Some observers with a genuine interest in social innovation will be alarmed by the ease with which the social innovation agenda has been gobbled up by the larger, and always predatory, field of public sector innovation. Others with wiser heads will perhaps not be surprised. In any case, we can say that in Australia at least, in but a handfull of years, the former has arguably disappeared without trace.

I have searched the ASIX and CSI websites for disclosure of the amount of taxpayers money used in staging the illuminating Dialogues with Christian Bason and Enzio Manzini.

DEEWR, the Victorian Government, and (of all things) the Victorian Public Service are listed as sponsors of these dialogues on Co-creation and Co-Production.

I assume that the full amount of taxpayers money, and the programs from which this (our) money is drawn, would be publicly disclosed on both ASIX and CSI websites as part of a commitment to transparency and accountability in innovative public sector practice.

In this third episode of our Social Innovation Podcasts we are featuring:

• Geoff Mulgan from the Young Foundation
• Christian Bason from Mind Lab
• Latest Social Innovation news in Australia
• What's coming next year.

We would love to hear your feedback on the type of content you would like to see here.

Despite being an incredibly generous and hospitable people, due in large part to their strong Confucian tradition, the concept of a charity store, like Goodwill or St Vincent de Paul, was literally a foreign concept until a few years ago.

In Korean culture, it was traditionally seen as bad luck to re-use second hand goods as they may come laden with bad associations. It took an inspiring civic leader to challenge this cultural taboo and in doing so break new ground in creating organisations that could create social impact.

In our second episode of our Social Innovation Podcast we are featuring:

- Ezio Manzini and his ideas on Small, Local, Open and Connected projects as a new approach for social innovation

- Tony Abrahams and the journey that took him to co-create Access Innovation Media (Ai-Media)

- Latest Social Innovation News from around Australia

We would love to hear your feedback on the type of content you would like to see here.

I was reading the latest article from the economist on Social Innovation. I feel it is very encouraging to see how there are more and more people talking about Social Innovation in new ways. This article is concentrated in two main concepts:

1. The reasons why it makes sense for governments to become interested in Social Innovation
2. Why it is ok to make money and do good at the same time

The Social Innovator Dialogues is an unique and groundbreaking collaboration between The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) and the Australian Social Innovation Exchange (ASIX)

SID Ezio Manzini Public Forum powerpoint

SID Ezio Manzini Public Forum

To all those interested in social innovation, sustainability, and community & international development - we have organised the following upcoming events for Brisbane and would really appreciate your support/participation.

For more information, please either email me nick@thinkactlive.com or skype nbyrne85

What: Barcamp Brisbane VI

RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/barcampqld/calendar/14376298/

When: Saturday, October 23, 2010 10:00 AM

Where: The Edge
State Library of Queensland Stanley Place, South Bank
Brisbane

I have been following with interest a conversation that has been bringing together all the Social Innovators in Australia (Thanks to @edwardharran) around COSI10 and also with the Social Innovation Barcamp coming very soon. I feel that this has a lot of potential to collaborate in more things.

I thought I would open this thread to start having this conversation in an open space.

So, where from here? Any thoughts?

I’m a changemaker. Apparently. (I’m listed as one on this website.)

And I want to be an active participant in the process of social change.

But how much change do I want to make?

And how much am I prepared to change who I am and how I live in order to see society change in the ways I think it needs to?

Those are the key questions which Ezio Manzini’s recent presentations as part of the SIDialogues series raise for me.

The challenge is real.