Dates and Speakers Announced for 2014 Social Good Summit

The fifth annual Social Good Summit, a unique convening of world leaders, new media and technology experts, grassroots activists, and voices from around the world will take place to coincide with United Nations Week on September 21 and 22 at 92nd Street Y in New York City. The theme of this year’s Summit – Connecting for Good, Connecting for All – will challenge speakers, participants, and a growing worldwide community to explore how technology and new media can be leveraged to benefit people everywhere, to create a better world by the year 2030.

A unique mix of speakers will share their visions for the future, including:

• Troy Carter, Founder and CEO, Atom Factory
• Pete Cashmore, Founder and CEO, Mashable
• Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
• Yael Maguire, Director, Facebook Connectivity Lab
• Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director, Greenpeace
• Avi Reichental, CEO, 3D Systems
• Megan Smith, Vice President at Google X
• Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and Founder, Grameen Bank

New speakers will be announced every week between now and September. Updates will be posted on www.socialgoodsummit.com, and all are invited to follow the #2030NOW conversation online.

The Largest Gathering of Global Citizens During UN Week

Each September, world leaders come together at the United Nations General Assembly to discuss global issues and how to tackle them. The Social Good Summit was created to expand these conversations to include innovators, activists, and entrepreneurs around the world—acknowledging that the voices and ideas of concerned global citizens, connected by social media and technology, can be a powerful force for change.

Last year, the Social Good Summit was translated in seven different languages and people in more than 60 countries joined in by organizing in-person or online meetings in their own communities and connecting back to the Summit in New York City through video and social media on MeetUp.com. With the reach of the UN Development Programme’s country offices, citizens from countries as far-flung as Albania, El Salvador, South Sudan Lebanon, Zimbabwe and more joined the Social Good Summit to share their innovative ideas for the future of our world.  This year, the Summit plans to expand the conversation to even more countries, relying in part on the +SocialGood platform.

Our goal is to empower people everywhere to have their voices heard, both during and after UN Week—last year, The Summit launched its +SocialGood platform last year, which uses new technology to give people around the world a venue to share ideas and plans for changing the world. The +SocialGood community has grown to nearly 30,000 people online, and this year it will be integrated with the program in New York.

Join us today

Tickets for the Social Good Summit are available now at www.socialgoodsummit.com.

About the Social Good Summit Partners

The 2014 Social Good Summit is proudly presented by Mashable, 92nd Street Y, the United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Mashable

Mashable is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable’s 35 million unique visitors worldwide and 16 million social media followers are one of the most influential and engaged online communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

92nd Street Y

Now celebrating its 140th Anniversary, 92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit cultural and community center that fosters the mental, physical and spiritual health of people throughout their lives, offering: wide-ranging conversations with the world’s best minds; an outstanding range of programming in the performing, visual and literary arts; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y is reimagining what it means to be a community center in the digital age, transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action both locally and around the world. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y annually; millions more participate in 92Y’s digital and online initiatives. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its Jewish heritage and welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.

United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals.

United Nations Development Programme 

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in 177 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.