Fellow News

“Before we talk about all that you have done, and Teach For America, and what its importance is, look at education, Kindergarten through twelve, and tell me, why isn’t it better?” Charlie Rose posed this and many similarly challenging questions to 1991 Echoing Green Fellow and Teach For America (TFA) founder Wendy Kopp in an interview that aired Wednesday night on his show.

In partnership with Green Chimneys, a housing program for homeless LGBT youth, the Reciprocity Foundation hosted a “Design Your Future” career workshop series that began in May and has helped twenty young New Yorkers sharpen their networking and soft skills.  2007 Echoing Green Fellows Taz Tagore and Adam Bucko began the Reciprocity Foundation to help youth at risk of homelessness develop into creative professionals.

Recently, the I Do Foundation, started by 2002 Echoing Green Fellows Bethany Robertson and Lawrence Miller, caught the attention of Modern Bride magazine.  Modern Bride has asked them to partner with the magazine on an exciting campaign, “I’m a Modern Bride,” which features celebrity brides. The magazine is donating $5,000 in honor of each of five bridal celebrities profiled in their latest issue.

Welcome to the third installment of True Life of Social Entrepreneurs! We’re here to present you with the nitty-gritty details and day-to-day triumphs of our amazing Echoing Green Fellows as they take on the feat of carving out their own paths to social change. Our 2007 fellows have reported back with their progress over the last few months, and we’re thrilled to present their updates to you!

Shreen Abdul Saroor, Sohini Chakraborty, Vuslat Dogan Sabanci, and Betty Makoni all have something in common: they are all reaching into and empowering communities to speak out against violence towards women.  Last week's Washington Post profiled the activists as they reflected on women and young girls they’ve encountered with little legal protection against the sexual and other violence they face in their countries. All of this comes in light of the International Viole

Last week 2007 Echoing Green Fellow John Alford was quoted by the Washington Post in an article on the rise of charter schools in post-Katrina New Orleans. Since the hurricane ended, charter school enrollment in New Orleans has grown from 2 percent of 67,000 public school students to 53 percent of 33,000 students according to the Post. John is just one of many like-minded individuals who has recognized the city’s tragedy as an opportunity for social change.

Maya Ajmera

Congratulations to Maya Ajmera on being a recipient of the Women of Distinction Award at this year’s National Conference for College Women Student Leaders!

We recently highlighted the work of Buffalo ReUse and its founder Michael Gainer, a 2007 Echoing Green Fellow, but it seems there’s more media coverage in store for the organization. The Sundance Channel will be devoting an entire episode of its show Big Ideas for a Small Planet to Buffalo ReUse and the work it’s done to recycle and restore everything from front doors to floorboards.

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Thomas L. Friedman recently wrote a column about the lottery to select the incoming class of Baltimore, Maryland’s new SEED School. The school, which will open in August 2008, is a symbol of hope for generational change to many parents residing in the state’s underserved and lower income communities. Admission to the SEED school nearly guarantees that their children will receive a quality education and a chance at college admission regardless of the environments from which they’ve come.

Kacie King at Greensgrow in Philadelphia

2002 Echoing Green Fellow Ian Marvey was recently quoted in a New York Times article on Greensgrow and the rise of urban farming. The idea behind this innovative practice is to create a sustainable means for producing fresh and organic foods that would otherwise not have been introduced to local urban communities, while creating alternative and seemingly unconventional jobs for young city-dwellers-turned-farmers.