2017-2019 Annual Report Final 4

DO GOOD. SEPTEMBER 2017-
BETTER. AUGUST 2019

biennial Report
BALLARD CENTER

Saving the Environment with Driving Change in Human Women Helping Women in
Mushrooms pp. 18-21 Trafficking pp. 22-23 Entreprenuership pp. 36

THE BALLARD CENTER 18

12 Saving the Environment with Mushrooms

Social Innovator of the Year

Contents 16 - 17

4–5 TEDxBYU

Letter from the Director 18 - 21

6–7 Saving the Enviroment with Mushrooms

Best in the World in Social Innovation 22 – 23

8–9 Driving Change in Human Trafficking

Program Chart 24 – 25

10 – 11 New Resource to Inform Social Impact

New Programs 26 - 27

12 – 15 By the Numbers

Social Innovator of the Year 28 - 33

2 Program Updates

34 - 35

Saving Mothers and Babies

22 DO GOOD. BETTER.

Driving Change in Human Trafficking 29

Off-Campus Internships

36 46 - 47

Women Helping Women in Entreprenuership The Story of Three Graduate Students

37 48

Research Team Streamlines Farming Supply Chain New Course Leads the Way

38 - 39 49

Interning at University Impact Ballard Board Leadership & Donors

40 50 - 51

Advisement Sessions Ballard Center Staff Members

41 3

How to Live a Meaningful Life

42 - 43

An Adoption Miracle

44 - 45

Y-Prize Problem Mastery

THE BALLARD CENTER

credits

Annual Report

September 2017 – August 2019

Managing Editor Alicia Gettys

Design Ellen Wild / Magazine Template by Mirazz

Emily Haslam

Jennica Collette

Writers Brendan Gwynn

Heidi Phelon

Jillian Argento

Maggie Kuta

Marieka Creek

Michaela Proctor

Paul Swenson

Sabrina Bengtzen



Copy Editor Kellene Ricks Adams

Contact 801.422.5283
[email protected]

Copyright © 2020
Melvin J. Ballard Center for Social Impact

Marriott School of Business
Brigham Young University

4

DO GOOD. BETTER.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

todd manwaring

DEAR CHANGEMAKERS,

Welcome to the biennial report of one of the largest academic centers at BYU. We continue to be the world’s largest
university social impact program. This special double-issue biennial report will give you an idea of every program
that students have been involved in with us for the past two years. You will wish we were around when you went to
college!

We have had another incredible growth spurt in the number of students deeply involved in classes, internships,
competitions, research, and grants since our last report of the 2016-2017 academic year—up 58 percent in the past
two years. Add in our total student connections, which include one-time events such as our Peery Film Festival,
TEDxBYU, and various info sessions and that figure jumps to an incredible 157 percent growth from two years ago.
[See pages 26-27 for detailed numbers.]

I fully expect our year-over-year growth to continue. Our secret sauce? Other universities that visit to see what
we do and how we do it consistently mention the following three things:

1. Our Students
Our millennial and gen-z students are similar to millennial/gen-z students everywhere. They want to change the
world more than past generations. The students want to do this at work, at school, and elsewhere in their lives.

They also notice that our students are different in some ways. Our students tend to be older and more mature,
many have served missions, and many speak another language. They also recognize that our faith energizes
social impact action because we know that we are all brothers and sisters.

2. Our Student Staff
Most academic centers at BYU and other universities that have more than 11,000 student interactions (2,870 deep
ones) have a large, expensive, full-time staff. At the Ballard Center, that full-time list is two-deep. There is me and
my great partner in running the center, Alicia Gettys. We also have small segments of three faculty, two part-time
nonstudent staff, and six adjunct, part-time faculty.

In addition, we have one hundred student staff members who run each and every one of our programs. We trust
each one of our student staff and respect them as team members. In return, we get the most creative and inno-
vative social impact program in the world.

3. Your Financial Support
When the visiting universities realize that donors like you have been funding 100% of what we do, they all wish
they had this same relationship and financial support. In January 2019, BYU started providing budget funds for
Alicia and me. However, the rest of our $1.2 million budget still comes from you and your friends.

Lastly, we’ve changed our name to the Melvin J. Ballard Center for Social Impact. This name better reflects who
we are and what we do. Our goal remains to help students learn how to solve social problems and care for those in
need. With your help, we have created a unique university program. Thank you so much for your generous partner-
ship with us!

Sincerely,

Todd Manwaring
Founder, Director, and Professor-of-Practice

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THE BALLARD CENTER

BALLARD CENTER

Best in the World in
Social Innovation

Written by Sabrina Bengtzen

When people consider the learning opportunities provided on a college a time when many campuses struggle with sustainable fundraising for so-
campus, they often envision chemistry labs, history lectures, and cial innovation and changemaking, the Ballard Center has been creative and
calculus classrooms. However, the Ballard Center at Brigham Young University innovative since its founding when it comes to fundraising. Furthermore, its
offers a unique learning opportunity, one that doesn’t quite fit any of these commitment to donor relationships—and investing as much in supporting phi-
normal descriptions. The center is focused on social impact or, in other words, lanthropists to increase the impact of their giving through training, learning
how an organization’s actions cause a positive or negative change with dis- journeys, and coaching—is a demonstration of social innovation and change-
advantaged communities. Our goal is to not only help students gain skills and making in action, which only advances the greater good of the sector.”
experience in doing good in the world, but in doing it better.
When Aaron Miller, BYU MPA professor, and Brendan Christiansen, BYU Marriot
As a result of the Ballard Center’s great success, BYU has been designated as student, researched the top social impact and social innovation programs at
one of Ashoka U’s Changemaker Campuses. Ashoka is one of the world’s lead- other universities last semester, they quickly noticed that the Ballard Center
ers in social impact. Its Ashoka U program, an organization that advocates for was the strongest student-focused program by far. “The closest programs are a
all colleges and universities to embrace and cultivate changemaking students, quarter of the Ballard Center’s size in terms of student involvement and breadth
awards this honor to universities around the world that lead the way in social of programs. Most are one-tenth or smaller,” Miller says.
impact and social innovation. Ashoka U has deemed BYU to be one of the best.
Why? Keep reading. When individuals ask about the Ballard Center, those involved are quick to ex-
plain, “It is the largest on-campus center for social impact in the world!” And
With only two full-time directors, two part-time employees, and five part-time when they say that, they mean it.
adjunct faculty, the Ballard Center is able to leverage the abilities and inter-
ests of approximately ninety student employees to co-lead and run over thirty To learn more about the Ballard Center at BYU, visit ballard.byu.edu.
different programs. Angie Fuessel, director of Changemaker Campus at Ashoka
U, says, “BYU’s model of student engagement, employment, and leadership in “It is the largest on-campus center for
social innovation is a powerful mechanism to spread changemaking on cam- social impact in the world!” And when
pus while also investing in the long-term development of student changemak-
ing leaders. By empowering and equipping students to lead initiatives and be they say that, they mean it.
ambassadors of social innovation, students themselves spot opportunities for
improvement and innovation, support and coach peers, and advance projects
across the university in collaboration with faculty and staff.”

Through these thirty programs, the Ballard Center reached 11,000 students, en-
gaging 2,870 of them in classes, competitions, and clubs in 2018. Marina Kim,
co-founder and executive director of Ashoka U, states, “The Ballard Center’s
continuous growth of student engagement across the campus has been im-
pressive. In particular, it balances both depth of program offerings for those
that want to dive deep into social innovation and breadth of offerings to en-
gage a variety of disciplines and backgrounds in changemaking.”

Beyond those statistics, the fact that participating students represent over #1
ninety different majors is a testament to the Ballard Center’s broad appeal. To
this point, Fuessel says, “The professionalized branding, marketing, and com-
munications of the Ballard Center sets it apart from many. From brand attrib-
utes and style guides to regular communications vehicles, co-branding with
others, and creative outreach and follow-up techniques, the Ballard Center
takes seriously is commitment to engage people from across the campus.”
As the Ballard Center continues to increase in involvement and student en-
gagement, the center itself strives to change and innovate. Kim explains, “In

6

DO GOOD. BETTER.

Top row: Peery Film festival par-
ticipants and organizers (p. 30).
Middle left: Director of commu-
nications and operations Alicia
Gettys (left) and event manager
Rose Palmer (right). Middle right:
Design thinking competitors (p.
10). Bottom right: TEDxBYU at-

tendees (p. 16).

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THE BALLARD CENTER

program chart

Classes

• Advanced Impact Investing (p. 39)
• Ballard Brief (p. 24)

• Ballard Scholar (p. 29)
• Corporate Social Impact (p. 48)
• How to Live a Meaningful Life (p. 41)

• Impact Investing (p. 39)
• MBA Social Innovation Emphasis (p. 46)

(All Graduate Students Can Apply)
• Social Impact Lectures (p. 32)
• Social Impact: Do Good Better (p. 28)
• Social Venture Consultant (p. 32)

Clubs

• Changemaker Club (p. 31)
• Nonprofit Student Society (NSS) (p. 33)
• Social Impact Professional Association (p. 10)

8

ventures DO GOOD. BETTER.

• Social Venture Academy (p. 36)

• Social Venture Education Challenge (p. 35)

• Social Venture Maternal Health Challenge (p. 34)

• Social Venture Solar Challenge (p. 35) research

• Ballard Brief (p. 24 )
• Global Impact Group (p. 37)

internships

• Ballard Innovation Team (p. 28)
• Corporate Social Impact Projects (p. 10)

• Impact Investing (p. 39)
• Off-Campus Internships and Grants (p. 29)

• Social Innovation Projects (p. 23)

events

• Do Good Better FHE (p. 11)

• Peery Film Festival (p. 30)

• Social Innovator of the Year Award (p. 12)

• TEDxBYU (p. 16)

competitions

• Changemaker Film Competition (p. 31) 9
• Y-Prize: Ballard Stories (pp. 11, 42)
• Y-Prize: Design Thinking (p. 10)
• Y-Prize: Problem Mastery (p. 44)

• Y-Prize: Social Innovation Solutions Competition (p. 18)

THE BALLARD CENTER

Y-DESIGN, CSIP, BALLARD STORIES, AND DGB FHE

new programs
Written by Michaela Proctor

Y-Prize: Design thinking Some problems in life have a simple solution with a clear, problem-solving meth-
odology. But what about problems that have multiple stakeholders and no clear
solution? The Y-Prize Design Thinking Competition brings students from all disciplines together to utilize the design-thinking process to

improve the university’s focus on promoting lifelong service. The competition is a unique class competition where students learn about design

thinking and compete for the best solution. Teams present their final solutions to a board of judges with winning teams receiving prize money.

“This project was a great opportunity,” says Catherine Gardiner, experience design and management senior and member of the

first-place winning team. “My team worked on redesigning the general-education choosing experience to be more personal and applicable

to students. The best part was applying what I’ve learned in multiple classes to a real problem and knowing we would be able to present our

findings to professors and deans.

