What is 'Free Radicals' (formerly known as Universities United)?

The project aims to embed social responsibility into the corporate activities of the HEI sector. We will bring together cross-disciplinary academics from three UK universities, together with private and public sector partners who will ‘volunteer’ their time to develop original ideas and projects that can have profound societal impact.

A core aim is that ideas will be both developed and realised, thereby formulating a model for other universities to apply. Our goal is that each university will embed social innovation as a key theme within their approach to corporate responsibility, creating an example of best practice for others to follow.

Who is involved both institutionally and individually?
The project will be delivered by three main academic partners and the Helen Storey Foundation (HSF). The academic partners are leading UK Universities which represent a range of institution types and a wide geographical spread. The University of Sheffield (UoS), University of Ulster (UU) and the University of the Arts London/ London College of Fashion (UAL). The Helen Storey Foundation is a not for profit arts organisation which seeks to inspire new ways of thinking by instigating cross-collaborative art, science and technology projects.

Other partners from industry/private sector will add valuable input with their experience of creating innovative ideas and products and bringing these successfully to market. Evaluators and those with experience in the marketing and PR sectors will also be key to the success of this project.


What are the aims and desired outcomes.
• To create a ‘think tank’ of leading academics, public and private sector partners to create cross disciplinary, innovative solutions to global dilemmas.

• Use the networks available across HEIs and the private and public sector to secure resource to test and implement these solutions.

• Taking into account the economics of social innovation, to investigate mechanisms which would develop and commercialise ideas from the HE sector in these areas.

• Take learning from the private sector, where Corporate Responsibility has driven the development of successful social innovations, and improve HE sector performance in this area.


Thursday, 11 December 2008

Malaleng Primary - Africa - ONE Water

My other half, Kevin, worked with a wonderful man called Duncan Goose, who had an idea, and needed to know how to deliver it and make it flourish – which together with Kevin and a number of others, they did.
Duncan is the founder of ONE Water, and once he got his product into existence, he asked Supermarkets to pay what they felt they wanted to, as all profit would be going direct to those that needed it in places like Africa. Several supermarkets took him up on it – it still sells in abundance today. He has changed the lives of 250,000 people in 200 communities, and children now go to school instead of spending hours walking towards water for collection.

What is wonderful about Duncan, apart from the personal journey he has gone on to get this off the ground (including selling his home to put the money into the business, sleeping on the floors of friends for two years, working unpaid 7 days a week, and living on the kindness of others for the same length of time ) is what he uses the profits of his bottled water for: he sends it to areas where there is virtually no water, and builds 'Playpumps' i.e roundabouts, which children play on, the circular motion of ‘play’ pumps up the water from 100’s of meters down, and makes the village, the school, the town, self sufficient in water! So profits in effect, pay for children’s play, roundabouts, and fresh water.

This most recent project, pictured here, is at Malaleng Primary School in Swaziland (where there was no water at all). It has been dedicated to Kevin in his memory, and I couldn’t resist the connection between what we are trying to do and what Duncan has achieved.

If you're a Google Earth user, these are the co-ordinates 26-45-14.0, 30-56-35.9 so you can zoom into the area.

Duncan has also just launched ONE condoms where 100% of the profits from the sale of the new condom range will fund HIV projects, also in Africa. They have teamed up with The Donald Woods Foundation to fund outreach clinics. The programme will take teams of doctors, nurses and counselors to visit rural communities to help educate and raise awareness of HIV and HIV-related issues as well as testing for HIV. (The condoms are in unique round wrappers, featuring 120 different designs and come in a rather stylish metal tin They are available in two 3-packs; Super Sensitive and Mixed Pleasures - in case you are interested!)

I’m going to ask Duncan to come and talk to us at our next meeting, as much for his journey of bringing an idea and a passion alive, as the success he now perpetuates with each new venture he takes on. I also thought about him when we have talked in the past about “ hijacking commercialism“ ie, piggy backing a transport system already in place, to deliver another product, strapping to it, a much needed humanitarian resource, like soap, or water purification tablets - but why not Duncan’s condoms?

I guess when I truly focus on Duncan’s journey, and to some extent the things Caroline and I have over the years tried to change, invent, heave, or alter, for the better, it does feel like it requires ‘a life‘ or a ‘life time’. On a personal level, and specific to this project, it’s interesting to see if, hanging out of the relative safety of my fulltime University window, I can still deliver what it takes, still have the time to prioritise, in both my heart and my head, the globally urgent, over the locally required.

See: One Water

Helen
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