Change Makers
Universally, Inc.’s Change Makers equips students and community members with tools and knowledge to disrupt social fragmentation and discord through interactions that further constructive discourse, advance inclusivity, and foster empathy.
Change Makers Academy – General Information
Universally’s Change Makers program is an Academy experience for students in 8th through 12th grades. Participants attend community and regional academy events, participate in advanced coursework for college credit and/or extracurricular programs, and engage in biographical storytelling as part of the My American Life series that helps students contextualize their own lived experiences in the the context of their studies. Academy participants also engage in studies and discussions about the intersections of their experiences and their community members with deeply rooted, often conflicting ideologies about what it means to be an American and have an all-American life.
Academy studies, coursework, and experiences will lead participants to have (1) constructive dialogue and reflection that supports collaboration and co-creation of solutions for community issues and (2) greater empathy that strengthens understanding of their own experiences, their peers’ experiences, and their shared values.
The coursework for these events draws upon curriculum developed by our university partners. All students are welcome to participate in our Change Makers Academy courses and events offered in their schools and communities. Those who may gain the greatest benefit from a Change Makers Academy include but are not limited to students and community members who are:
- Committed to fostering inclusive environments.
- From states and cities that have divided politics.
- From cities with racially segregated communities or geographic divisions that closely mirror significant socioeconomic inequities and divisions.
- Representative of diverse backgrounds and communities where, similarly to our 360-Degree Storytelling and our Bright Ambassadors, groups tend to be more adversely impacted by negative stereotypes and stigmas.
- More likely to be susceptible to harboring stereotypical views based on limited experiences with people from different communities or with different backgrounds or life experiences.