In Medellín, Colombia an inspiring story has unfolded which illustrates how design can help initiate positive change.

In October last year PSFK wrote about Mark Jenkins and the Outsiders exhibition. Often creating works that question social etiquette, the public installation artist recently released a number of videos capturing various responses from passers by.

Designer John Brennan recently won the Social Actions Change the Web Challenge for his live map of positive social change going on around the world. Brennan is also the creator of imdoingmypart.org, a site that breaks down small ways to improve life on the planet.
Triple Pundit explains the project:
Every moment of every day, somewhere in the world, people are volunteering, donating, signing petitions, making loans and doing other important social work. But before John Brennan came along, there was no way to visualize this change in progress. Using the Social Actions API, which aggregates social action data from over 50 [...]

Social Documentary is curated repository of photography exhibits – the site currently hosts 131 in all – that explore the human condition around the world, often with a goal of bringing about social change. Photographer and designer Glenn Ruga created the website as a way to go beyond the scope of photo sharing sites like Flickr and Photobucket by not only showcasing powerful imagery, but educating the audience on global issues through commentary and context. In addition, Social Documentary provides resources that allow photographers to link directly to causes related to their subject and encourage its viewers to get involved.
The following [...]

Harvard has recently launched a new one year academic program to serve the growing number of retired professionals who aren’t ready to lead lives filled with early bird specials and afternoon golf games, but instead want to involve themselves with creating social change.
The program, called the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, is a collaboration among five of the university’s professional schools — business, law, government, education and public health. It is seen as a next stage for universities, beyond undergraduate and then graduate and professional schools.
If successful, Harvard professors say, it can serve as a model for schools at other universities, [...]