Spark ? - The New Team
And… We’re back. Is it too late to say happy new year? 2024 is here and with it comes the return of Spark, our monthly newsletter serving as an entrance into the field of impact entrepreneurship. Inspiring stories and moments from the SIA community, as well as tailored opportunities to start your own journey.
In an effort to make these newsletters as enjoyable as possible in your busy lives, we’ll be slimming them down to the most crucial parts. Don’t worry, the quirky humor is here to stay.
Fresh Expansions
Do you “still” read books? If you’re under 20, this is a sentence you’ve probably heard more than once. In fact, studies show that children around the world are spending less and less time reading, but are spending more and more time on their phones.
In 2021, Timur Zorlu and Marlene Damm felt there was an opportunity to use smartphones to get young people into reading. They created Maple Tales and won SIA in 2021. Since then, they’ve steadily built out their product, and just closed their pre-seed funding round. Not only does this give them the resources to take their product to another level, it certifies they are moving in the right direction.
The Avengers
Soon enough, they’ll make a Marvel movie about SIA. Introducing our three new superheroes to the SIA team, who will help us take things to the next level:?
Laura Werner, as Junior Marketing Coordinator.Laura completed her studies in Vienna before becoming a life coach. She helps people set up structures to improve their lives, and she might just improve yours with great social media content.?
Laura Tietz, as Austria Coordinator. Laura previously worked with feminist group Attac, dealing with political and feminist issues. She’ll be bringing her labrador energy to the discovery phase workshops, so don’t miss out.?
Lesya Nykolyn, as EU Project Manager. Lesya previously worked with Ukrainian organization Veteran Hub, supporting the implementation of veteran support programs. She also happens to be really good at Cards Against Humanity.
Dreams and AI
Having a crazy dream and not being able to remember it should be in the top ten of the most frustrating things. Dreams capture so much information: they help us process the world, and can be huge sources of creativity. They can also be lots of fun to discuss with friends.
SIA Georgia alumnus Giorgi Bukai had an idea: what if we used artificial intelligence to help recreate our dreams, and paired it with a social platform where dreams can be shared with others? Dreamy was born. The platform lets you record your dreams to the AI, who will generate a visualized representation of your dream, which you can share with your friends.
领英推荐
The app will be available from February onwards. Follow Dreamy on Instagram to be notified when this takes place.
Coming Up…
Did we mention 2024 will be 15 years of SIA? This year promises to be more action packed than a James Bond film. On the agenda:
?? Rolling out our new mission, vision and manifesto.
??♀? Running the SIA program in over 18 countries, and maybe even a new continent. ??
?? Launching new content formats on social media.
?? Supporting our alumni with special opportunities.
?? Releasing video campaigns w/ world-class partners.
We're on track to make this SIA's best (granted, it's been three weeks).
Our Ins and Outs
And while we’re at it: 2023 was pretty crazy… Too much bad news, not enough good news. We’re jumping into 2024 with a positive spirit, so let’s throw out the worst and leave the best:
In:
Out:
Let us know what “ins” and “outs” we’re missing by dropping us a comment!