Over the last few weeks NationSwell has been introducing you to a number of groundbreaking innovators who are making big bets to tackle even bigger national problems. The topics have ranged from education and national service to our recent installment featuring FoodCorps, an organization dedicated to teaching kids across 15 states how to grow and eat healthy food.
On June 24, NationSwell hosted its first ever live Google+ hangout to discuss these initiatives. NationSwell’s Special Projects Editor Cat Cheney, FoodCorps founder Curt Ellis, and FoodCorps service member Meghan McDermott elaborated on how specifically the organization is changing their communities for the better.
As Curt Ellis puts it, “There are 100,000 public schools in America. As we’ve learned in the first few years, changing a lunch line from serving french fries to fresh greens takes a great deal of work.” Not only that, but changing a child’s attitude toward food is not exactly a simple task either. To try to teach her students to have an open mind to foods they instinctively dismiss without trying, food service member Meghan McDermott’s motto in her classroom is ‘Don’t yuck my yum.’ “We try to teach kids to be respectful of other people’s eating habits and their likes and dislikes. We teach them that everyone’s tastebuds are different. They might like something now that they don’t like later, or they might not like something now that they might like prepared a different way.”
Watch the video above to learn more about the inner workings of FoodCorps and how you can get involved. To continue the conversation, share your thoughts with the hashtag #NSBigBets.
Tag: national challenges
SXSW: 10 Panels That Could Change America
What can bring innovators, entrepreneurs, journalists, activists, geeks, and hipsters all together? That would be South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW), which kicks off today in Austin, Texas.
This rather eclectic crowd gathers for panels, presentations, and even parties on all that is new and next. Not only are there a wide range of attendees, but panel discussions as well: They cover everything from “The Internet of Cars” to “Hacking Princess Culture” to “Being Social With Grandma: Social Media for 50+.”
For those of us with our eyes on the most creative solutions to our national challenges, here are the sessions we think have the most potential to impact America. Certainly, their messages will extend far beyond the podium and long past the Q&A:
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Heading to SXSW? Hopefully, we’ll see you at the one of these panels. But if you’re not able to make it, use the hashtags listed on the session URLs to join the virtual conversation, then let us know how you plan to take action!
Welcome to NationSwell
NationSwell is a digital media company focused on American innovation and renewal — identifying and profiling social innovators who are developing impactful ways to solve America’s most critical issues.
NationSwell finds inspiration in the people who are rolling up their sleeves and the things they are doing — to drive advancements in education and environmental sustainability; to make government work better for citizens; to engage more people in national service; to support our veterans and their families; to revitalize our economy and advance the American dream; and more.