Mat Duerden and Neil Lundberg, both experience de- to make real changes in the world. Susan adds, “We also hope that

sign and management professors, lead the class competition. The students can find a job in social impact after graduating, as a result

competition is just one step that has recently been taken to place of their involvement in this club!”

a stronger emphasis and focus on the implementation of innovation

methods into the Ballard Center programs. Check out the club at ballard.byu.edu/clubs.

To learn more visit: designthinking.byu.edu. CSIp This new on-campus internship program partners stu-
dent teams with top companies such as Microsoft and
social impact professional Cisco. The students work with each organization’s effort to directly
association The Social Impact Professional As- impact social issues that they are working on. Students have the
opportunity to work directly with world-class organizations to solve
sociation (SIPA) is the newest club social issues and gain hands-on project management, teamwork,
at the Ballard Center. Because the Ballard Center does not have a and communication experience.
major or minor program, no assigned advisement or career service Erin Stocksdale, a member of the Microsoft internship
is directly connected to the Ballard Center, and other existing career team, said the team's project was to improve local volunteerism
services are less familiar with social impact. SIPA was created to act among Microsoft employees across the country by holding focus
as a career service and professional development organization for groups and researching other companies’ volunteerism. Working
any student on campus who wants a career in social impact. with such a big-name company was an amazing opportunity, says
“Our overall objective for SIPA is to help students find ca- Stocksdale.
reers in social impact,” says Susan Davidson, president of the new “My internship with Microsoft will definitely be a talking
club. “We want to help students by providing information about what point in future job interviews,” she says. “I was excited to work on an
career options are available, as well as hold events and workshops actual project and present it to upper-level management because I
that allow students to develop skills needed to find jobs and create felt like my work could actually make an impact.”
opportunities for students to network with professionals and each “Most of our clients offered summer internships and
other.” full-time job interviews to our students,” says Reid Robison, CSIP
Through joining this club, students will gain more knowl- internship professor. “I am impressed that the pilot program was a
edge about the field of social impact and what they need to do to success and anticipate that fall will be even better.”
prepare to enter it. They will be able to build their network for future
opportunities and work with other like-minded students who want More information can be found at ballard.byu.edu/CSI.

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DO GOOD. BETTER.

Ballard Stories Through the Ballard
Story Competition,
students share how the Ballard Center classes and programs
help them Do Good. Better. Students from a variety of majors
and backgrounds describe their journeys, impactful insights,
and passions for social change, as well as the experiences
that originally led them to engage in social impact. After a
preliminary round, five finalists are chosen to refine their
stories and promote themselves and their stories on social
media. The stories range from running for public office and
serving ex-convicts to starting their own social enterprises.
Each account, though different, reflects not only the good
that students are doing for others but also the change they
have seen in themselves as a result of participating in Bal-
lard Center programs. These inspirational stories reached
thousands through social media and helped readers see that
no matter what previous experience they have, they have a
place at the Ballard Center.

Read more at ballard.byu.edu/students.

Laurie Batschi is one of the five finalists for the 2018 Ballard Story competition.

Do Good Better FHE Paper, tape, Do Good Better FHE participants enjoy finding
scissors, creative solutions to everyday problems.
pipe cleaners, and cookies. These were some of the items
used during the Ballard Center’s new family home evening 11
event. Students and families from the community came to-
gether for a workshop on design thinking— a tool to amplify
the good they can do in the world by creating customized
solutions to problems using imagination and empathy. At-
tendees participated in a design thinking activity, which
challenged them to create the perfect scripture study space
for their partner.

Through interviewing, drawing, and ultimately cre-
ating a prototype study space using craft supplies, the group
learned how designing solutions to fit individual needs can
apply to much more than study spaces. The same process
can also be used to design solutions for individuals facing
complex social issues, whether it be implementing a new
education system for children in Ghana or helping create a
program to assist elderly neighbors with chores around the
house.

THE BALLARD CENTER

ALEX BERNADOTTE & MISAN REWANE

Social Innovator of the Year
The Ballard Center’s Social Innovator of the Year Award recognizes an exceptional individual who
is solving social problems. In 2018 and 2019, two exceptional women were chosen to receive this
honor. Both of these women have dedicated their lives to helping the disadvantaged become more

self-reliant through education and vocational training.

ALEX BERNADOTTE

Apps Can’t Empathize; Humans Can’t Scale

Written by Michaela Proctor

Nine cars filled with siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins Bernadotte developed an award-winning app that helps re-
followed Alexandra Bernadotte’s vehicle in a cara- mind students when to apply for scholarships and how to
van as she arrived at Dartmouth as the first college student work within the college system. But what makes Bernadotte’s
in her family. A Haitian immigrant raised in inner city Boston, organization socially innovative is the integration of the app
Bernadotte was elated to lead her family with a shining high with students who are first-generation college attendees. “An
school report card and a résumé that reflected perfect prepa- app can remind you of when your next exam is or when you
ration for college success. need to file your FAFSA, but it can’t help you understand what’s
stopping you from asking your professor for help,” Bernadotte
But success did not come her freshman year. In fact, Berna- says. “An app can send you weekly inspirational prompts but
dotte did so poorly that she was put on academic probation can’t reassure you that you are indeed college material.”
and required to take time off from school. She had assumed
getting in to a university would be the hardest part of going to Bernadotte ultimately succeeded at Dartmouth, and when it
school, but Bernadotte struggled with every aspect of college came time for graduation, the caravan of cars following her as
life — from the academic and the financial to the social and she left was even longer than when she arrived. Now her vision
emotional. is to be a caravan of support for low-income students so they
too can rise above the statistics and gain a game-changing
Unfortunately, Bernadotte’s struggles in college are not unique education. Reaching more students, according to Bernadotte,
for underserved youth. Only 9 percent of students from low-in- will require the integration of technology and human service
come families will earn bachelor degrees by their mid-twenties because “humans don’t scale and apps can’t empathize.”
compared to 77 percent of their higher-income peers. Stag-
gering statistics such as these are why Bernadotte, Social For more information, visit ballard.byu.edu/SIOY.
Innovator of the Year in 2018, started Beyond12, a company
that brings technology and human experience together to help
low-income students successfully navigate their college ca-
reers.

“When it comes to solutions or social problems, we are used
to thinking about people and not products,” Bernadotte says.
“But I believe deeply that the integration of technology and hu-
man service is one of the only ways to achieve social change
at scale.”

12

DO GOOD. BETTER.

“You think about Alex—a first-
generation college student who
didn’t know the rules or how to use
the system, and who doesn’t do
well her first year—coming back
strong and going on to Stanford
for graduate school. I can just
imagine her telling that story to
the people who she is working
with and saying, ‘If I can do it, you
can do it too.’ It means so much
more because of her personal

experience.”
- Todd Manwaring

13

THE BALLARD CENTER
14

DO GOOD. BETTER.

MISAN REWANE

Riding Your Wave to the Future
Written by Sabrina Bengtzen

Change often comes in waves, waves of thought, cour- WAVE is an organization focused on providing unemployed youth
age, faith, and determination. As a woman with tools that transform their mindsets and abilities to seek en-
seeking change, Misan Rewane learned to fight the issue of try-level jobs. It empowers these youth to tap into their life expe-
youth unemployment in her home country by creating waves of riences that have already taught them to work hard, persevere,
her own. Rewane, Social Innovator of the Year in 2019, is more and become reliable assets to whatever institutions they join.
than familiar with the struggles that accompany education and Rewane constantly reaches out to employers, gaining an under-
social mobility. Growing up in Nigeria, she witnessed first-hand standing of what they want in an employee. These insights lead
a broken educational system, a system that has created vast to a dynamic and impactful curriculum that Rewane hopes will
unemployment throughout the nation. change the way young employees in Nigeria are hired forever.

“Forty million young people in West Africa alone, ages eighteen One of WAVE’s many success stories involves Andyson Uzor, a
to thirty-five, do not have a postsecondary education and [as a student who was kept from the workplace even though he had
result] are blocked out of the formal economy,” Rewane states. a degree. Due to the confines of a poor education, Uzor left
Beyond that, there are thousands of students who aren’t able college unequipped with many of the skills employers wanted
to receive entry-level work, even with diplomas. Were it not for in a new hire. He found himself without income even after years
her parents' perseverance in sending her to the United States to of toiling over textbooks and taking tests. With a dire need for
receive a higher education, Rewane very well could have been help, Uzor came to WAVE and enrolled in its three-week intensive
one of those 40 million. program. He now works at a successful hotel chain and loves
meeting new people every day as he finds fulfillment and joy
After earning distinguished degrees from both Stanford and Har- in succeeding. The statistics of WAVE are impressive: 75 per-
vard Universities, Rewane turned her focus back to her home cent of students who graduate from the program connect with
country. She continued to see the problem of unemployment, an entry-level job in about five weeks. This is an astronomical
and she felt a desire to help fix it. In searching for solutions, improvement in comparison to the average five years that youth
Rewane questioned, “Why is this? That our resumes — the first spend in Nigeria trying to find entry-level work that fits.
and sometimes the only representations of ourselves to our em-
ployers — tend to focus on the academic achievements and not “I just look forward to a day when no young person is blocked
what we have gone through in the school of life?” As a result out of economic opportunity because of what academic hand
of this question, Rewane recognized that youth with or without was dealt out to them or what financial circumstances gave
postsecondary schooling needed a way to hone in on what they them access to in terms of education and work experience,"
already had acquired, and they needed extra training. Conse- says Rewane. "But instead, they were given access to opportu-
quently, West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE) was born. nities to change their potential and ride their own wave to the
future because of what they have gone through in the school of
life, right before their eyes, in plain sight.”

For more information, visit ballard.byu.edu/SIOY.

The statistics of WAVE are impressive: 75 percent
of students who graduate from the program con-
nect with an entry-level job in about five weeks.
This is an astronomical improvement in compari-
son to the average five years that youth spend in
Nigeria trying to find entry-level work that fits.

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THE BALLARD CENTER

TEDxBYU

featured speakers
Written by Michaela Proctor and Sabrina Bengtzen

Helping underserved kids go to college, 3D printing medical labs on microchips, and creating engaging work environments are only a few of
the TEDxBYU 2018 and 2019 ideas that teach and inspire. Visit tedxbyu.com to see the videos and photos that make TEDxBYU a unique event.

AMY BLANKSON KEVIN FRIESEN DON RHEEM
"The Future of Happiness: Getting “Make the Choice to be Human”
Unstuck in the Digital Era" “How Can Work Save Our Relationships?”

