The Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington
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CONNECTdmv Hosts "Projects for Change""
Sunday, June 13, 2021 4:00 PM EDT to Sunday, July 11, 2021
Category: Community Events

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CONNECTdmv has launched its 2nd annual Projects for Change program, an intensive, four-week summer program (June 13th - July 11th) for high schoolers -- taught by college professors and student activists -- to give them the tools to create and launch their own passion projects addressing social justice or any issue of their choice.  Once again we are partnering with Youth Creating Change and college professors to co-create the curriculum, plus this year we're also partnering with InLight magazine and DC Teens Action. YCC, InLight, and DC Teens Action are all run by high schoolers, helping us to co-create a program created for students, by students. 

Projects for Change is for any student who would like to get the tools to become social entrepreneurs or activists, build a solution to address the social issue of their choice, pitch to a panel (that last year included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ashoka, Columbia Capital, and others), and receive seed funding to launch their student-created and run venture.

These were the five student projects created last summer, receiving an offer of seed funding from CONNECTdmv: 

  • Minorities in Medicine -- a program to attract the BIPOC community to health care/medicine
  • Easel for Equality: Artists Against Social Silence -- a place for artists to show their work against social injustice
  • Black Business Finder in the DMV -- a tool to help consumers find black-owned businesses
  • Students Teaching Equitable Education Reform (STEER) Consulting Firm -- a student group of consultants who want to help reform in-school programs that address social justice issues, and
  • A Documentary Film -- a film that documents the day-in-the-life of BIPOCs at PWIs (primarily white institutions/high schools)

Students will meet every Sunday for two hours, plus meet with their group and assigned mentors in between Sunday meetings. Over the course of the four-week program students will learn how to use the Lean Startup methodology to assess both their proposed problem and solution -- interviewing those most affected by the issue being addressed by the students -- plus they will learn how to create a pitch to potential funders, which will occur in the last session!

Here is the registration/information link:  https://bit.ly/ProjectsForChange