PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia is looking for everyday Philadelphians to come up with solutions that address barriers to health equity in the city.
The Well City Challenge is a social impact competition for community innovators with creative ideas that address Philadelphia’s health and wellness challenges.
This year, the challenge focuses on mental and heart health.
Economy League Impact Labs Program Associate Tia Abdulhadi said Philadelphia ranks the lowest in health outcomes, even though it has robust health care systems and resources.
“We know that if your mental health isn't well, you can't really care for your physical health, and vice versa. We know the obvious connection between the two,” said Abdulhadi. “We think that it's good to especially focus on preventative care from a non-clinical standpoint, because that's kind of where it begins.”
2021 grand prize winner Nicole Kenney is the founder of "Hey Auntie!” which is a multi-generational wellness tech platform for Black women.
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Born out of being stressed and overwhelmed and getting support from her own aunt, she found many women facing the same issues. The 2021 competition came on the heels of the racial reckoning of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
“I could see again how Black women were not being supported,” said Kenney. “I also saw there was a real moment to bring Black women to the forefront, and so the Well City Challenge gave me that opportunity.”
The $50,000 prize she received helped her organization get off the ground.
“We started with ‘Hey Auntie!’ voicemails. We do text challenges to remind women to do something fun for themselves,” said Kenney. “We'll be starting to build out an actual assessment onboarding tool for women who actually want to be aunties.”
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The challenge is open to anyone in the city ages 18 and over. Submissions must provide a health solution for one of three topics involving community and social connection, equitable access to nutrition & care, or creating safe spaces.
Abdulhadi said that after the application phase, selected applicants are paired with mentors and coaches to get ready for a Shark Tank-style pitch competition.
“That's when people will be awarded multiple $10,000 prizes … stipends to help them sustain themselves over the next courses and phases where they'll go into the accelerator and incubator phase,” said Abdulhadi. “Then in the end at the investor roundtable is where we grant $50,000 prizes.”
The Call for Ideas Launch Event comes Saturday at noon at the Franklin Institute. The contest will offer over $100,000 in total prizes.