Do you know how many times you pick up your cell As communicators, transformation and inspiration Forget motivational posters, snack rooms, and
phone a day? On average, 150. In this generation, are often the goal, yet many times we miss the mark. foosball. If you’ve ever wanted to know what
the feeling of being held captive by technology is We lead conversations, meetings, and presentations creates truly deep engagement at work — the kind
an all-too-familiar experience that Amy Blankson in which we are oblivious to the real needs of our that makes employees look forward to showing up
addresses head on. audience. We ignore their fears, frustrations, confusion, on Monday and stay in the company year after year
and disappointments. Not only does this lead to a — watch Don Rheem’s TEDxBYU talk.
Blankson has dedicated her career to researching shallow existence for us as communicators, but it’s
the science of happiness and how it applies in also an ineffective way to lead people and inspire them Rheem masterfully uses cutting-edge neuroscience
this digital era. She recognizes the terrors that to adopt our ideas. Kevin Friesen’s TEDxBYU talk offers to show leaders how to create high-performance
accompany new technology, social media, and a an alternative approach. workplace cultures where employees can thrive.
virtual world, but she also advocates the reality The future of work will demand more of leaders,
that we have control of our decisions. We can Friesen is a musician, pastor, social entrepreneur, and Rheem offers science-based, relational tools
choose how technology affects us. and communications consultant who has facilitated organizations can immediately put into practice.
over four hundred workshops with thousands of His unique approach is backed up with startling
Blankson is the bestselling author of The Future of communicators all over the world through Duarte, data—his client companies average a 30 percent
Happiness and is the only person to receive a Point www.duarte.com, a presentation design agency that increase in the number of engaged employees in
of Light award from two sitting US presidents. She has been cited in assisting to improve the quality of just the first year.
is a member of the UN Global Happiness Council TED Conferences. His passion to awaken people to
and a fellow of the World Innovation Organization. their core purpose and his comfortable communication Rheem is the CEO of E3 Solutions, a provider of
Find out why her TEDxBYU talk has over 95,000 style combine to make him a highly engaging and employee workplace metrics and manager training
views on YouTube and learn how you can choose impactful speaker. Friesen has a BA in music and a that allow organizations to build engaged cultures
to combat the influence of technology in your own masters in conducting from Golden Gate Seminary. where people are healthier and more productive.
life. He also completed the executive program in social
entrepreneurship from Stanford Graduate School of
Business.

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DO GOOD. BETTER.

KAREN DILLON Karen Dillion, co-author of How Will You Measure Your Life and former editor of the Harvard
Business Review, shares, “I would have told you that my family was my highest priority in life, but
“Do You Have a Strategy for Your if you looked at my allocation of resources, you would tell me that clearly was not true.
Life?”
"I was prioritizing the things that gave me the fastest return on my ‘investment wins’ at work. . . .
High achievers fall into this trap all the time. It’s part of the ‘high’ of being a high achiever. We’re
hardwired for success, and success is easiest to see in the tangible rewards of work.”

Listen to Dillon share insights on how to strategize life’s highest priorities and other great TEDxBYU
content at tedxbyu.edu/watch.

17

THE BALLARD CENTER

Y-PRIZE: SOCIAL INNOVATION
SOLUTIONS COMPETITION

Saving the enviroment
with mushrooms

Written by Jillian Argento and Michaela Proctor

If you eat rice regularly, you are one of more than 3.5 billion people worldwide who
consider rice a staple food. Rice may be a commonplace pantry item, but growing
rice can actually produce an inordinate amount of organic waste.

During Winter 2018 semester, the Y-Prize: Social Innovation Solution Competition
(SISC) partnered with Fargreen, a social venture in Vietnam that seeks to reduce open
burning of rice straw by teaching small-scale farmers to use rice straw in producing
premium, organic mushroom products, which are then sold to Fargreen’s customer
network. Fargreen protects the environment while empowering communities to
overcome poverty.

SISC invited student teams of three to five people from all disciplines to come together
and, over a ten-day period, analyze and creatively provide a realistic solution to help
Fargreen scale with limited resources. These solutions were judged by a panel, and
winning teams were awarded $6,000 in total cash prizes.

During their research, Camilla Jeffs, Jordon Oborn, and Sam Loveland, of the winning
team, learned that Fargreen wanted local millennials to help improve the company
to the desired level. With rebranding and utilization of social media platforms and
influencers, the team hoped to create a brand that shifted efforts from recruiting talent
to talent knocking at Fargreen's door.

“Getting to present our ideas to the founder of Fargreen was a special experience as an
undergrad,” says Loveland. “It was empowering to know our ideas were being carefully
considered in a real-world situation for a company with big potential in Vietnam.”

Chloe Jensen, a BYU Marriott MBA student and SISC coordinator, worked closely with
Fargreen’s CEO Trang Tran, the first Vietnamese Echoing Green Climate Fellow, who
is deeply passionate about social entrepreneurship. “Tran is excited to implement
the innovative solutions socially minded BYU students came up with during the
competition,” Jensen says.

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DO GOOD. BETTER.

The Fargreen Team

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THE BALLARD CENTER

The Fargreen Team

"For anyone interested in social innovation, SISC is one of the best
opportunities on campus to interact with and learn from other like-minded
students as well as renowned social entrepreneurs from around the world.”

- Chloe Jensen

20

DO GOOD. BETTER.

“I was amazed at how the Fargreen case was received by the students at BYU while
many of them had never been to Vietnam nor experienced the problems that we
address with Fargreen,” says Tran. “We've already put into use some of the ideas
for our hiring processes, and now we are planning on a more long-term project of
a training school for our farmers and staff, inspired by one of the winning teams'
proposals.”

However, what made the 2017–2018 school year unique was that it was the first year
that SISC held competitions during both fall and winter semesters. Traditionally,
the winter semester competition partners with an international nonprofit. The
fall competition was focused on a domestic organization—Lava Mae, a nonprofit
organization based in San Francisco that provides mobile hygiene services to
the homeless. The nonprofit’s key programs include mobile showers and pop-up
care villages, with a goal of providing one million showers to those experiencing
homelessness.

Lava Mae’s case question revolved around becoming financially independent
from donors and facilitating the replication of the mobile shower model by other
nonprofits.

The winning team—Dan Sisco, Ryan Adkins, Rachel Whitlock, Eban Beltran, and
Shawn Merrill—created a product line called Radical Home, “products for home for
people without one.” The line consisted of a body wash, shampoo, and conditioner
that would be manufactured and distributed through partners such as Dollar Shave
Club, Airbnb, and Amazon.

Adkins hopes Lava Mae will use the presented ideas in developing a solution
that will benefit the organization’s mission. “I would hope that they go back as a
team, comb through all the presentations, and pull out all of the things they like,
that they think would be best, and form one strategy that pulls from lots of these
presentations,” Adkins says. “Lots of [the presentations] had great ideas.”

Jensen notes that participating in SISC and coming up with solutions is a great
opportunity to put critical thinking skills to the test in a meaningful way. “For anyone
interested in social innovation, SISC is one of the best opportunities on campus to
interact with and learn from other like-minded students as well as renowned social
entrepreneurs from around the world,” Jensen says.

Learn more at sisc.byu.edu.

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THE BALLARD CENTER

Juan Camargo, a passionate
actor in social issues, joined
SIP to help make a difference.

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DO GOOD. BETTER.

SOCIAL INNOVATION PROJECTS

Driving Change in Human Trafficking
Written by Maggie Kuta

The Ballard Center enables students to help manga, Colombia; Gabe Davis, an American studies senior from Queen Creek,
rescue victims of human Arizona; Hannah Jarman, an art history graduate from Temecula, California;
trafficking—without stepping foot off campus. and Gabby Weber, a public relations sophomore from Sandy, Utah. The stu-
dents’ diverse educational backgrounds enabled them to develop new ideas
Last year, as part of the Ballard Center’s Social Innovation Projects (SIP), an for Truckers Against Trafficking.
on-campus internship class designed to empower students to use their skills
to make a difference in important social issues, four students conducted re- The plan, based on the students’ findings, is already being implemented. Lani-
search for Truckers Against Trafficking to find ways to combat human traffick- er—along with Luis Wertman, president of Consejo Ciudadano—presented the
ing within the Mexican trucking industry. idea to the city council in Mexico City. The organizations plan to implement
training programs not only in the trucking industry but also in the bus and
“For a long time, students have been passionate about human trafficking taxi industries in Mexico. In addition, last semester a new batch of students
and have wanted to get involved,” says Alicia Becker, the instructor for SIP. conducted a similar research project to help Truckers Against Trafficking ex-
“We were thrilled to work with Truckers Against Trafficking." pand into Canada.

Truckers Against Trafficking is a US nonprofit organization that trains truckers But the organizations weren’t the only ones changed by the experience. The
to recognize and report instances of human trafficking while on the road. The students ended the semester with a strengthened resolve to serve. “This pro-
group teamed up with Consejo Ciudadano, the organization that runs the Mex- ject changed my whole career path,” Camargo says.
ican human trafficking hotline, to develop a strategy to replicate the Truckers
Against Trafficking model in Mexico. “Before I wanted to work in consulting or finance, but I’ve found that there are
other ways in which I can have impact. The Social Innovation Projects are a
To move forward in this initiative, the organizations needed an in-depth look meaningful experience that I highly recommend to everyone.”
at the Mexican trucking industry, which is where the BYU students came in.
The students researched everything from the top one hundred trucking com- Learn more about Social Innovation Projects at power.byu.edu.
panies in Mexico to the location of truck stops on major Mexican highways.
They presented their findings to Truckers Against Trafficking in a published
report.

“The final deliverable blew me away,” says Kylla Lanier, cofounder and "This project changed my
deputy director of Truckers Against Trafficking. “The team was efficient, whole career path."
professional, personable, and truly invested in the project.”

The BYU team consisted of Juan Camargo, an economics junior from Bucara-

23

THE BALLARD CENTER

Read "Lack of Access to Water in
Rural Malawi" by Marissa Getts on

ballardbrief.org.

Washing time at Lake Malawi.
© Hans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 4.0

24

DO GOOD. BETTER.

