How did Oakland lower its gun violence rate by 50 percent?
How did Canada lift more than 200,000 families out of poverty?
What happens when citizens are given the chance to participate in how government funds are spent?
And most importantly, How can we bring those ideas to Philadelphia?
These are the questions we’ll ask—and answer—at The Philadelphia Citizen’s 2nd annual Ideas We Should Steal Festival on Tuesday, December 10.
Like last year, the event will feature problem-solvers from around the country (and Canada!), sharing what they’ve learned about how to make change in their communities. (For the full list of speakers, go here.)
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi—a Citizen board member—will emcee the day, which will feature HBO’s John Oliver, on the rigor of laughter; New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with PA’s own AG, Josh Shapiro, on fairness, justice and the rule of law; NewsGuard CEO Steven Brill on truth in media; and Philly businessmen Josh Kopelman, David Adelman and Michael Rubin on the business case for civic engagement.
We’ll also have mayors—Dayton’s Nan Whaley and Columbia, South Carolina’s Steve Benjamin—on why mayors may have the answers to America’s most pressing problems; and urban problem solvers—like World Business Chicago’s Andrea Zopp, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform’s David Muhammad, and Tamarack Institute’s Paul Born—on inclusive growth, poverty reduction and cutting homicide.
See what last year’s event was like:
The day will be more than just talk. We’ll update you on the status of last year’s winner of The Jeremy Nowak Urban Innovation Award, named in honor of our late chairman and generously funded by Spring Point Partners. We’ll also ask for your help in deciding which idea we should fund for this year’s $50,000 award.
There will be lunch, there will be swag, there will be entertainment; there will be opportunities to schmooze and connect during—and long after—the event.
Last year we had a packed venue, so this year we’re adding more seats, and more membership options, to bring as many people and viewpoints into the room at the Comcast Technology Center’s Ralph J. Roberts Forum, as possible.
We love to cheerlead civic-minded folks—like you—right here in Philly. But through our “Ideas We Should Steal” column, we also pay attention to how other cities might be doing things better, as well—with an eye to how we can bring those ideas to problems locally.
It’s part of our mission at The Philadelphia Citizen: to re-ignite citizenship in the American city where democracy was born, spotlight the people who uplift and improve life in Philadelphia, and move the needle to make this city the best—safest, most equitable, most inclusive, most innovative—it can be.
We can’t wait to see you at the Festival.
Tuesday, December 10, 8am–5pm, $35 for current members, $65 for new members, Comcast Technology Center, Ralph J. Roberts Forum, 1800 Arch Street.
