Unleash

Laura Paonessa
Jul 24, 2017 · 3 min read

The verb unleash always caught my attention. It is a unique word that when translated into Spanish, its power, somehow, fades away. Unleash is so much meaningful than desatar. I prefer dar rienda suelta, to set myself free and connect with that feeling, to use all my imagination and powers to create something new. With a big smile and shining eyes.

When I saw the program’s open call on Twitter, I thought “why not?”. UNLEASH is a global innovation lab that brings together people from all over the world to transform 1,000 personal insights into hundreds of ideas, and build long-lasting global networks around the Sustainable Development Goals.

I’m honored to be one of those 1,000 SDG Talents selected to participate in UNLEASH Founding Class in Denmark.

I can feel the adrenaline rushing throughout my body, but I have to focus. The core components that guide my idea are: Innovation, Community and Collaboration.

Innovation

Urban problems are increasingly complex: public services, infrastructure, mobility, and housing are some of the many challenges cities face. Governments need new strategies to address them. Collaboration and knowledge sharing become crucial for public policies’ success.

My project idea is to develop a Network of Innovation Labs that will provide the connections, best practices and methodologies required to engage in highly innovative initiatives across Latin America.

Government Labs are not entirely new, yet they’re still infrequent tools to drive innovation. The Labs bring not only the benefits of openness but also seek to close the gap between government and civic entrepreneurship, adapting methods such as design thinking and fast prototyping to solve public problems.

During UNLEASH, we will ignite change. Our ideas will be improved to create real, scalable solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals. While in Denmark, the traditional Folk High Schools will host us to gain new ways of working together. Through unlocking new perspectives, we will learn, ideate, and develop business plans for our solutions.

Community

I have shown a strong commitment to public service. In my hometown, Buenos Aires, Argentina, I’ve proudly worked for four different Ministries -Education, Economic Development, Environment, and Modernization. All of them have maximize my entrepreneurial mindset and have allowed me to forge long-term bonds with people of diverse backgrounds.

I advocate for a plural approach when designing public policies. Encouraging teams to “get out of the building” and to use the city as a platform to propel innovation through open data, technology, and collaboration.

From my Buenos Aires querido to Washington DC, I have had the chance to discuss and design scalable strategies with policy experts in many cities. Now, I’m excited to have the possibility to enrich these ideas with 1,000 SDG Talents from all over the world and help Governments implement them.

The incredible stories my fellows are already sharing allows me to discover remote places, to experience their efforts and to be part of their dreams. It makes this world interconnected, and goals achievable.

Collaboration

In my opinion, being a leader is being a social connector. A leader connects.

Since I graduated, I’ve worked at NGOs, startups, governments and multilateral institutions. In doing so, I realized that officers design solutions separately, but people suffer problems altogether. I want to change that.

As the small wheel that connects the big ones together in an engine, I advocate for the value and importance of collaboration. The lack of dialogue and understanding between the sectors of society is one of the main obstacles for a country’s progress.

UNLEASH is a unique opportunity in which I will set the basis for a global conversation with the power to disrupt conventional solutions and create a better and more sustainable world.

Being changemakers without borders.
I’m ready. We are ready.

Unleash!

Hackathon organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Metropolitan District of Quito (MDMQ) and the Innovation Lab of Quito (LINQ) to improve the resiliency of the city.

Let’s get connected: Twitter, LinkedIn

UNLEASH Lab

Global innovation lab creating disruptive solutions for the UN's SDGs

Laura Paonessa

Written by

Esta es mi versión no apurada. Mi lado vulnerable y por eso poderoso. #TiempoNoApurado #SocEnt #OpenGov #GCLimpact #FellowshipOEA #LiderazgoFem

UNLEASH Lab

Global innovation lab creating disruptive solutions for the UN's SDGs

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