NEW YORK, March 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bloc announced today that its Caregivers Speak Up project has been selected to join The Idea Accelerator, a prominent new showcase of breakthrough ideas in the field of social innovation.
Caregivers Speak Up, an industry-first social platform that helps caregivers share their experiences and concerns with each other, is one of nine concepts to be featured in the launch of the Accelerator, which will work to promote and publicize Caregivers Speak Up and introduce resources and partners who can help bring it to scale.
The Idea Accelerator is one of two main business groups created by purpose-and-CSR pioneer Carol Cone. Ms. Cone's new consultancy, Carol Cone ON PURPOSE (CCOP), is dedicated to helping organizations identify, amplify, and evolve "purpose"—their aspirational reason for being beyond profits—to become core to their business and brand strategy. The second business group, The Purpose Collaborative, is a collective of 21 purpose-centric agencies and subject matter experts assembled by CCOP to work together in hand-picked teams to respond to the breadth of clients' purpose needs.
"Companies and brands today are identifying their core purpose, or redefining why they exist, to create a deeper relationship and bond with employees, customers, and other groups key to their success. The novel concepts in The Idea Accelerator can help them to strengthen these critical relationships," said Ms. Cone.
Created by The Bloc, Caregivers Speak Up lets caregivers be part of a community where they can share their hopes, fears, setbacks, and triumphs. At the heart of Caregivers Speak Up is a web platform featuring a documentary film, several short videos, and stories contributed by visitors, plus resources and support. Its social-channel initiatives have had a reach of over 2 million since launching in June, 2015.
"We are thrilled to partner with The Idea Accelerator," said Elizabeth Elfenbein, founder of Caregivers Speak Up, and Partner, Creative, at The Bloc. "Caregivers are the unpaid, unsung heroes of healthcare, and often put their own needs aside to help others. Teaming with The Idea Accelerator will ultimately give more caregivers a voice and help them feel more appreciated for everything they do."
"Social innovators are developing extraordinary new concepts today to address issues of all types," continued Ms. Cone. "The challenge is many of these amazing entrepreneurs lack sufficient funding, recognition, and distribution to take their program beyond startup, or they may simply need the right partners to evolve their concept to achieve scale. The Idea Accelerator enables us to highlight these extraordinary ideas and organizations and introduce them to resources critical to their development."
Along with Caregivers Speak Up, the other social innovations selected for The Idea Accelerator are entities—some emerging, some already established—that represent ideas to address many societal issues, including conservation, childhood obesity, environmental sustainability, youth engagement, fresh water preservation, environmental sustainability, digital literacy, and education. The concepts showcased in The Idea Accelerator are reviewed by CCOP, and are selected based on their potential impact and ability to scale.
About The Bloc: The Bloc is a leading healthwellness creative engagement agency based in New York. Founded in 2000 by Susan Miller Viray and Rico Viray, The Bloc is also a founding member of Indigenus, the largest independent global network of entrepreneurial healthcare communication companies. www.thebloc.com
Caregivers Speak Up Media Contact:
Elizabeth Elfenbein
212.524.6205 [email protected]
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SOURCE The Bloc
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