FELLOWSHIPS FOR EMERGING LEADERS
SMALL COHORTS. UNIQUE GLOBAL LOCATIONS. AMAZING MENTORS. CURATED NETWORKS. MIND-CHANGING ACTIVATIONS. REAL WORLD CHALLENGES. INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES.
CAPE TOWN, MAY 2018
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 2017
SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL 2017
Popping up all around the world, our fellowship offers unique and intense learning experiences.
join us and embark on an unforgettable adventure with like-minded, whip-smart people.
Top that off with excellent cerebral stimulation and the discovery of game-changing skills for active participation and social change making. AND, of course, you'll get to meet and hang out with amazing mentors from a variety of fields as they share their secrets to success. Yep, that's what happens at the UnSchool fellowship, and it's as amazing as it sounds!
"It was amazing to meet so many talented people that have amazing jobs, ideas and hearts, that remind me that together we can make a big difference in this world."
- Icnelly Pineda (Mexico Fellowship Alumni)
WHAT YOU LEARN
The Disruptive Design Method
Design Thinking
Experience Design
Gamification
Creative Change-Making
Sustainability
Social Innovation
Community building
Systems Thinking
Activated Leadership
Circular Economy
Cognitive Bias
"You start as a single individual, and at the end, you will be the sum of 16 emerging leaders with different backgrounds and cultures. You will be aware of hundreds of things that you were not aware of before. But the most important thing, you will be fully loaded with tools and techniques to make positive change in your country."
- Arturo Ortega, Mexico, Mexico City Alumni
WONDERING WHAT TO EXPECT?
This is what happened at our San FranCisco fellowshiP
Check out what went down in our Berlin and Mumbai programs
"The fellowship is not only a program to put methods and ideas into your brain, but also a unique program that makes you believe in the power of disruptive design and sustainability by your heart, and especially in yourself to make the change."
- Nihan Ozturk, Turkey, New York City Alumni
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE FELLOWSHIP?
"I decided to apply for the UnSchool fellowship in São Paulo to find a way to express ideas about sustainability, systems thinking, and creative disruption in concrete, tangible and accessible ways. Through the weeklong fellowship, I developed this capacity – both through the integrity of the content, and through learning by doing, to find my own voice."
- Isabel Sarasvati, Canada (São Paulo Fellowship Alumni)
THE WEEK
Walking the streets of Christchurch, New Zealand, on Day 1 of the fellowship program.
We start out in a common meeting spot and from there, you will be taken on a whirlwind journey full of discovery and brain-expanding adventures. We curate each fellowship to highlight the location we have chosen, and seek out the best and brightest examples of like-minded businesses, organizations, fellow change-makers and institutions to expose you new ideas and approaches. In between adventures, mentor sessions and meals, we pack your brain with the Disruptive Design Method for up-skilling your toolset for activating positive social change.
Jeremy McKane, San Francisco mentor, giving the fellows a hand during the 24hr challenge.
THE MENTORS
During the week, you will engage in mentor sessions led by industry experts, thought leaders and experienced practitioners who are invited to share their knowledge and experiences in creating change with you. We've had futurists, an astronaut (!), award winning designers, social entrepreneurs, strategists and innovators, all at the top of their fields. This is an invaluable opportunity to engage with some of the most engaging and exciting humans in the world, all hyper-active in implementing game changing projects.
THE FOOD
With the UnSchool focus on sustainability and brain-building, all our programs are plant-based and strive to be as waste free as possible.
Three beautiful, brain-feeding, delicious and bountiful meals a day are provided, and we are big on in-between snacks.
Constant, regular, delicious snacks to keep you fuelled up and energetic! And, there is also always a pancake breakfast, because... pancakes.
CHECK OUT THE PROGRAM BLOG
STORIES FROM THE UNSCHOOL
THE 24HOUR CHALLENGE
We are committed to activating positive social change through our programs, content and community. During the fellowship, we partner with local organisations to help solve critical real-world issues. We run a 24hour design challenge for our fellows to apply their new knowledge these issues and have an opportunity to make an impact.
Developed with an organisation local to the host city, this real-world design challenge requires fellows to apply the Disruptive Design Method to a social or environmental issue. Fellows are given a design brief, placed in teams, and have 24 hours to develop design solutions that address the problem using the week of knowledge they have attained.
Mentors and lead educators are on hand to help throughout, and when the 24 hours are up, the teams are given 10 minutes to pitch their ideas to a panel of mentor and client representative judges.
This high pressure environment challenges the fellows to apply what they have learned, while mixing in their own pre-existing skill set and finding ways to collaborate in solving a common quest.