BALLARD BRIEF

NEW RESOURCE TO INFORM SOCIAL IMPACT

Written by Michaela Proctor

Whether it is adult literacy in Alabama or domestic violence and what people are doing right now to solve it,” says Marissa Getts,
in Nigeria, learning more about social issues and editor-in-chief of Ballard Brief.
how to make an impact for good in solving them can be difficult. So
many organizations are tackling the seemingly endless amount of The briefs cover a wide range of topics, including living conditions in
issues, but where can one go for accurate information? U.S. immigration detention centers, mental illness among adolescent
refugees in the United States, and mass incarceration in the United
Ballard Brief, a new online publication from the Ballard Center, provides States.
information and answers for everyone from everyday donors to
professional social entrepreneurs to learn more about issues they are Ballard Brief writer and editor Alyssa Clark says the research she has
interested in. done on these issues and others has been comforting for her because
she has learned more about communities of changemakers who care
“Each brief discusses the context of a problem and summarizes key about issues and who are making an effort to create change.
practices and practitioners that deserve attention,” says Aaron Miller,
public administration professor and faculty advisor for Ballard Brief. “I remember trying to learn about hunger in Africa when I was in
“Our goal is to be widely recognized as the best place to turn for middle school,” Clark says. “I wish I'd had a resource like this to
learning about a wide range of social issues.” help me find legitimate information about social issues. I think
The briefs will cover topics from a specific demographic and Ballard Brief supplies an incredibly valuable resource to anyone
geographical area by boiling down complex issues so readers can have who wants to get involved in solving social issues.”
access to succinct and understandable information.
“What we are trying to do with Ballard Brief is summarize high-level If you have a social issue you want to learn more about or if you want to
data so people can come to one place and get an accurate, insightful submit an idea for a brief, visit ballardbrief.org
overview of what an issue’s causes are, what the consequences are,

25

THE BALLARD CENTER

BY THE NUMBERS

6,677 2017-2018
EXPLORING
TOTAL STUDENT EXPERIENCES
IN 2017-2018 4,444
LEARNING

1,019
ENGAGING

889

CONTRIBUTING
325

Unpaid hours to top-tier
social impact partners.

29,704

EXPLORING LEARNING

Exploring students are discovering social innovation This level of interaction with the Ballard Center includes
opportunities through advisement sessions and public students who are beginning their social innovation
events such as TEDxBYU and the Peery Film festival, but education through participation in lecture series
they remain unattached to a specific program. classes or regular club attendance.

26

DO GOOD. BETTER.

2018-2019 14,215
11,345
1,521 TOTAL STUDENT EXPERIENCES
1,002 IN 2018-2019
347

57,533

ENGAGING CONTRIBUTING

Engaged students actively participate in multiple Students who we consider contributors commit in a way
Ballard Center programs and experiences includ- that augments our impact on the campus and the world.
ing internships, gaining hands-on education. They show ongoing commitment to becoming social innova-
They invest several hours each week over several tors and plan ongoing commitment throughout their work.
months.
27

THE BALLARD CENTER

program Do Good Better

updates Do Good Better is the foundational Ballard Center class that teaches students
key concepts of social impact and how to recognize and analyze high-impact organizations.
Written by Michaela Proctor and Sabrina Bengtzen Students learn from studying examples of successful social innovators and have the oppor-
tunity to write their own briefs outlining a social problem and what is being done to address
that problem. Since its genesis in 2012, Do Good Better has grown from one small class to two
seventy-student classes per semester, with a third section being added in this coming year.
Gregory Hutchins, a teaching assistant for the Do Good Better class, has seen
how the principles from Do Good Better have launched him into the career path he is now
pursuing.
“Do Good Better changed my whole life,” says Hutchins, a pre-business strategy
major in the BYU Marriott School. “In class we studied cases of people like Fabio Rosas who
brought electricity to rural Brazil, and the Carter Center, which has all but eradicated the
guinea worm parasite. But more importantly, I learned that doing good better is for everyone.
You don’t have to go abroad or start a nonprofit to start making a difference.”
Hutchins isn’t alone in his love of the Do Good Better class. William Pham, a stu-
dent at BYU, became involved with the Ballard Center after taking the class. Pham stated, “Do
Good Better turned out to be the most impactful class of my college career. Not only did I talk
three of my roommates into getting involved with the Ballard Center, I also changed my whole
approach to education and service based on what I learned in the class. It showed me how
to do good in more than 'here’s a can of soup' kind of way.”

Check out the class at ballard.byu.edu/classes.

Ballard Innovation Team

The Ballard Innovation Team (BIT), formerly known as Social Innovation Leader-
ship Council, acts as an internal consulting group to the Ballard Center. Members of BIT come
up with solutions to complex challenges the Ballard Center faces through human-centered
design, a process where consultants visualize and empathize with the user of the final prod-
uct or idea in order to produce something their consumer will use.
In the past, BIT members researched how to better help students find career op-
portunities and receive job offers in the realm of social innovation. “Through focus groups,
interviews, and benchmarking with other universities, we found that students crave oppor-
tunities to actually meet and interact with individuals working in social innovation,” explains
Jason Koncurat, co-president of the club. “Students’ preferred career help would come from
advisement sessions, networking events, and introductions made by the Ballard Center.”
As a result of these findings, the Ballard Center’s newest club, the Social Impact
Professional Association (SIPA), was created. SIPA focuses on connecting students with so-
cial innovation professionals and providing skill development to help students gain employ-
ment. The Ballard Innovation Team also assisted in the creation of the Ballard Scholar and the
advisement program. Learn more on page 29.
Students interested in being part of BIT submit a résumé and, if selected, are
recruited for a thirty-minute, in-person interview with the student leadership of the Ballard

Ana Neilsen during her off-campus internship in Ecuador.

28

DO GOOD. BETTER.

Two Ballard Center employees sport their Do Good Better shirts at a Ballard Event.

Off-campus internships

Proximity allows students to better understand people who
are experiencing a social issue. To further the Ballard Center’s mission of
searching for pattern-breaking social innovations around the world, stu-
dents receive grants to make off-campus internships possible. Most of the
grant funding comes from generous donors who believe in the power of
face-to-face interaction when solving social problems.
Ana Neilsen, a Latin studies major and Spanish minor, interned in
Otavalo, Ecuador, during the Winter 2018 semester. She and two other BYU
students taught members of the Church the same twelve-lesson, self-reli-
ance program taught by Kaitlin Whiting — another off-campus Ballard intern
in Puerto Rico — with a focus on helping people find better work. While the
program is designed to last a total of twelve weeks, Neilsen and her group
piloted teaching the program in one week.
Both Whiting and Neilsen were grateful for the opportunity to
participate in the self-reliance services internship and they viewed their
experiences as life-changing. They not only taught people in developing
countries about self-reliance, but they also learned how to become more
self-reliant themselves.

Students interested in an off-campus internship through the Ballard Center
can go to ballard.byu.edu/internships.

Innovation Team. The co-presidents are primarily watching to see how can- Ballard Scholar
didates utilize their problem-solving skills. A total of ten to twelve students
are selected to be part of the team membership. Ballard Scholar for Social Impact is an award compiled of courses and experien-
Once chosen, students register for a 1.5-credit class where they tial learning opportunities to gain the skills necessary to make a meaningful, sustainable,
spend an average of five hours per week working on projects. The class and impactful difference in as little as four credit hours. Classes include the Social Lecture
closely resembles an internship since most of the work is hands-on. Series, Do Good Better, and Living a Meaningful LIfe. Ballard Scholar also provides perks
“BIT has given me the opportunity to see that human-centered such as priority status for internship and grants and an invitation to the Social Innovator of
design is an excellent problem-solving method,” explains Koncurat. “I see the Year luncheon.
myself continually using what I’ve learned in BIT in my future career and my In the last two years, the number of Ballard Scholars has nearly doubled, facili-
life. I am blessed to be able to share what I know with others to promote tating incredible learning experiences for students and increasing the student engagement
greater ongoing changemaking.” in Ballard Center classes and programs. Students have the ability to shape their own Ballard
Scholar experiences, choosing from multiple electives and internship options and acquiring
More information can be found at ballard.byu.edu/innovationteam. the skills they want to make a positive impact.
“Joining the Ballard Center and receiving the Ballard Scholar for Social Impact
has been one of the greatest experiences that I’ve had at BYU,” says Mo Elinzano, a masters
of mass communication graduate. “From using human-centered design to help me find the
right career path to utilizing my social media skills and experience to help the nonprofit
Engage Now Africa through Social Innovation Projects, Ballard Scholar has immensely im-
pacted my life and my time at BYU.”

Read more at ballardscholar.byu.edu.

29

THE BALLARD CENTER

Peery Film Festival

The Peery Film Festival features award-winning films and documentaries that showcase
daring people from all corners of the globe who, against all odds, are successfully alleviating poverty
and illness, combating unemployment and violence, and bringing education, light, opportunity, and
freedom to poor and marginalized people around the world.

The 2018 Peery Film Festival was the most successful festival to date; over 4,700 seats were
reserved, almost quadrupling the amount of seats reserved in prior years. Six films were featured,
including the popular Won’t You Be My Neighbor and RGB.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor — This film highlighted Fred Rogers' championing of a higher
standard in children's media. He spoke about everything in a child's life, from getting a haircut to
national tragedies, with a filter of gentle empathy—never demeaning the child's intelligence. His influ-
ence and legacy can be felt in countless generations.
RGB — Ruth Bader Ginsburg's exceptional life and career are explored in the documentary
RBG. This film weaves a tapestry of Ginsburg's life through her speeches, writings, and an extraordi-
nary interview with the eighty-four-year-old US Supreme Court Justice herself, in which she discusses
her upbringing, passions, and finding love with her husband, Marty, the man she credits for making
her career possible.
Students also participated during the film festival in the Changemaker Film Competition by
submitting their own short films focused on social issues.
The festival continues to show inspiring, award-winning films each year, creating an event
for both students and community members to become increasingly aware of and more educated on
social issues all around the world.

Learn more at peeryfilms.byu.edu.

2018 Peery Film Festival poster

Peery Film attendees enjoy featured documentaries.

30

DO GOOD. BETTER.

Changemaker Film Competition

The Changemaker Film Competition invites BYU students and BYU alumni to tell the awards in 2018. Mamme explores ways to improve maternal health in rural Ghana
stories of solving social problems through the lens of a video camera. and is a perfect example of creating art for a social cause. Tuttle is a change-
maker involved in Social Venture Maternal Health. Read more about the venture
First-place winner William Knowles (2017) captured the story of Nepalese women on p. 34.
struggling to provide for their families in his film Threads of Hope. As a BYU media arts
major, Knowles hoped his film would spread awareness about and increase empathy for View some of the top submissions of the Changemaker Film Competition on the
the challenges faced by women in Nepal. Ballard Center YouTube channel found here:

“I think until you experience something along these lines where you are immersed in
another country and culture, wherever it may be, you cannot gain a notion of the privilege
you've been granted,” says Knowles.

Knowles said his experience with the Changemaker Film Competition was extremely
valuable and hopes others use the film competition as a platform for raising awareness
for important causes.

Sam Loveland, 2018’s first-place winner, created The Water in the Winds. His film
highlights a changing climate that is causing the glaciers of Wyoming to recede, with
potential consequences for the communities downstream.

