Design for America Apps Open!
Sami Nerenberg
Hey All!
Inspired by Saul's email from ThinkImpact, thought I would take a moment to share a similar, but different opportunity for current students! If you know of college students- any major and any school within the US that would be interested to get a Design for America studio going on their campus- please pass along the word! Much thanks in advance! -Sami
General Info on DFA:
Design for America is an award-winning nation-wide network of student led studios using design to create local and social impact (and we were also featured on the cover of Fast Company last month which we are excited about!).
After piloting our program since 2009 at Northwestern, we have now grown to 8 colleges this year including Stanford, UCLA, RISD/Brown, Barnard/Columbia and more with the goal of establishing 50 studios by 2015, you can read about this year's launches on Core77 here. This year, we are looking to accept 6-8 new studios for Fall '12 and are currently in the midst of student teams applying. (you can see some on our blog here!)
By studio, we mean simply a group of students working on DFA projects in the areas of Health, Education, or Environment. Students come from all different majors (over 60 so far!) and work on an extra-curricular basis committing about 3-5 hours a week to project work throughout the school year. Those apart of the DFA network send campus leaders to Chicago for our Leadership Studio for a long weekend in the summer where they get trained in the DFA process, prep for their official studio launches, and most importantly probably- meet each other- which is a unique experience to connect with equally passionate and driven students from throughout the country. DFA provides weekly mentorship calls and studio visits to help each studio succeed with the hope that several projects will emerge with the potential to be life-changing. We encourage students to not stop at a good idea but to pursue promising projects into implementation such as Jerry the Bear and SwipeSense, both products of DFA. We believe that it is through this peer-network of support that can give teams the confidence and guidance to make this impact happen. With over 600 students involved and 170 on core teams, we are excited to see what this bunch can do.
FACEBOOK Post:
This is the entrepreneurial generation and innovation is the key. Start your own Design for America studio on your campus to create local and social impact: http://ow.ly/7wM1s
Email:
Design for America is an award-winning nation-wide network of student led studios using design to create local and social impact (and they happened to be featured on the cover of Fast Company last month!).
They are growing and looking for the most excited students who are passionate about creating social impact, from any major and any school within the US. Those accepted will join the DFA network during their Leadership Studio and be mentored throughout their studio development starting Fall '12. Check out their projects like Jerry the Bear and SwipeSense which are helping children with diabetes and eliminating hospital acquired infections. (these projects were started by sophomores in college!)
If this sounds like something you would be interested in getting started on your campus- sign up here! Or email: in...@designforamerica.com for more information! Deadlines are December 2nd and February 24th!
THANK YOU!