Communitas America looks to partner with local social ventures and nonprofits in the communities that we are investing to develop an impact ecosystem to create, develop, and implement social impact programs that will help the community members to become changemakers.

Our founding organization Root Impact is designing, managing and operating a vocational education program called Impact Basecamp that helps youth develop problem-solving skills, especially for whom are committed to delivering positive change to make a better world. The objectives in Season 1, 2015-16 are 1) to improve confidence and skills of youth, the potential Changemakers, 2) to develop a strong community, and 3) to educate interactively with real world examples. By December 2016, 147 students have graduated from Impact Basecamp and the 45% of them started their own careers in social sector.

Root Impact assessed that there are limited opportunities and accesses for youth to experience and learn in the social sector. So, Impact Basecamp offers actual experiences and practical information that youth can maximize to grow as a skilled talent. In doing so, Root Impact hopes that they become Changemakers who keep interested in defining social issues and solving them with innovative solution.

Real World Problems from the Field

The Challenge partners, mainly consisted of social ventures present the most realistic and up to date problems from their daily businesses, communities to the trainees. The trainees, who are mostly college students, develop the solutions based on the lectures and feedback from the mentors. Education partners, social entrepreneurs, employees in the social sectors, and many others experts help the participants be successful and practical in the project.

Curriculum Combining Diverse Methodologies

Experts in design thinking and strategic thinking collaborate to develop and provide a new curriculum regarding a project based problem-solving program. Strategic thinking encourages people to keep asking questions and do analysis. At the same time, design thinking identifies iterative and intermediate solutions while allows for redefinition of the initial problem, in a process of co-evolution of problem and solution.