Paesha Tuttle’s submission, Mamme, won second-place and audience-choice

Changemaker Club

The Changemaker Club educates students about current social issues. Club
meetings generally feature a guest speaker or activities to help students learn about the
field of social impact.
The 2018–2019 president of the Changemaker Club, Johnny McMurray, is an
electrical engineering major who originally joined the Changemaker Club two years ago.
“I gravitated towards the Changemaker Club since I didn’t come from a business back-
ground,” McMurray said. “The club is a way for me to keep my foot in the door of social
innovation.”
For McMurray, one of the most memorable guest speakers in 2018 was a
speaker from the AMAR Foundation, which works to build self-reliance in Iraqi communi-
ties.
“The Ballard Center is rewarding because I think about problems differently
than I did before, especially in my engineering classes,” McMurray said. “Putting on suc-
cessful events are rewarding for me.”

The Changemaker Club is open to students from all majors. Questions?
Please visit ballard.byu.edu/changemakers.

Sam Loveland, 2018 Changemaker Film Competition winner.

31

THE BALLARD CENTER

Ryan McFadyen,
Ballard Center social
venture consultant

Social Venture Navigator Class Social Innovation Lecture Series

The Social Venture Academy provides student social entrepre- The Social Innovation Lecture Series brings twelve speakers to campus each se-
neurs with coaching and resources to make their socially minded ventures mester from various socially innovative organizations to share how they are implementing
a reality. The coaching and guidance provided comes from student mentors. solutions to social problems throughout the world. Many speakers are local to Utah, while
These individuals are referred to as consultants and are chosen for the posi- others share their ideas through the internet.
tion through an application process. “I still think about that class every week, without question. As strange as it
A consultant’s role is to navigate a student-run startup that is sounds, one of the biggest things I took away from the class is that social entrepreneurs
working to make positive social impact in the world while learning key prin- are ordinary humans. In just one semester, the perceived gulf between me and social entre-
ciples. Navigators assist student teams in discovering best practices, in- preneurship shortened into almost nothing.” says Paul Thomas, an exercise science student
creasing their education about social ventures and their success, gathering who attended the lecture series.
different ideas, gaining funding, etc. One of many popular presentations is provided by Dave Durocher and Alan
As a consultant, Ryan McFadyen explained that he was able to Fahringer, employees from the Other Side Academy—an organization that employs and en-
help the student entrepreneurs who started social ventures gather their ables felons to gain marketable skills and successfully re-enter society. Both Durocher and
thoughts, focus their ideas, and pursue a specific direction. “It was as if I Fahringer spent many years in prison and now work to help other convicts live their best lives
got to be a part of their team, pushing them to network, pitch to investors post-prison.
and professors, and heighten their professionalism. It was a rewarding ex- Students in a recent lecture series class also had the opportunity to hear from
perience and provided me with several skills that I want to apply to my own Sabrina Rubli, the founder of Femme International. Her organization works in East Africa
social venture someday.” to fight against the stigma surrounding menstruation and empower women and girls with
sustainable feminine hygiene products that help girls stay in school and have greater health
Read about other social ventures on pp. 34 —36. and dignity.
Each semester, the Ballard Center brings in more partner organizations to speak,
inspiring BYU students to become involved with social issues.

Find this class at ballard.byu.edu/classes.

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DO GOOD. BETTER.

Ballard Students present social impact Nonprofit Student Society (NSS)
concepts at Ideas Showcase.
The Nonprofit Student Society (NSS) is one of the newest additions to the Ballard
Center. The mission of the NSS is to develop future leaders of the nonprofit sector. “The NSS
is the first place to go for students who want to start their own nonprofit or join the minor,”
says Talon Hicken, a neuroscience major who is planning to apply to medical school. “The
club is a launchpad to get you to where you want to go.”
Many students in NSS are also part of the nonprofit minor, which gives students
the opportunity to become a certified nonprofit professional (CNP). Once they fulfill the CNP
requirements, students are qualified to put “CNP” after their names. This title indicates that
students have earned real-world experience in the field of nonprofit work, they have pro-
vided service and leadership to an organization, and they have attended a national confer-
ence.
For Hicken, the NSS has been a place for him to implement his love of service. As
a result of his experience in the nonprofit field, Talon is currently working for the Simmons
Center for Cancer Research on campus — a perfect combination of his love for service and
the medical field.
“I am excited about the Nonprofit Student Society becoming one of our three
supported clubs,” said Todd Manwaring, director of the Ballard Center. “The largest majority
of recognized, best-in-class social innovators have structured their organizations as non-
profit hybrids. The NSS will bring students who are passionate about nonprofits into the
larger Ballard Center network.”

Visit byunmsa.weebly.com for more information.

NSS Club participates in 2017 Nonprofit
Leadership Alliance in Denver, Colorado.

Ballard Students present social impact concepts at Ideas Showcase .

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THE BALLARD CENTER

SOCIAL VENTURE MATERNAL HEALTH CHALLENGE

Saving Mothers and Babies
Written by Heidi Phelon

In February 2018, the World Health Organization reported that more than “We worked closely with community healthcare workers every day in Ghana,”
eight hundred women die worldwide every day due to preventable says Rhondeau. “It’s not about going to make an intervention, it’s about
causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Students who participate in working alongside community leaders who locals already know and respect.
the Social Venture Maternal Health Challenge propose technology-related We were able to implement what we had been planning for months and find
solutions to lower the mortality rate for pregnant mothers. friendships that were cross-cultural and cross-generational.”

In the past, the challenge has been limited to vulnerable populations in Rhondeau’s team plans to return at some point to measure the impact and
underdeveloped countries. In the 2017 - 2018 school year, participants could sustainability of its solution. Team members are currently monitoring the
target vulnerable populations in any country. Naomi Rhondeau, student program they implemented, which they designed and created. It is a system
program director, says, “The United States actually has the highest maternal that connects community health workers and expectant mothers. “If our
mortality rate of all the developed countries.” solution isn’t what the people need, then we will pivot to find a solution that
will work for them,” says Rhondeau.
Today, the maternal health challenge is one of three social venture challenges
sponsored by the Ballard Center. Rather than having first-, second-, and Rhondeau advises students who are considering participating in the
third-prize winners, the challenge creates a situation where students aren’t challenge not to feel intimidated or limited. It’s easy for students to think
competing against each other. Instead, they are proposing a "best venture” that this challenge is reserved for public health or business students, but
through the Social Venture Academy, and every team who meets the criteria is it is open to students from all disciplines, she says. Plenty of freedom and
eligible to move forward with implementation. creativity exist within the requirements of the challenge.

If student teams meet the necessary benchmarks for their ventures, they are For Rhondeau, the most meaningful part of the challenge was taking her
awarded $24,000 to implement their ideas. team’s ideas to the people themselves. “When you meet people, it puts a story
to a name,” Rhondeau says. “We got to hold a baby who was eight hours old.
The challenge consists of students presenting their best roduct validation to We met a mother whose one-year-old baby had just died. You meet real people
a panel of judges, in hopes of winning $2,000. An additional $4,000 is made and realize that these solutions are for people just like us; they are just living
available in grant finding if the students travel internationally. under different circumstances.”

In 2018, two teams met the Best Product benchmarks and partnered with Care Read more at ballard.byu.edu/challenge.
for Life, a nonprofit in Mozambique that focuses on alleviating poverty for
families, and Ghana Health Services in Ghana.

34

DO GOOD. BETTER.

social Social Venture Solar
venture
challenges Many people in developing nations rely on kerosene lamps for light, which are expen-
sive, dangerous, and emit unhealthy fumes. Solar lamps offer a cheaper, healthier alternative,
Social Venture Education which allow families to improve their education, businesses, and family time.
Teams of BYU students are challenged to start sustainable solar companies in the
In the sub-Saharan, 11 million children leave school be- countries that need it most. The Social Venture Solar challenge provides students mentoring and
fore completing their primary education. In South and West Asia, financial resources to increase chances of success.
that number reaches 13.5 million. In Africa, there is estimated to be a In the 2017–2018 school year, the Social Venture Solar challenge had over 100 percent
shortage of 4 million teachers in the next ten years. Millions of bright increase in engaged student hours, with more teams participating this year than Social Venture
students go without access to educational opportunities that can Solar has had in all the previous years combined.
help pull them out of poverty. One student solar company, Yenso Solar, has grown to provide solar lighting to over 20
Social Venture Education challenges students to bring villages in Ghana and offer many jobs to women in rural areas.
educational opportunities to a population in need. Unlike the other “Social Venture Solar gave me more opportunities than I could have ever had in any
Social Venture Challenges, Social Venture Education gives students classroom,” says Harrison Riehle, a co-founder of Yenso Solar. “I have been able to start a compa-
more room to run with their own ideas. The constraints are broader ny in Ghana that has provided thousands of people clean solar energy that they can have in their
and allow many ways for student teams to define and tackle lack of homes.”
access to education in the developing world. Teams have created sex BYU solar teams are also currently working in Rwanda and Malawi.
education programs, tech education programs, and general educa-
tion programs in Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda. More information at ballard.byu.edu/challenge.
“This program provides solutions that we know are prov-
en to fight poverty and give students the chance to apply their own Naomi Rhondeau hodling a newborn baby.
skills and creative solutions to target specific markets and specific
countries,” says Ariana Rosenberg, program director of Social Venture
Education. “Every solution is different, and every team brings some-
thing new to the problem.”
One student team, Brighten Africa, traveled to Ghana to
build an IT academy for unemployed students. The school brings in
basic data -entry jobs from the US so students can gain an education
and earn money at the same time.
“Working on this project has had a huge impact on the
way I see myself in connection to the rest of the world,” says Whitney
Larson, a member of the Brighten Africa team and a public relations
major.

Find out more at ballard.byu.edu/challenge.

