Capstone

Leaading up to the intensive, students engage in a series of conversations to start thinking about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, challenges they see in their local and global communities, and possible solutions. Students read articles, interact with media, and reflect on a range of topics. This phase culminates in a nonprofit fair where we invite all of our Capstone partners to meet the students and share about their work.

After the fair, students are assigned a group and paired with an NGO. They research the work of the NGO, the country in which they serve, and the UN SDGs the work addresses. Students apply their research skills and develop a collaborative research paper and a letter of intent.

In the first few days of the intensive, students travel to the office of their NGO and meet with key stakeholders to learn about their work and gain insights about its impact. Throughout the intensive, the NGO partners help guide students in their design challenge, whether they create a product or organize a service experience.

The culmination of the students’ research and partnership with their NGO is a design challenge. Students partnered with an NGO that engages in international work will create a product that serves a need of the NGO or the community that they serve. Student groups partnered with an NGO that does local work will design and carry out a service project.

And finally, students formally present their work to community members at the Capstone Showcase.