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The Need

 

Today…

More than ever, schools need to prepare students for life. Leaders in education and business agree that soft skills are the missing link for student workforce readiness and success after graduation. Yet, with all the demands on our schools and classrooms how to incorporate real world experiences is a challenge.

 
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74%

of US high school students believe their work should have a higher purpose

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49%

of US high school students want to have their own business someday

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37%

of US high school students worry that technology is weakening their ability to maintain strong interpersonal relationships and develop good people skills

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29%

of US employers are concerned that they won’t be able to successfully recruit, train, and retain Generation Z employees due to the gap between Generation Z skills and employer expectations.

Sources: 2017 Deloitte Insights Report ‘Generation Z Enters the Workforce’, 2016 Monster Multi-Generational Survey

 
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Why does whole-student education matter?

Academia focuses on teaching knowledge and memorizing facts. Life requires wisdom.

A whole-student approach to education includes teaching students how to think critically, feel deeply, and act confidently.

 
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A lack of soft skills can lead to:

  • Low student engagement
  • Higher drop out rates
  • Future student underemployment
  • Low student wellbeing and mental health
  • Decline in school culture
  • Increased skill gap in business
  • Less engaged citizens
 

Students need an education that…

 
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Makes them healthier and builds their personal confidence

The rate of suicide among teens has tripled since 1960, and Colorado is double the national average for teen suicide. Students in schools struggle to see their worth and find their voice. Re-humanizing the education system means that our youth are seen as people first, and students second. Big Idea Project gives students ownership of their learning and challenges them to solve real world problems that impact others.

 

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Prepares them for successful work and provides them the opportunity to make their communities better

Students step into the uncomfortable and fail forward throughout the project. They learn grit, responsibility, critical thinking and even how to reach out to local businesses to pitch an idea. At the end of the semester, they have a real world portfolio to use for future employment or college applications.

This is whole-student education

 
 

There are

15.3 Million

students in US high schools who need a better way to learn each year.

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We provide over

750

high school students each year with life changing experiences, and we’re not slowing down anytime soon.

We hear their stories of success, overcoming and finding ways to create their future. They tell us the Big Idea Project was the best work they ever accomplished in school.