Center for New York City Affairs
Andrew White, Director
www.newschool.edu/milano/nycaffairs/
The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School is an applied policy research institute that drives innovation in social policy and seeks to improve the effectiveness of government and other organizations in their work with low-income urban communities. We focus on the moments where people’s lives intersect with government and community organizations in order to illuminate the impact of public policies on ordinary people. We are committed to constant collaboration with government and non-profit organizations, residents, advocates, researchers, and journalists. The Center is widely recognized for its role as a non-partisan broker of information and analysis. Our projects include Child Welfare Watch, Feet in Two Worlds, Insideschools, College Ready Communities, public forums, and the politics and advocacy specialization at Milano.
The Community Development Finance Lab
Kevin McQueen, Director
www.newschool.edu/milano/community-development-finance-project
The Community Development Finance Project (CDFP) seeks to connect the private, public, and philanthropic capital markets with the dynamic fields of community development, social innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability management, and design. Its core mission is to teach an array of broad-based community development skills and in-depth knowledge of finance through its signature course, the Community Development Finance Lab. The course engages students over two semesters in an innovative curriculum grounded in client-based work and sustained through networks with practicing professionals in the field. Additionally, CDFP is committed to building and expanding the field and practice of community development and nonprofit finance through the replication of its curriculum and practicum-based learning at other universities, as well to sharing of knowledge through applied research and community engagement.
The Observatory on Latin America
Michael Cohen, Director
www.observatorylatinamerica.org
The Observatory on Latin America (OLA) was founded in 2006 and is housed within the Graduate Program for International Affairs, The Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy. The Observatory contributes to improving academic and public understanding of political and economic change underway in Latin America by observing and studying the unique processes of the region. The Observatory fosters a public dialogue between and within the United States and Latin America about the challenges of building social democracy in a globalized world, including creating opportunities for Latin American leaders to directly express their views to audiences in the United States. Finally, the Observatory collaborates with many Latin American institutions to further these objectives within countries across the Hemisphere by linking and mobilizing ideas and institutions. The OLA’s work is organized through its central programs, which includes Design and Development, Latin America on the Move, and Building Bicentennials. The OLA is also home of the President Néstor Kirchner Fellowship, launched in 2011. In conjunction with the Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina, The President Néstor Kirchner Fellowship is aimed at training young leaders in South America. The Fellowship is inspired by the legacy and achievements of former President Néstor Kirchner during his term as President of Argentina (2003-2007), coupled with his important work as the first Secretary General of UNASUR (2010).
The Social Innovation Initiative
Steering Committee: Michele Kahane, Cynthia Lawson, Judy Mejia, Mary Watson, and Tony Whitfield
www.newschool.edu/social-innovation/
Social innovation aims to enhance the capacity of individuals, communities, and organizations to devise effective, just, and sustainable solutions to social and environmental problems. The New School's Social Innovation Initiative is a cross divisional partnership between The New School for Public Engagement, Parsons, and Lang, designed to provide students with skills to become versatile changemakers able to lead across diverse career pathways and within diverse sectors. The Initiative offers curricular and extracurricular educational experiences to enable students to address contemporary social and environmental challenges. The New School community of faculty and students are developing a foundation of knowledge about social innovation, a body of applied research and creative and professional practice, and methods of experiential teaching and learning. The initiative was catalyzed by the invitation from Ashoka U for The New School to join its Changemaker Campus Initiative in 2009.
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