Help Joe Shape the Future of Education

Hello! 

I'm Joe and I'd love to share with you a bit about myself, my work, and some incredible opportunities to create change.

I recently graduated from Hamilton College where I studied poverty, development, and education and captained the men's basketball team. For the past year, I've been solo traveling through a post-graduate fellowship, immersing myself in some of the world's most innovative learning environments to inform the redesign and realization of better education systems. This complex undertaking is imperative as mainstream education has failed to adapt to profound societal changes over the past century. This has left students unprepared for an increasingly complex and ever-transforming world. 

Throughout this global investigation, I've been curious as to how people develop self-awareness, purpose, and enact change, but more broadly, I've looked at the competencies individuals need to thrive, learning environments that can foster those competencies, and the systems and structures necessary to create those environments. 

I've now been presented two incredible opportunities to synthesize and advance this work with pioneers in the field: Google's Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) and the UnSchool of Disruptive Design's Fellowship Program. 

The former began a decade ago when Google brought together experts in emotional intelligence, mindful leadership, and neuroscience to develop an internal training course. They believed this nexus provided the conditions for success, happiness, and world peace. While this may seem like an outlandish proclamation, the science behind the domains (see figure) and their effect on my own and many others' lived experiences is profound. Most recently, my time spent practicing mindfulness with monks in Thailand was the most enlightening and content week of my life. After the promising feedback on their internal program, Google released it publicly to individuals and corporations.  What I've been offered is not just participation, but the prestigious opportunity to lead the program. Through a 9-month blended learning course (in-person/digital), I'll be trained and tested to see if I meet the demands for teaching certification.
  
The latter, the UnSchool of Disruptive Design, is a global acceleration lab for purpose-driven individuals to activate social and environmental change. The UnSchool works at the intersection of design, systems, sustainability, leadership, and cognitive science. They do all sorts of wicked cool stuff including certification programs, workshops, and farm retreats, but the fellowship is a unique experiential learning program where I am challenged to create change alongside 15 global participants and renowned mentors - including the founder, Dr. Leyla Acaroglu, who was recently named Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Program. In addition to the week-long adventure, I also get continued access to powerful learning materials, networks, and mentorship.
  
By combining the wisdom from these programs with my multidimensional global research, I will possess an incredible foundation to support the design and realization of what education should be - a lifelong experience in which learners grasp who they are, what gives them purpose, how people and the world work, what they need to thrive, and how they can act on this understanding to be healthy, happy, and successful change-makers. But I need your help to make this happen.

With tuition ($7800), accommodation ($500+), and multiple flights to Portugal and Malaysia ($2500), I will need to raise more than $10,000 to participate in the programs. With personal savings and family help I can front about half of this, but I will need your help in raising the rest. Remember, this is not just an investment in me, but the many who stand to be transformed by disrupting an out-dated education system that has roots in every "wicked problem" our world faces. 

As an added incentive, below are some brain activations that I will provide in exchange for the aligned donation. When you contribute just send me a message to let me know that you would like to participate. 

Thank you so much for reading about my journey and the change I'd like to create. Let's do this together.

With gratitude,

Joe

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$10 - Sending you deep gratitude and a thoughtful message.

$25 - A write-up outlining the main takeaways from the UnSchool and SIYLI Programs. 

$50 - A write-up outlining the main takeaways from the UnSchool and SIYLI Programs as well as access to my Learning & Well-Being Manifesto.

$100 - An extended Skype for us to talk about life, growth, and change-making, but also my engagement with these programs and recent research if you're up for it.

$250 - A one-on-one session that provides an introduction to the tools and wisdom necessary for self, social, and systems transformation. I can create a generalized program or customize based on your desires.

$500 - A TED-esque talk/keynote on Search Inside Yourself, the Future of Learning, or other topics relevant to my research and recent journey. For instance, if you want a more niche topic like the success factors behind the Finnish education model, I can do that.

$1000 - I'll invite you to attend a multi-day group workshop on self, social, and systems transformation and provide continued individualized support. 

$2500 - I'll facilitate an organizational workshop and provide design and HR consulting that meets your company's needs. 

$5000 - $10,000 - You can access everything above and any other experience or wisdom you think I could provide. I'll be forever indebted to you.