How it works

Social Innovation Camps start with an open call for ideas followed by an intense weekend of activity. The whole process works a little bit like this:

1. Think of an idea

Think of an idea for a web-based tool that has the potential to change something important. You can use our examples and our blog for inspiration. Our ideas criteria will tell you more about the sort of thing we’re after. Your idea will need to be focused on addressing a specific social need, the technology must be central to its purpose and it must be innovative – you’ve got to make something that matters.

2. Tell us about your idea

Send your idea to the Social Innovation Camp team. There are some idea submission questions to help you explain what your idea is. Your idea can be ‘private’, in which case we won’t share it with anyone, or ‘public’ and we will post it online for you or others to add comments.

3. Ideas are selected by Social Innovation Camp judges

From the ideas sent to us, our judges choose the ideas which they think hold the greatest potential to create social change and will benefit most from coming to the Social Innovation Camp weekend. All selected ideas are published online.

4. Get involved

If your idea doesn’t get picked, or if you don’t want to submit an idea in the first place, never fear, you can still get involved. In fact, you’re really important. We need the help of a huge range of people – from software developers through to business experts, from digital media lawyers to people with expertise in the problems we’re trying to solve – to help make the selected ideas a reality.

You can volunteer to come along for the weekend; you have to tell us what you’re interested in and what your skills are (geek, social innovator, entrepreneur etc) and we’ll help you get the most out of the weekend.

5. Camp!

The Social Innovation Camp weekend is an open space meeting. Our aim is to transform a set of early-stage concepts into prototype web-based tools in under 48 hours. It’s structured around the selected ideas, but you’ll be expected to organise yourselves into teams – often with people you’ve not met before – and they’ll be lots of discussion and practical hands-on stuff. No powerpoint in sight.

6. Show and Tell your prototype

We’re hoping that by the end of the weekend you’ll be part of a team with a basic working model for a new venture. The event will close with a Show and Tell pitching competition which will include some prizes for the winning ideas which demonstrate the greatest potential to create real change.

7. Start your venture!

Social Innovation Camp is all about creating the relationships needed to start new projects and we hope your ideas won’t end with the weekend. The Social Innovation Camp team aims to give you a helping hand after the Camp to build on what you’ve created.