35

THE BALLARD CENTER

SOCIAL VENTURE ACADEMY

Women Helping Women in
Entrepreneurship

Written by Paul Swenson a cool thing to start,” Berhan says. “You have to bridge
the gap between our culture and theirs—that’s what I’m
BYU student Olivia Berhan was seventeen trying to do through Kelali.”
years old when she first
visited Ethiopia with her father, Mussie, a refugee from Another venture currently participating in the Social
the Northeastern African country. While visiting Ethio- Venture Academy includes BYU students Kathryn
pia, Berhan noticed crowds of disenfranchised women Ivancovich, a senior from Porterville, California, studying
begging in the streets, and she vowed to help. elementary education, and Sam Duzett, a senior study-
ing statistics from Hillsboro, Oregon, along with Spencer
Fast forward to today and Berhan, a native of Mount Ver- Ford, who graduated from BYU in 2015 with a degree in
non, Washington, has founded a company that aims to psychology and lives in Provo. The three-person team is
give women in Ethiopia a way to provide for themselves. working to develop a software system to help combat
The company, Kelali, is one of nine student-run ventures sexual assault at college campuses across the nation.
that pitched to Social Venture Academy, a resource The company, RepowerU, offers educational videos, a
provided by the Ballard Center, at a recent judging event. cellphone application, and an administrative database
Student entrepreneurs in the academy work to solve to help students and faculty address sexual assault on
social issues across the globe, and recent participants campus.
seem to be setting a new trend in social entrepreneur-
ship—women helping women. Eight of the nine ventures “Students can be too embarrassed to go into an office
in the academy include at least one woman team and report sexual assault,” Ivancovich says. “RepowerU
member, and three of the ventures—including Berhan’s allows Title IX administrators to receive anonymous
Kelali—were founded exclusively by women teams. messages from students who ask questions like, ‘Hey,
this happened to me last night, what should I do about
Aaron Miller, an associate teaching professor of public it?’ This way students don’t have to have their names or
service and ethics at BYU Marriott, believes that women faces known to receive help.”
in social entrepreneurship appears to be a trend that
won’t be slowing down anytime soon. “More and more Both Ivancovich and Berhan, along with the other partic-
women are moving into social entrepreneurship and are ipants in the Social Venture Academy, are grateful for the
doing it in a way that’s reaching and improving problems help they’ve received. “The Ballard Center has definitely
that have been around for a long time,” he says. Miller, opened doors in many different ways,” Ivancovich says.
who also serves as associate director for the Ballard “It has given us so many opportunities with competi-
Center, has been involved with the Social Venture Acade- tions, counseling, mentoring, and connecting us to other
my for over a decade and is thrilled to see women in the entrepreneurs who have already gone down this path.”
academy working to solve issues that are impacting
other women across the globe. Ivancovich is proud to be both a woman and an entre-
preneur. “Now is the best time in the history of the world
“Social entrepreneurship can be a powerful force in ad- to be a woman,” she says. “This is the time to step for-
dressing issues that affect women,” Miller says. “What’s ward, do what you want to do, and make a difference.”
exciting is that these problems aren’t just being solved
by students—the students solving them are women.” See more at socialventure.byu.edu.

Now a nineteen-year-old BYU sophomore studying
computer science, Berhan works to solve the problems
she discovered while visiting Ethiopia by empowering
women to use their skills to support themselves. Berhan
partnered with the United Nations in Ethiopia to employ
women at a U.N. safehouse to make baby swaddles to
be sold in the United States. “A lot of the women already
knew how to sew and weave, so I thought this would be

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GLOBAL IMPACT GROUP

Research Team Streamlines
Farming Supply Chain

Written by Heidi Phelon

Olivia Berhan, founder of Kelali, works with The Global Impact Group (GIG) unites Ultimately, GIG researchers predicted that
female entrepreneurs in Ethiopia. professors from across BYU’s this model would help save money in the long
campus to focus on advancing run and increase the effectiveness of Tanza-
Tanzanian farmers receive mentoring social innovation and fighting global problems, nian entrepreneurs over time. While there is
from peers in GIG-designed project. such as poverty. Research teams do this by currently no actual data in the social science
applying the latest research techniques to in- literature about this procedure, the GIG team is
Photo credit: Feed the Future Mboga na Matunda dividual programs and by developing research working off a well-respected theory.
ideas for problems that currently have no
known solution. Lisa Jones Christensen, the GIG-ANZA project
lead, flew out again in February 2018 to put
For example, according to WorldBank.org, systems in place that would measure the
Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest econo- effectiveness of the plan. According to Jones
mies: as of 2012, 70 percent of Tanzanians live Christensen, one benefit of the GIG group is
on below $2.00 per day, and U.S. News & World that it helps BYU identify and build relation-
Report notes that more than one-quarter of the ships with a wide range of local and global
country’s gross domestic product is fueled by partners.
agriculture. GIG members became aware of the
farming market failures and inefficiencies in “We value the opportunity to work with col-
Southern Tanzania, which affect the population leagues across campus and across the world,”
at large, and decided to focus on how they Jones Christensen says. “It will take all of us
could help bring solutions to the country’s working together to learn and disseminate
people. the lessons we need. I am grateful for the new
relationships we have formed on campus and
Partnering with Anza, a Tanzanian business abroad through this group.”
accelerator, GIG designed a project to help
farmers, distributors, and retailers better work Shad Morris, a member of the GIG research
together. Anza connects with local, small-busi- team that went to Tanzania, is passionate
ness entrepreneurs, including farmers, to help about the mission of the organization as well.
them create business plans and complete “We aren’t there to provide solutions or just
training that will help them become more measure the good work they are doing, we’re
successful. Anza achieves this goal through there to help them bring in more rigorous ways
one-on-one mentoring; however, this mentor- to measure and potentially tweak what they
ing model isn’t cost effective. GIG proposed a are doing to achieve real and measurable
new solution to help address this issue. impact,” he says.

In 2017, a team of five researchers from The research team will continue to measure
GIG visited Anza’s on-site location to better the results of the Anza peer-to-peer mentoring
understand the organization and help lay program as the plan progresses.
the groundwork for the project. GIG’s recom-
mendation was that Anza utilize peer-to-peer "Being part of the GIG team has invigorated me
mentoring rather than top-down, one-on-one as a professor and given me an opportunity to
mentoring; the peer-to-peer mentoring would get involved in social change in new and im-
pair a more-experienced farmer with a less-ex- pactful ways,” Morris continues. “I believe that
perienced farmer. GIG has the potential to make a real difference
in the social impact space."

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THE BALLARD CENTER

BEHIND THE SCENES

interning at university impact
Written by Heidi Phelon

in 2018, Universtiy Impact, an impact investing firm, opened its doors Myth #2: Students need to take the impact investing classes before applying to
in Provo, Utah. Although the impact investing industry (provid- work at University Impact.
ing monetary support to companies that generate both social impact and finan-
cial return) is relatively new, University Impact is doing something unique in the While enrolling in the impact investing class is recommended, not all student as-
space—all of its associates are paid college students. In an investing world where sociates have followed this traditional path. Marianna Giordano graduated from
internships and jobs are highly competitive, this niche, impact investing firm gives BYU with a degree in English. She had previously been heavily involved with the
students a chance to hone their skills and gain experience before they’ve even Ballard Center as a teaching assistant for Do Good Better, a Y-Prize contestant,
started their full-time career. and a two-time participatant in Social Innovation Projects. However, Giordano had
not taken the BYU impact investing class before starting work at University Impact.
What’s it like to be a student associate at University Impact? See student respons-
es below. “At first, I didn’t think I was qualified to apply for the job because I discounted all of
my previous work experience,” Giordano says. “I wasn’t as familiar with business
What does the typical workday of a student concepts, and I felt different because of my major and also because there weren’t
associate look like? a lot of women working at University Impact.” Now one of three women working
at the firm, Giordano feels like she has been empowered to be a fully contributing
member of the team.

Students at the firm are quite involved. They get to be part of every step of the What challenges do new associates
vetting and investment process, including performing due diligence, screening commonly face?
deals, consulting, and deal sourcing. This experience stands in stark contrast to
big-name impact investing firms where entry-level employees can be mainly lim- When students first start working at University Impact, they typically learn to deal
ited to finding clients. with ambiguity, new financial terminology, diverse client backgrounds, and a pro-
ject-based working system that may be different from what they do in school.
As a team, students typically review ten to twelve social businesses every week “Students in school have a different mind-set because we go from semester to se-
that are looking to secure an investment. Only about 5 to 10 percent of businesses mester where we finish assignments, then never think about that paper or project
receive investment funds, and available funds range from $50,000 to $500,000. again,” Woodbury says. “In the real world—and in this job—it doesn’t work that way.
University Impact also offers consulting services to help businesses that are not If an associate is working on a due diligence memo, he or she will finish the project
yet investment ready. and receive revisions. We build from project to project. Things don’t get finished
and then put away, never to be seen again.”
Sam Woodbury, a sophomore at BYU studying computer science and a senior as-
sociate at University Impact, started with the firm in January 2018. “I’m in charge Why become a student associate?
of maintaining a fund and speaking with the CEO frequently,” he says. “I helped put
together a fundraising thesis to raise $15 million. As associates, we are involved
top to bottom in every single thing. That’s what is unique about University Impact.”

What are common myths about interning for While students learn similar skills, each associate works with different and pro-
University Impact? jects. The learning curve can be steep, but many students have loved their expe-
rience working at University Impact and have walked away with crucial life skills.
Myth #1: University Impact only recruits business students.
“It’s been the best working experience of my life,” says Jonathan Engle, a current
Dan Blake, director of University Impact, oversees the work of sixteen student as- associate at University Impact and a philosophy student at BYU. “The work is fresh
sociates. “The most rewarding part of my job is working with students,” Blake says. and interesting. The companies that we work with are located all over the world,
“About half of our associates are not studying a business-related major in school.” and they are approaching impact from every angle imaginable. We’re addressing
a broad variety of social problems—we’re helping companies address addiction
Having an interdisciplinary team adds to the strength of the associate team. The recovery rates, education in Tanzania, or housing in the slums of Kenya.”
more diverse the minds are that are working together, the more likely team mem-
bers are to come up with different solutions and perspectives. If this description piques your interest in working at University Impact, take the
advice of director Dan Blake: “Take the impact investing classes offered by the
Ballard Center. Even though it’s not required, it will help prepare you to work at
the firm.”

38

DO GOOD. BETTER.

Students from various university interning at University Impact. Advanced Impact Investing

Impact Investing
The advanced impact investing class is a
course that builds upon the skills and competencies
The impact investing class teaches students how to invest in social businesses that learned in the intro to impact investing class, and is
are creating a positive impact on society. Through the class, students learn technical skills focused specifically on the application of those con-
and gain confidence in moving forward to invest in socially impactful businesses in the future. cepts. In addition, the class gives students concrete
The three major benefits of the class are education, experience, and career development. opportunities to participate in the industry of impact
The first month of the class is focused on understanding the impact investing investing.
ecosystem. Students learn the basics of investing in companies and assessing the social Throughout the semester students do a
impact companies can make. In addition they are taught specific skills, such as creating an deep dive into financial and impact due diligence on
investment thesis, research and analysis, and entrepreneurship tactics. During the remaining socially innovative businesses. This involves a finan-
months, social ventures come to class and pitch their ideas. cial analysis on the market, industry, management,
“This class taught me that I can use my money to not just make more money but to and theory of change in a specific organization. One
also make a difference,” says Cole Rosenberg, an economics junior. “It has made me challenge of the course objectives is for students to work on
my own definitions of impact and rethink whether a company is just doing something cool or is sourcing companies that are looking for seed-stage
actually achieving poverty alleviation." investment. As part of the course work, students meet
Through taking the class, philosophy major Jonathan Engle realized that there was a with an entrepreneur, create an initial deal screen,
concrete opportunity at BYU to start making a difference immediately through business. “That perform due diligence, and present their investment
singular class turned out to be the most engaging experience I had at BYU," he sayd. "Soon memo to impact investors. With all of these experienc-
after the class ended, I left my real estate business and was eventually offered a job opportu- es, students are given a great opportunity to develop
nity in impact investing. That opportunity launched me into a career of doing social good.” technical and analytical skills while working side by
side with leading social entrepreneurs.

