Read the Book Draft

Chapter 6: Social Change-U

3D Learning, the Simulations Center, and the Archive Studio will benefit from widespread understanding and participation to effectively bring about social change. In the following three chapters, we’ll introduce three educational institutions that will increase this understanding and participation among critical social groups.

Social Change-U is a supplement for higher learning education that is scalable, personally customizable, and self-driven by students. Like the 3D Learning model, Social Change-U moves the focus of education squarely on the student, what they are interested in learning, what they need to build a living portfolio, and how they develop as an individual.

The most immediate change to traditional methods comes through improved engagement density. In the current college atmosphere, students are often lost in a sea of other faces in a huge lecture hall. Even in smaller classes, teachers have 20-30 students to worry about, making it easy for individual needs and ideas to fall through the cracks. This system is oriented toward the institution, checking boxes and creating workers to fill roles in organizations. There is little room in this model to discover the genius and gifts of individual students and apply their learning to the benefit of their whole life. Worse, even after they have chiseled off pieces of themselves or allowed gifts to atrophy, they aren’t necessarily better off. Students too often find themselves deep in debt without the promised job prospects to show for it.

Social Change-U is built on groups of four students who set their own supplemental learning path based on their experience and goals. This group of four creates the ideal engagement density for students to be heard, understood, and recognized as a whole person. In the SC-U model, students are able to leverage the power of the groups of 4 before and after they approach a professor optimizing the quality and quantity of their interaction together.  

What is the benefit of small groups seeing each other as whole people? In the traditional model, students only begin to have familiar faces in their classes once they reach the upper-level portion of their program. When they are assigned small groups for specific projects, students only work together for a short time and end up viewing each other in the context of what each of them bring to the table. Too often, more able or willing group members are exploited while those whose contributions are less apparent sit back. They meet only often enough to complete the assignment, resent the others’ perceived lack of participation, and breathe a sigh of relief once they turn in the project.

Contrast that with the Social Change-U model, where groups of four students work together throughout their educational experience. These students see much more than just a snapshot of another person in the context of a specific course or particular assignment. They help each other grow, review each other’s work, and consult with each other on their educational goals and aspirations. These young adults see each group member as a whole person, helping and interacting with them accordingly.

One of the chief benefits of this kind of whole-person group dynamic is that it drastically increases the epiphany rate among participating students. The groundwork for conversations and learning experiences is laid in advance. Students are already comfortable with each other and aware of each other’s gifts, shortcomings, priorities, and interests. With that background, students are far enough along in trust and understanding that they gain insight and epiphanies at a much faster pace.

How it Works

Social Change-U is an eight-year supplemental program that takes young adults through the transition into higher education, a robust liberal arts program, and graduate-style experiences that prepare them for success in their families, careers, and personal goals.

Graduating In

For the first two years, students will be forming habits of learning, working to create a source of income for themselves, and building and nurturing personal relationships that will be critical in their education and life.

Each young adult who opts into the program will find or be assigned to a group of four. These groups will begin working together immediately, helping each other with tasks and assignments and reviewing each other’s work. Students will choose their own topics of study, but will have assignments, including substantial writing and reading projects, in common. Throughout these initial two years, students will increase their capacity to think critically, express themselves, write persuasively, and work with others.

Meanwhile, each student will work to create an income stream. Some of this could be work for one of the John and Abigail Institute organizations. Some of this work will be entrepreneurial, creating a source of future income that can support the student through school and beyond. The goal is to have a significant source of income through the next critical decade as students work on their own education and start families. Not only will Social Change-U students come out of their program debt-free, they’ll be ahead with significant financial savings and a source of income that will sustain them into the future.

Education

Students will spend the middle four years pursuing a rigorous liberal arts education program as a supplement to their college experiences. By the time they reach this point, they will have financial independence thanks to the revenue streams they’ve created in the “graduating in” process. They will now be free to focus on their personal educational goals.

Though there will be a list of recommended books and materials, students will choose what they want to study and when. The course of study is highly self-tailored, so students select subject matter according to their own goals and interests.  If students are interested in software engineering, writing, history, or a combination of all three, they are empowered to pursue those interests. Once they have selected a topic, groups of four engage consultants, experts in their field, to work with the students and mentor them through material. Students will come to the consultant meeting well-prepared, having studied the expert’s material and ready with questions and discussion topics. Consultants will help the students engage more fully with the material and see how it affects everything else they are learning and accomplishing.

As they engage with consultants and master material, students will use scenario forecasting and simulations to increase understanding and improve application. They will complete projects and write material that will become a living portfolio of what they’ve learned and are learning. Social Change-U also includes student advocates who will discover and introduce resources, outside relationships, and consultants.

As in 3D Learning, each student’s personal relationships will be key in their education. Students will report on their progress, ask for advice, and send out materials for review and comment. By engaging these relationships, students will build a powerful network of support and growth.

One of the key principles students will learn in this program is that the things they actively measure will grow and improve. At Social Change-U, they will learn to measure their epiphany rates, personal relationships, and capacity to change and influence the world.

Graduating Out 

The last two years of the Social Change-U program will be spent in real-world application and experiences that will build on and apply what students are learning. They will travel, find internships, try different things, and decide where to go next.

Most critically during this time, students will add to their living portfolio and contribute to the world in positive, meaningful ways.

Students will find a community that they feel they can influence. At first, it will likely be difficult; students won’t have deep personal relationships in this community and will have to work to build trust. They will draw on their experiences and education to select several sectors of the community that they hope to have an impact on and get to work.

Of course, these students will never really be alone. They have spent the past six years building relationships and working with mentors who will still be available to help, advise, and offer resources.

Next up—Chapter 7: Family Academy

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If you’re interested in joining the mastermind group or launch team for the John and Abigail Center or any of the partner organizations, contact us.