Earlier this month, the digital platform for the global project, Common Good First was launched at a Social Innovation for Digital Storytelling Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa.
Funded by the European Union with €1 million over three years, the Common Good First platform will showcase remarkable community projects, social innovation and social enterprise projects from around the world. The platform launched with 100 stories from different locations in South Africa, including in Makhanda where Rhodes University is situated.
From educating children to overcome gangsterism, looking after orphans, doing pottery, dealing with gender-based violence to purifying water, all communities have an exceptional ability to tackle problems, find innovative solutions and have established projects to address them.
Diana Hornby, Director of Community Engagement at Rhodes University, said: “The aim of the platform is to share innovative approaches to social challenges, many of which are similar worldwide. The platform is really easy to use. When telling your story, it is like filling in a Facebook or LinkedIn profile. Projects can add content as they go along to market and communicate their stories, raise their profile and attract funders.”
The Innovative Digital Platform, where stories can be shared, is available at http://www.commongoodfirst.com.
Rhodes University has established a dynamic Social Innovation Hub where interested project leaders can register their projects or gain new skills in the ICT space.