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Upper School Students Participate in Social Innovators Program

Mar 23, 2021

Moorestown Friends School has partnered with the University of Pennsylvania and Schoolyard Ventures, an organization that develops university-level, real-world learning opportunities for ambitious high school students, to run the Social Innovators Program. Students who participate learn about entrepreneurship through a range of virtual lessons, interviews, case studies, and more. By the end of the program, they gain the skills needed to launch their own socially impactful passion projects.

The Social Innovators Program teaches high school students how to use an entrepreneurial mindset; this is a creative, design-centered, and flexible problem-solving framework that allows students to identify and explore opportunities, make informed decisions, stand firm in the face of adversity, and effectively communicate. Students can apply an entrepreneurial mindset to all aspects of academic, personal, and professional life.

This school year’s Social Innovators Program began on February 19. Weekly virtual recitations began on March 2 and will continue through May. Recitations are one-hour sessions, facilitated by Schoolyard Ventures staff, for students to engage in group discussions.

At the end of the program, students present their projects and showcase their personal development. These projects are self-directed, but students have Schoolyard Ventures staff at their disposal for guidance and brainstorming. Students are encouraged to choose topics that ignite their intrigue and keep them curious. Past examples of projects include: “Love Your Kinks, Curls, and Coils,” which empowers Black women to embrace their natural hair (Abriana Matos ’23); “The Seva Project,” which enables student athletes to afford equipment (Avani Verma ’24); and “Green Room,” which helps young actors and actresses feel more connected to their roles (Martin Hand ’22).

By the time students attend the graduation ceremony, held at the University of Pennsylvania, they will have gained new insights into their educational and professional goals, as well as the resolve needed to reach them. Students who successfully complete the program leave with a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship, which differentiates them as community leaders and prepares them for their futures.

By Katie Kasperson ’17, Marketing and Communications Intern

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