MEXICO CHALLENGE: Financial Inclusion in AN Emerging EconomY
Working with a large micro-financing institution, our fellows tackled the challenge of identifying opportunities and designing new models to extend financial inclusion for disadvantaged Mexican communities.
Suggestions included redesigns for the institution's processes, ideas for alternative access points, methods of micro-financing, and initiatives to increase the chances of financial stability and success.
AUSTRALIA CHALLENGE: Refugee ENTREPRENEURS
Working with the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, fellows took on the challenge of overcoming access issues that blocked thousands of asylum seekers from participating in their entrepreneurship programs.
With the goal of increasing opportunities for employment and mentoring in the refugee community, fellows proposed systems-based interventions to leverage unique engagement approaches to activate a marginalized community.
NEW YORK CHALLENGE: SUSTAINABLE APPAREL
New York fellows worked with a large apparel manufacturing facility in Pakistan to design social and environmental interventions. The brief was to increase the environmental performance of producing +25,000 units per day for one of the largest apparel companies in the US.
Several of the design solutions and process changes suggested by our fellows have been implemented to benefit the social and environmental operating processes of the manufacturer.
BRAZIL CHALLENGE: ANTI-CORRUPTION
During our fellowship in São Paulo, we partnered with Transparency International to explore cultural interventions that could help address the systemic issues of corruption in Brazil.
The client described the process as being "incredibly enlightening" and is currently incorporating many of the outcomes into their new campaign design.
"My point of view on life is to keep exploring the world. That's why I love to travel, it is first-hand learning. The UnSchool has the same feeling – getting to know a lot of people from different backgrounds – and it's exciting to learn new subjects: systems thinking, sustainability and most importantly, change. It shaped who I am now!"
- Rox De La Fuente, Mexico (Mexico City Alumni)
HOW DO PEOPLE GET TO THE UNSCHOOL?
Our community members fund their way to the UnSchool in different ways, from crowdfunding to employer sponsorship and self-investing. They've convinced bosses, rallied support through their own networks, and passed up other opportunities to commit to their personal development. Read some of their stories (illustrated by alumni Mehrafza Mirzazad for inspiration!
Crowdfunding
There are crowdfunding platforms around the world, and every single one of our alumni who have taken this route has successfully funded their way, thanks to their own community and even some of our alumni supporting them!
Aside from the financial assistance it offers you in covering tuition, travel and accommodation, crowdfunding is an amazing personal growth experience and as many of our alumni say, the side bonuses are leadership development, confidence boosts and business development (don’t be surprised if your crowdfunding campaign leads to paid work gigs!)
The UnSchool will share your campaign with our community and help you promote it across our networks. If you'd like to see a couple examples of how to do this, check out Gina's, Laura's and Carla's campaign.
Employer Sponsorship
From Fellowships to Workshops and Masterclasses, in every program we run we have had participants who successfully got their employers to fund their participation.
An effective method for getting employer support is offering an exchange. This usually takes the form of running a post-program workshop or knowledge sharing experience with the organization to help build internal capabilities.
Show your boss you are committed by asking them to co-invest in your professional development. Many of our alumni ask their employers to co-fund their participation in the program. We also have alumni who have partnered with educational institutions and offered knowledge sharing workshops upon their return in exchange for tuition sponsorship.
They have found that one approach that works is to offer a strong case for how the new knowledge will assist them with their work, leadership and professional development, and how they can share learnings with their team and ultimately how the company or institution can benefit.
"The UnSchool experience was incredibly valuable to me. It helped build my confidence, learn from great case studies first hand and NETWORK with very important people. Thank you!”
- Erik Sumarkho Spiniello , Australia, Melbourne Alumni
INVESTMENT
The fellowship program is relevant for any industry and professional background. The only requirement is that you have a burning passion and desire to actively participate in leading positive change!
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
A 7 day immersive learning adventure jam-packed with activities, classes, events, workshops and tours
Each day is a full 12 hours of activation oriented experiences (put all your emails on hold!)
Group and one on one mentorship with industry leaders (we've had astronauts and futurists in previous programs!)
Meet a super diverse group of people who want to change the world just as much as you
3 sustainable, colourful, delicious plant based meals a day (most days, 2 are free nights to explore!)
Become part of our growing alumni group of activated change agents from +30 countries around the world.
After the fellowship, access our mentors, alumni only opportunities such as hosting programs, apprenticeships and many other exciting leadership opportunities
EQUITY ACCESS
As part of our effort to make our programs equitable, we offer both scholarships and payment plans. Once our selection is made, we offer a limited number of scholarships, which are awarded based on demonstrated need.
Since we started our immersive programs in 2015, we have given 40 recipients over $120K of scholarships to our programs. Fill in the appropriate spot on the application to register your interest.
Tuition is $2500USD, available in payment plans to all fellows granted a place in the program.