Learn more about impact investing internships and classes at impactinvesting.byu.edu.

39

THE BALLARD CENTER

BALLARD CENTER

Advisement Sessions
Written by Heidi Phelon

The Ballard Center has over thirty
programs, and
students can almost always find a way to get involved; however,
navigating through the variety of classes, competitions, intern-
ships, and events can be intimidating.

Advisement sessions provide students with an entry point that
makes the Ballard Center easily accessible and personal. These
one-on-one information sessions help students understand how
their life goals align with what the Ballard Center has to offer.

“I want to be a personalized, engaging, insightful filter who helps
students realize their own potential through the Ballard Center,”
says Ballard Center advisor Melena Warden. “Students will come
in and say, ‘I’ve been looking for this.’ This generation is a gen-
eration that wants to be changemakers. I get to lead students in
a good direction, sculpt and mold their vision for the future, and
show them things they haven’t considered before.”

Advisors are students themselves who have been previously in- Advisor Melena Warden guides a student to the best fit at the Ballard Center.
volved with the Ballard Center. Sessions typically begin with the
advisor getting to know students by asking about their majors, “I want to be a personalized,
what they see themselves doing, and what types of service or engaging, insightful filter who
business organizations they have been involved with in the past. helps students realize their own
Warden enjoys asking students questions such as, “What would potential through the Ballard
you do with your life if you had no limits?”
Center.”
Ballard advisors conducted a total of 237 advisement sessions
during the 2017 – 2018 school year and increased to 354 advise-
ment sessions during 2018 - 2019. These advisors know and un-
derstand the dozens of programs within the Ballard Center and
help students choose a path that is tailored to their individual
needs and desires. Freshmen who have had an advisement ses-
sion at the beginning of the semester have often rearranged their
schedules to accommodate a Ballard Center class or on-campus
internship because they caught the vision and felt compelled to
get involved.

Students can sign up for an advisement session online
by visiting ballardadvisement.byu.edu.

40

DO GOOD. BETTER.

how to live a meaningful life
Written by Heidi Phelon

Have you wondered what your life is going to be like after college grad- Teachers’ Background and Class Vision
uation? Do you dream about making a difference with your career,
yet worry that it won’t be financially viable? Team professors Curtis Lefrandt and Craig Wilson effectively create an uplift-
ing environment by being open with their students and sharing personal life
College is a time of intense decision-making and you’re likely facing enor- lessons. Both men wish that they had taken a class like this when they were
mous decisions with life-altering implications. Don’t forget that amid the students at BYU.
hustle and bustle of life, The Book of Mormon states, “[People] are that they
might have joy.” To help students find joy as part of their academic career, the “I hope that students learn all the really important things about life that I wish
Ballard Center is proud to offer a class that helps students understand and somebody told me when I was in my early twenties, but nobody ever did,”
define joy for themselves. Wilson says. “I want students to know how to live their lives in such a way
that they will accomplish the things God has for them to accomplish with their
The course, “How to Live a Meaningful Life: Using Social Innovation, Positive specific gifts and talents. Perceived lack of time and perceived lack of money
Psychology, and Life Design to Find Lasting Joy,” is designed to help stu- will not be their problem. We think this class might be the most important
dents catapult their careers, discover happiness now, and build a financially class our students take in college.” And for many students it is.
sustainable future.

Understanding & Implementing Even though the class workload is designed to be easily managed by stu-
Social Innovation dents, one student raised her hand and said, “This class brings more stress
than any other,” as she started to cry. Her fellow students were surprised
Throughout the course, students learn what social innovation is and how they at this remark until she continued. “The reason I feel such intense stress is
can make social innovation a part of their work as they search for meaningful because I know this is the class that is going to impact my life more than
careers. any other class I’ve taken.” After this explanation, the entire class nodded in
agreement.
In order to more fully understand social innovation, class members take time
to study the habits and the “why” of socially innovative people. Class teach- Lefrandt and Wilson hope that students come away from the class learning
ing assistant Joshua Singer says of socially minded people, “Distinct charac- the following principles that can be applied throughout their lives:
teristics they show are a level of gratitude and financial responsibility.”
• Know how to pursue a life of meaning and joy
Students are encouraged to develop these characteristics throughout the • See a path of increased choices and opportunities in their lives, not
semester. The class also teaches students to be aware of companies’ social
impact programs as they apply for jobs or internships. decreased
• Have more a-ha moments than in any other class
Positive Psychology & Life Design • Feel the Spirit bear witness more often about what they should do with

Students are encouraged to dig deep and think about what brings them joy their lives
and fulfillment. In one assignment, class members are required to record • Know how to handle money wisely and how to be financially prosperous
moments when they are experiencing “flow” or a time of high productivity and • Have stronger desires to be a modern-day Good Samaritan
intense focus. For some students, identifying times of flow has helped them
to have a greater understanding of their natural gifts and talents. If you are a student looking to start living joyfully, this may be the course for
you.

Read about the class at ballard.byu.edu/classes.

“This class helps students live their lives purposefully,” says Becca Pearson,
former class member and current course manager. “So many students want
the A in school, but this class is about the journey and changing along the
way. The instructors create a loving environment where people feel comfort-
able being open and having robust discussions about happiness and life
meaning.”

41

THE BALLARD CENTER

BALLARD STORIES

An Adoption Miracle
Written by Marieka Creek

As a young girl, I would often flip through pages of the old scrapbooks had the information and equipment ready but lacked direction to move our
that documented my adoption journey from a small, impoverished project forward. However, SVC motivated and enabled us to successfully
village in Hefei, China, to an affluent suburb in the Midwestern United launch Mitt Chhlat, an organization that coordinates and facilitates peer-
States. My village was plagued with pollution, disease, and overpopulation, mentored discussion groups in orphanages. The discussions focus on
so my birth mother left me on the doorstep of a nearby orphanage, hoping destigmatizing sexual health topics by developing teens’ communication
that someone else could provide for me what she could not. Along with and leadership skills.
dozens of other orphan girls, my fate rested in the hands of a stranger
willing to rescue me from a future plagued with poverty. As we implemented our project in Cambodia this summer, I saw firsthand
how teen pregnancy and HIV infections afflict young people, perpetuating
Fortunately, I was soon adopted by a loving mother who gave me a life full of a cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity. The orphanage we worked in
opportunity and empowerment in America. Twenty years later, as a college was in the heart of one of the biggest sex-trafficking districts in Cambodia.
student, I reflected daily on my adoption miracle. Because I had been given I also became even more painstakingly aware of how lucky I was. Had I
much, I too needed to give. After I served a mission for The Church of Jesus remained an orphan in that small Chinese village, I would likely be in the
Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea—where I reconnected with my same place as many of the teenagers I was trying to help.
Asian roots and grew to love the Korean culture—I returned to Brigham
Young University, hungering to make a difference in the lives of the Asian This thought continually swirled in my mind: what if this had been me?
people. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to give back and help my brothers and
sisters in Asia through the Ballard Center. Not only did the Ballard Center’s
While studying international development, I began to research Cambodian SVC give me a glimmer of hope for our project’s sustainability and impact,
public-health issues with a team of BYU students. After several months of but it also gave me an opportunity to empower and serve those who still
research and development, we entered the Ballard Center’s Social Venture languish in an impoverished fate from which I miraculously escaped.
Education Challenge, a challenge where students can win money to enact
their solution for education in developing countries. Competing for Y-Prize Read other student experiences at ballard.byu.edu/stories.
money motivated my team to find partners and contacts, create a prototype,
and secure valid test locations in Cambodia. Before we discovered the
Social Venture Challenge (SVC), we were like a ship without a rudder: we

42

DO GOOD. BETTER.

Marieka Creek meeting her adopted mom.

Marieka Creek

"Fortunately, I had the opportunity to give back
and help my brothers and sisters in Asia through

the Ballard Center."

43

THE BALLARD CENTER

Y-PRIZE: PROBLEM MASTERY

do Good. Better
Written by Heidi Phelon and Sabrina Bengtzen

While as a student at BYU-Idaho, Madeline Steele, a public health team. “We also saw a need for work to be done to change the stigma against
major, stumbled upon the one and only social innovation class women who are incarcerated. Through speaking with women who were
offered on campus. Intrigued by the ad for the class that promised she could incarcerated, prison nurses, and prison social workers, we saw that many
change the world, Steele enrolled, and quickly her passion for social innova- view incarcerated women as manipulative and undeserving of the healthcare
tion was realized. nonincarcerated women deserve to receive.”

Steele eventually heard about the Ballard Center at BYU Provo, which offered Teams just like Manwaring’s present their findings to a judging panel that is
more classes and programs focused on “changing the world” than available generally made up of BYU professors and industry experts from a wide variety
at BYU-Idaho. Feeling compelled to get fully involved in the field of social of backgrounds and disciplines, including the humanities, social work, life
innovation, she applied to transfer to BYU, mentioning the Ballard Center in sciences, and business. A total of $6,000 prize money is divided between the
her application. top-three winning teams.

Since her acceptance to BYU, Steele has taken several social innovation Presentation requirements include a paper with a maximum of two thousand
courses from the Ballard Center and currently works as a teaching assistant words and a visual that summarizes the team’s findings in a concise way.
for Do Good Better. She also works as the program coordinator for Y-Prize Most students create an infographic to summarize the information. A recent
Problem Mastery Competition, another program the Ballard Center offers. change in competition requirements focuses students on performing primary
“The Y-Prize: Problem Mastery program gives students an opportunity to research such as interviews and surveys in hopes that they will gain a more
understand a problem in its entirety,” Steele says. “I love that students get to comprehensive and intimate understanding of the problem.
completely dive into what is happening.”
Looking back on her experience, Manwaring states, “I'm so happy that I par-
Y-Prize: Problem Mastery students become experts on a social issue of their ticipated in the competition, because it helped me to get out of that habit of
choice and present their findings in a competition format. Teams explore only reading about social issues and instead to start talking with people and
a social problem that they are personally passionate about by identifying organizations that are involved in them. I gained such a different perspective
its causes and consequences, how current solutions are attempting to be from talking with incarcerated women, prison workers, and state legislators,
implemented, and what gaps might exist between the problem and solution that I wouldn't have received if I had merely read research articles and wrote
landscape. They strive to understand why the social problem still permeates a paper like I usually would.”
despite efforts to reduce or eliminate it. The competition is not solutions
based; instead, students are becoming an “apprentice to a social problem” by The ultimate goal of the Y-Prize Problem Mastery competition is that students
doing a deep dive rather than coming up with their own ideas to fix it. develop a habit of understanding problems deeply, so they can truly do good,
better. Manwaring speaks to this point as she concludes, “Even if I don't get
For example, this year’s winning team presented on how correctional facilities involved with improving the healthcare that incarcerated women receive, I
in the United States are not designed with women’s needs in mind. As a re- have an experience that will help me to approach any social problem in a
sult, women in these facilities do not receive the healthcare that they should, better way.”
and many suffer physically and emotionally. “While doing our research, we
spoke with a woman who was incarcerated in Utah, who has lasting health For more information about Y-Prize: Problem Mastery, please visit
concerns from the way that she was treated by the correctional officers and problemmaster.byu.edu.
doctors while giving birth,” says Claire Manwaring, a member of the winning

44

DO GOOD. BETTER.

