The Student Journey
A training ground for students
We equip future social impact leaders with the tools and approaches to further the common good. From Georgetown students to industry leaders and everyone in-between, we are here to guide lifelong learners on their journeys in pursuit of a better world. We use a four-part framework called LEAP.
Learn
Provide an understanding of the field and key tools to close the knowledge gap
Explore
Explore different aspects of social impact and create time for introspection and skill development
Act
Experience social impact in order to understand the tools and approaches in application, working with the Beeck Center and our partners across every sector
Partner
Partner with Beeck as an emergent or current thought leader and join the broader community committed to better outcomes
How it Works
We pair students with cutting-edge thought leaders.
Being at Georgetown University gives us a front-row seat to:
- Train students to be positive social change leaders in their future fields, whatever they might be
- Collaborate in an environment where everyone learns from each other, irrespective of sector, experience, or background
- Develop students and thought leaders alike within an experiential hub to drive leading-edge ecosystem solutions that can be scaled for lasting social impact
- Interact with the lawmakers, policy-makers, and decision-makers who drive world political and societal agendas here in the Nation's Capital.
Student Journey: LEAP
The LEAP framework centers on the Beeck Center’s role as a cross-disciplinary, experiential hub that provides students with the opportunity to apply what they’re learning in the classroom to real-world problems as they hone their skills and build a community dedicated to social impact.
Learn
Find a topic that interests you.
We provide students with an understanding of the field and key tools to close the knowledge gap. In the first stage of the LEAP journey, students are introduced to a topic, such as impact investing or blockchain, to anchor their interest in social impact and innovation.
Highlight
Winners Take All
In September 2018, the Beeck Center hosted author Anand Giridharadas to discuss his new book Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World. Founding Executive Director Sonal Shah led the conversation and invited students to join the author on stage to ask questions as well. This was a controversial topic touching on philanthropy, social good, policy, and wealth.
Explore
Dig deeper, develop your skills.
The next stage of the journey is to Explore different aspects of social impact and to make time for introspection and skill development. Students dig deeper into topics that interest them through a more hands-on, discussion-based workshop or course.
Highlight
Discern + Digest
The mission of the Discern + Digest series is to help students explore the topic of social impact and their personal role in the space, through learning how to ask good questions, how to reflect, and how to discern.
The discussions, which typically center on challenging questions that are meant to be a bit uncomfortable, will serve to equip students with the mindset and skills necessary to become a successful 21st Century social impact leader. Moreover, the discussion series will help build a community of critical thinkers, committed to social impact.
Act
Participate in the experiential aspects of social impact offered at the Beeck Center and beyond.
At this stage, students participate in the experiential aspects of social impact offered at Beeck and beyond—including contributing to Beeck’s day-to-day work as Student Analysts and experiencing social impact through working with one of our impact partners as a GU Impacts Fellow.
Highlight
GU Impacts Fellowship
GU Impacts is the Beeck Center’s flagship experiential learning program, offering students the opportunity to engage directly in social impact work by working with one of our global impact partners, including for-profit, nonprofit, and public sector organizations.
Highlight
Student Analyst Program
The Beeck Center’s Student Analyst program hires students for paid positions that directly support work in our three portfolios, including fair finance, data + digital, and student engagement. Student Analysts support all aspects of our work, from research and analysis to communications, operations, and programming. Students Analysts also participate in our Discern + Digest lunch series and a variety of skill development workshops. You can meet our great team of student analysts here.
Partner
Synthesize your experience to make a difference.
At the final stage of the LEAP journey, we invite our students to Partner with Beeck as an emergent or current thought leader and join the broader community committed to the common good. Beeck student alumni do this by working with us from their own social impact platform, from within organizations, or at the helm of a project or initiative. We integrate our own market-research, providing mentors from our incredible team of Fellows and leading initiatives on fair finance and data + digital.
Highlight
Plan-It-Earth
In Spring 2019, the Beeck Center partnered with Plan-It Earth, a team of students dedicated to protecting our environment through inspiring innovative ideas and projects. In April, Plan-It Earth and the Beeck Center hosted a 2-day ideathon that brought students from the DMV area together to ideate tech-enabled solutions that promoted the link between environmental protection and economic growth. Visit the Plan-It Earth website to learn more about the ideathon, the winners, and their solutions. Fill out the student sponsorship form here.
