

Category: Education - Innovate to Graduate - FI
As late as the 1970s America was the most innovative country in the world, today, in some rankings, it has slipped to 11th.
​
Many of us will have seen the video clip on this page**, and if one took the time to fact check what was said, the stats were correct. It is time to take back our seat at the head of the innovation table, but to do so we need to focus on innovations that solve our local socioeconomic and or environmental problems.
​
In 1993, the founder of The Grandparent Renaissance, (himself a grandparent now), co-created the first global platform of "Making A Profit While Making A Difference". Subsequently, he used that platform as the catalyst to design the executive strategy of "Leadership and Management Through the Lens of Profit for Purpose" that underpinned over $1B in realized equity values for investors in the companies he founded, and or where he was part of the C-Suite. More importantly, he used it to create the Impact Innovation led, modern economic model of Impact Economics.
​
Impact Economics embeds local-based innovation at its core, and its college syllabus "ImpactX" has won multiple awards from the AACSB, and is the number one ranked class at the College of Charleston. The innovations that come out of these classes are profound, will make you cry, and many move on to be real businesses. The class is also taught for free in the evenings, and is open to any community residents who has an idea, hope, or dream to make their communities better and more safer places to live.
​
Additionally, the unique "Innovate to Graduate" syllabus is for grades 3 through 12, and is a "life-long" journey (i.e. the class rolls from 3rd, to 4th, to 5th etc.). At the end of 10th grade the students have their innovation set, and in 11th and 12th they work on go to market (locally) strategies.
​
Members of The Grandparent Renaissance can apply for an exclusive license to embed Impact Economics in their communities. However, there are certification fees included as this is meant to be a self-funding, locally focused, for-profit consulting business. There are no fees involved to become a part of urging your school district to embrace the Innovate to Graduate classes, which include a focus on civics and critical thinking.
​
** Our founder still teaches the ImpactX Class he designed and helped fund at the College of Charleston. He does not agree that our youth today are part of the worst generation ever, as he sees the passion and purpose they have to make money while doing good.
​