"Through speaking with women who were
incarcerated, prison nurses, and prison social
workers, we saw that many view incarcerated
women as manipulative, and not deserving

of the healthcare non-incarcerated women
deserve to receive."
- Claire Manwaring

Example of Y-Prize Problem Mastery submission. See this and other submissions at problemmaster.byu.edu

45

THE BALLARD CENTER

MBA Social Innovation Emphasis:
The Story of Three Graduate Students

The MBA program at BYU offers a social innovation emphasis, which is a collection
of classes similar to a minor. While the emphasis doesn’t show up on a student’s
diploma, the classes do offer a solid social impact background for students. On

average, approximately twelve to twenty graduate students per year take the classes
required to earn the social innovation emphasis. Graduate students from any discipline

are invited to enroll. Meet three graduate students who have pursued the emphasis.

46

Victoria DO GOOD. BETTER.
Violette
Victoria Violette is a master’s student studying exercise physiology who has decided to take the social
innovative classes and complete the MBA social innovation emphasis. As a nonbusiness student, Violette
initially found out about the Ballard Center through an email campaign. She reached out to Ballard Center
director Todd Manwaring, and he told her about the social innovation emphasis.

“I had done things related to social impact before, and my goal in life is to make an impact,” Violette says.
“The classes make you want to get up and do something today. I’ve learned about research and grant
writing. We talk about our own personal why in every class, and I created a personal impact plan.”

One of Violette’s classes require students to create their own nonprofit with the knowledge that 90 percent
of startup nonprofits fail. “I’ve learned the value in trying and realizing that it’s okay to fail,” she says.

Wes Jeffrey hopes to become a scholar-activist who addresses issues around educational inequality. wes
After growing up in poverty himself, Jeffrey saw firsthand the effects of economic inequality on his own Jeffrey
educational experience. Despite this, Jeffrey graduated with his master’s degree in sociology in April 2018
and completed the BYU Marriott's MBA social innovation emphasis. He was also the Graduates for Social
Innovation club president for the 2017 – 2018 school year. Jeffrey is personally interested in poverty and
educational inequality, which he is studying in further depth as a sociology PhD student at U.C. Irvine.

“The MBA social innovation emphasis gave me a holistic tool kit to analyze social problems,” Jeffrey says. “I
learned how to study a social problem in society and how to go about tackling it from a business, nonprofit,
and governmental standpoint. The social innovation classes have influenced how I think about things.”

At the time that Jeffrey completed the social innovation emphasis, he was the only master’s degree student
from the social sciences to do so. “You can taper the classes you choose towards your individual interests,”
Jeffrey says. “I enjoyed the MPA program evaluation course and the nonprofit management class. Those
classes were valuable for me since I’m mainly working in the theoretical world. The classes helped me
match policy with the nuts and bolts of actually solving problems.”

As an alumnus, Jeffrey reflected back on his time at BYU as both an undergraduate and graduate student.
“BYU does a good job of providing academic rigor, but lifelong service is hard to teach in a lot of classes,”
Jeffrey says. “The Ballard Center has its own niche and value. It teaches the importance of serving others
no matter what job you have and that you can use your skills to solve problems. The Ballard Center provides
a structure that helps build your character.”

Megan Megan Brewster is an MBA student interested in pursuing management in the healthcare or technology
Brewster fields. She came to BYU with the specific intent of being involved with social innovation classes, and the
MBA social innovation emphasis helped her choose BYU as the place to complete her MBA.

“The social innovation classes are definitely some of my favorite classes,” Brewster says. “It’s been great
to be part of the social impact ecosystem. As someone wanting to work in the social innovation space, it’s
been nice to see that there are pathways where I can contribute at a professional level. It’s not enough to
want to do good; businesses need good practices and measurement. Many businesses make the mistake
of measuring output instead of impact.”

Brewster has particularly enjoyed Eva Witesman’s class about ethical organizations where students have
learned about leadership, governance, and business. “It’s been a phenomenal class but challenging at the
same time," Brewster says.

Find out more about the emphasis at ballard.byu.edu/MBAemphasis.

47

THE BALLARD CENTER

CORPORATE SOCIAL IMPACT

New Course Leads the Way
Written by Brendan Gwynn

In a world where change is the only constant, adaptation is essential for survival. In the business world, for
example, many organizations are discovering that having social impact is not only necessary due to customer
demands and competitive pressure but can often lead to greater shareholder value. While these programs may
sound trivial to some, the reality is that corporate social impact may now play a major role in a corporation’s

image and value.

To prepare students for this current business need, the recognize a point in between, where private industries combine with
Ballard Center has developed a new course. governments, communities, and other organizations to make sustain-
The class, Corporate Social Impact, provides students with instruc- able changes across the globe.”
tion on how to design and propose social impact programs with
corporations. In addition to Camargo, other BYU students have found the course
valuable in preparing them to enter the corporate world. Troy Looper,
“Students today will take part in a major transition in the corporate a senior from Pelzer, South Carolina, who is studying sociology,
world,” says adjunct professor Brent Goddard, who teaches the explained that the class teaches students how to have a real impact
course. “All major corporations are implementing or augmenting on the world.
corporate social responsibility programs. Unfortunately, few universi-
ty courses in the country prepare students to contribute to corporate “Being passionate about making a difference isn't enough,” Looper
social impact not just responsibility. The Ballard Center is leading the says. “Telling a company that it should support a new program
way in this important area of study.” because it's a good thing to do won't convince anyone. However, this
course equips students with the substance needed to understand
In the course, students learn valuable principles regarding social how to make a difference and how to get companies on board to
innovation to help them develop proposals in support of specific create that change.”
causes. These proposals are based on a corporate social impact
model that teaches step-by-step methodology to develop and inte- For Camargo and Looper, the course has been a great resource in
grate with existing social responsibility programs. Classes include enabling them to meet their goals and aspirations. Both students in-
training on the model, case-study discussions of real-world exam- dicated that the class is a significant addition to other Ballard Center
ples, and various lectures by guest speakers from the corporate and aids such as internships, events, and competitions.
social impact sectors.
As with these other Ballard Center resources, the entire purpose
While the curriculum is specifically designed to prepare students of the course is to assist students in doing good better. Goddard
to participate in social progress efforts, the course also plays an emphasized that the Ballard Center has an unmatched academic pro-
important role in broadening vision. When econ major Juan Camar- gram for social innovation and social entrepreneurship, thus helping
go, a senior from Bucaramanga, Colombia, enrolled in the class, he individuals make a notable impact. He also stated the even bigger
discovered that creating social good is not simply about having extra vision of the new course.
time or a lot of money.
“The hope is that some of the proposals will be adopted by the target
“We sometimes see solving social problems as something that only corporations or even that the students will be hired to implement
certain people are called to do,” Camargo says. “Students generally their proposals,” Goddard says. “But at the very least, students will
feel there are two ways to solve social problems: either you dedicate be prepared to participate in social progress.”
your time to going to developing nations, or you become rich and
donate funds to solve social problems. This course has allowed me to Visit ballard.byu.edu/CSI.

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DO GOOD. BETTER.

LEADERSHIP & DONORS

MANAGEMENT TEAM Curtis Lefrandt Communications and Operations Director, Alicia Gettys
Todd Manwaring Steve Leininger
Founder & Director Troy & Lisa Holmberg
Professor-of-Practice Shad Morris Curt & Carmen Hostetler
Jessamyn Shams-Lau Jon & Karen Huntsman Foundation
Alicia Gettys
DONORS Vivian James
Communication and Operations Director Brandon Jeppson
Anonymous Lindsay Johnson
Rose Palmer M J Anderson Foundation Steve & Marilyn Leininger
President M. Russell Ballard Ben & Paige Lewis
Event Manager Randy & Susan Bambrough Marriott Daughters Foundation
Daniel & Amy Millet
Aaron Miller Bryan Bennett Aaron & Melissa Petersen
Todd & Lyndi Callister Progress Manufacturing
Associate Managing Director
John Christensen Kyle Shanklin
W. Gibb Dyer Sydni Dunn Monte & Elona Shelley

Academic Director Adam & Jenn Gale Kevin & Tara Snow
O.L. Stone Professor of Entrepreneurship Bob & Lynette Gay Luke & Meredith Sorenson
Stephen W. & Bette Gibson Utah Property Management Associates
FACULTY Steve & Tina Glover
Gwen Warburton
Alicia Becker Jason Harrison Bill & Mary Way
Kurt Brown Joel & Elizabeth Hawkins Chris Wheeler
Dan Blake Chester Woolley
Brent Goddard Nathan Hixon Steve & Ellyn Yacktman
Curtis Lefrandt

BOARD MEMBERS
John Bingham
Dan Blake
Kurt Brown
William Benz
Jenn Gale
Elder Robert C. Gay
Lynette Gay
Peter Evans
Norm Hill
Lisa Jones Christensen
John Keller

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THE BALLARD CENTER

BALLARD CENTER Bryce Rosenberg Eliza Hammond
Cade Hyde Eliza McGill
staff members Caleb Naumu Elizabeth Card
Cami Stats Ella Madsen
Abigail Warner Andrew Wirkus Catherine Carabine Emily Haslam
Adrian Glover Anika Brock Cecilee Petersen Emily Kwok
Adrianna Pouwer Anne Ranjbar Cecily Palmer Emmett Fear
Adrienne Ventura Ariana Grundvig Chloe Edwards van Muijen Erin Blackford
Alexander Bybee Asia Whoolery Chloe Haderlie Ethan Andersen
Alyssa Clark Austin Towns Chloe Litchfield Ethan Davis
Alyssa Sheehan Bailey Hill Clarissa McIntire Ethan White
Amanda Pugh Bethany Barton Clark Kleinman Garrett Taylor
Amanda Solomon Bethany Wride Cole Rosenberg Grant Valentine
Amber Andrews Brendan Christiansen Conner Simmons Gregory Hutchins
Andrew Cook Brianne Hansen Connor Mcleod Hailey Richards
Courtney Scott Haley Davis
David Chitta Haley VanOverbeck
Dean Stimpson Hans Lehnardt
Dylan Wood Harper Forsgren
Eden Anderson Harrison Riehle

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