A global pandemic. Racial injustice and civil unrest. An economic implosion.

Now more than ever we need creative and collaborative problem-solvers working on behalf of the Common Good.

But where will we find them when, as Graham Brown-Martin has put it, school is a place where students “could pass a written test about swimming without ever getting wet”?

Today marks Day 1 of our first virtual Expedition. Our students will learn to frame a social impact problem, imagine a solution, and build-test-learn their way to a prototype. Within 4.5 days, they will undergo a public test: they will have to pitch their problem-solution set to a CEO panel they have never met before.

Why would teenagers devote a week of their summer to this?

Yes, they will receive 2 college credits from Immaculata University and a Certificate in Social Innovation from Basecamp. They know these things matter to the college admissions process.

Yes, they are motivated to meet like-minded peers from other schools. Never underestimate the power of the adolescent need to connect socially.

But mostly it is because they realize that, now more than ever, it’s not what you know—it’s what you can do with what you know.

***

We are currently taking applications for our next virtual Expedition, August 3-7.

***

Thank you for reading this post from Basecamp's blog, Ed:Future. Do you know someone who would find the Ed:Future blog worthwhile reading? Please let them know that they can subscribe here.