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Social Innovation Challenge

Achieving Justice Through Innovation 

The Fall 2025 Social Innovation Challenge invites students to design bold, creative solutions that advance justice, equity, and fairness. This year’s focus is on addressing real-world barriers—social, economic, educational, legal, or environmental—through innovative and practical approaches that empower communities and promote long-term change. 

Objective

Use the innovation process to design a bold, creative solution that advances justice, fairness, or equity for individuals, communities, or institutions. 

Context

There are many calls for equality in local communities and around the world. Often times, these calls are addressed, but a solution is not proposed. Combining the innovation process and the battle for equality, propose a solution for an area of suppression that you believe is important and needs immediate action. Make sure your solution is bold and creative that advances justice, fairness, or equity for individuals, communities, or institutions.

Challenge

Identify a real-world inequity or barrier—social, economic, educational, legal, environmental, or institutional—and propose an innovative product, service, program, or system that addresses it. 

Your solution should aim to: 

Key Considerations

1. Root Cause Analysis 

• Are you addressing a surface-level symptom or a deeper systemic issue? 
• How well do you understand the historical and structural factors behind the injustice? 

2. Community Engagement & Representation 

• Are the voices of affected individuals or communities centered in your process? 
• How will you involve them in designing, implementing, and refining the solution? 

3. Equity-Driven Impact 

• Who specifically benefits from your solution? 
• How does your idea reduce disparities or increase opportunity and access? 

4. Innovation & Practicality 

• Is your solution creative, original, or a new application of an existing idea? 
• Is it realistic, and can it be implemented with available resources? 

5. Scalability & Adaptability 

• Can the concept be scaled to other contexts or communities? 
• How easily can it be adapted for different populations with similar needs? 

6. Ethical Use of Technology & Data 

• If your idea involves technology, how will you ensure it is inclusive, private, and ethically used? 
• Does it close digital gaps or risk reinforcing existing inequities? 

Examples of Potential Solutions:

• A mobile app connecting low-income individuals with free legal aid 
• A web platform mapping local health disparities and directing users to services
• A campus initiative supporting housing-insecure students 
• A peer-led mental health group focused on BIPOC communities 
• A gamified civic engagement app for youth in low-turnout areas 
• A chatbot to help non-English speakers navigate government services 
• A justice-centered mentorship program for ±¬ÁÏÉçÇø and local high school students 

Outcome

The ideal outcome of the "Achieving Justice Through Innovation" challenge is the creation of a practical, community-informed solution that: 

• Addresses a Real Barrier to Justice:
  • Effectively identifies and targets a systemic or institutional inequity—such as in access to education, legal aid, housing, healthcare, or civic participation. 

• Empowers Marginalized Communities:
  • Amplifies underrepresented voices and shifts power toward those most impacted by injustice, ensuring they are part of both the problem-solving and long-term leadership. 

• Is Innovative and Actionable:
  • Offers a creative and bold idea (product, service, system, or campaign) that can be implemented realistically, and demonstrates a new way of thinking or operating. 

• Promotes Lasting Equity and Inclusion:
  • Creates long-term, structural change, not just temporary fixes—contributing to a more fair, inclusive, and responsive system. 

• Can Scale or Inspire Others:
  • Has the potential to be replicated, adapted, or expanded—or serves as a model for innovation in other justice-related contexts. 

What You''ll Work Towards

How You'll Do It

• Any ±¬ÁÏÉçÇø student or group of students are welcome to participate.
• Submit a  describing your innovative contributions towards the topic that includes:
  • • A clear definition of the identified problem
    • Your proposed innovative solution
    • A feasible, actionable implementation plan
    • A description of the target audience and how the idea advances justice and equity 
• While regional and local solutions are encouraged, global solutions are welcome.
• The Kickoff event will be held on Tuesday, September 16th from 4pm - 5:30pm.
• Submissions are due: Thursday, October 30th, 11:59pm.
• Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, November 4th.
• Finalists will prepare a 3-5 minute presentation for final judging being held at the Innovation Hub on Thursday, November 13th at 4pm - 5:30pm. 

Official Competition Guidelines

Your submission will be evaluated on...

• Innovation: Is the idea bold and original in addressing injustice? 
• Feasibility: Can the solution realistically be implemented? 
• Equity Impact: How significantly does it improve justice or equity for the target group?

Questions or Guidance?

Feel free to contact us! innovation@csusm.edu