What would happen if you took 24 Graduate Institute students from a variety of disciplines and challenged them to work together in small teams to co-create new ideas for mobile phone apps targeted at social change in less than two days? On 4 and 5 October, Just Innovate, a Graduate Institute student initiative aimed at inspiring and facilitating social innovation, launched its inaugural Innovation Summit asking just that question.

The Summit, “Apps for Social Change”, engaged participants in an intense two-day programme involving a variety of skills-based workshops, mentoring opportunities, TEDx-style talks and facilitated brainstorming sessions. The Summit involved over 20 expert guest speakers, all of whom participated on a voluntary basis. Experts provided advice and support to the participants and also spoke about their own innovations, including the Graduate Institute’s Thomas Biersteker, creator of the Sanctions App, and Joost Pauwelyn, founder of Trade Lab. Other speakers included Jon Mark Walls, CEO of GovFaces, and Gib Bulloch, Executive Director of Accenture Development Partnerships, as well as many other Geneva-based entrepreneurs, social innovators and change-makers.

The Summit culminated in the presentation of five innovative and viable ideas for effecting positive social change through the medium of mobile technology. The winning team, chosen by a panel of expert judges and awarded a prestigious six-month membership with the Geneva Impact HUB, designed a humanitarian information management app called Helping Hands. The app assists with the coordination of relief providers, beneficiaries and digital volunteers in an effort to reduce chaos and casualties in the aftermath of urban disasters.

The major take-away from the Summit, according to both participants and organisers, was the process itself, which challenged participants to push their boundaries and explore their potential. Denise Lozano, a first year Masters of Development student, explained, “I loved the Innovation Summit because it challenged me to get out of my comfort zone in so many ways. I truly believe that this is what people need in order to achieve great things.”

With the conclusion of its first Innovation Summit, Just Innovate plans to expand and conduct similar events throughout the year. According to co-founder Barrie Sander, “The Innovation Summit shows the determination and enthusiasm of Graduate Institute students to learn new skills and co-create new ideas aimed at effecting positive social change. Our priority is to now build on the energy and buzz created by the Summit to co-create a sustainable community of change-makers at the Graduate Institute.”

To learn more about Just Innovate and the final ideas presented by participants, please visit the Just Innovate website.