly realized that parochial solutions seem to exist everywhere.

The Last Straw! A Board Game on the Social Determinants of Health

The Last Straw! A Board Game on the Social Determinants of Health was developed by Kate Rossiter and Kate Reeve. This is a great example of the power of social issue games and the potential to use games to raise public awareness around critical social issues.

Why do health disparities exist?

I found a graphic created by the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion Collaborations (CHERP) that captures at least 6 factors that explain why health disparities exist.

Examples of health care disparities

I recently stumbled on the website for the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotions Collaborations (CHERP) and found a number of disturbing examples of health disparities. Here's a quick reference sheet that you can use when talking about the social determinants of health. Of course, it's up to you to check and double check your facts!

The Ripple Effect from IDEO

The Ripple Effect is an emerging collaboration between the global design consultancy, IDEO, and the global social venture fund, The Acumen Fund. The initiative is sponsored by the Gates Foundation and it seeks to address the challenge of making safe drinking water accessible to the poor, especially those in rural locations.

The Play Pump

The Play Pump is a social innovation that captured worldwide attention several years ago (2005) when it emerged in small communities throughout South Africa. The story of how the Play Pump was created illustrates the power of social innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.

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