CATALYST Change Projects Explained
Everything you need to know about CATALYST Change Projects.
So, what is a Change Project anyway? The honest answer: it depends. Students join CATALYST from around the world… from the UK to Germany, Ghana to Kenya, Egypt, Singapore, Thailand… and many others. So, naturally, students’ vision for change - the problems they’ve identified, and the solutions they seek to bring about - vary considerably. From off-grid energy solutions in Southeast Asia to biomedical sensors and upcycling programmes for electronic waste, the diversity of Change Projects is vast. One thing that remains consistent, however, is our goal to support students' visions for change.
A core tenant of all CATALYST programmes
CATALYST students undertake a Change Project during the programme. This project serves as students’ final work which can take many forms: thought leadership, a model or composition, video production etc. The project aims to clearly articulate the need for change in a domain of their choosing. More aptly, it’s a launchpad for students to establish a voice in driving change.
Those taking part in our 1-week programmes work on a Change Project with a small team, while those taking part in our 2-week programmes work on individual Change Projects. As you explore new change systems and topics, develop new insights about how change is catalysed, and assess the impact of change in a myriad of contexts, so too will your project evolve. Throughout the programmes, time is set aside for you to work on your Change Project, engaging peers and coaches as needed. But you are also encouraged to explore your chosen topic area beyond the scope of the programme and actively pursue your project both during and after CATALYST.
Taking students beyond theory
We believe that the future of success will not be limited to academic qualifications, but will be dependent on real-world skills and personal attributes. Among these, traits such as resilience, the ability to work well with others, and critical thinking will become increasingly crucial in personal and professional success.
As such, we also believe that a student’s Change Project should be more than a theoretical vision for change; it should be something that they share with the world and actively pursue. As the storyteller of their Change Project, students will author public thought leadership about the topic that people will read, share, and engage with. They might even be able to start a movement…
A roadmap to success
In order to make Change Projects a tangible and actionable plan to be executed over 1 or 2-weeks, we encourage students to focus on certain key elements:
First, define the problem or issue that the Change Project is aiming to tackle.
Second, convince readers of the need for change and explain how one’s chosen activities will lead to positive change in the short and long term.
Third, establish who or what the project will positively impact, and how a student will measure said impact.
Fourth, critically address what factors might help or hinder the success of the Change Project.
Fifth, identify who will need to be engaged to support the Change Project as key stakeholders, and call them to action.
But the ultimate goal of a Change Project? To convince the reader that they should rally behind the student’s vision for change.
Leveraging Change Projects beyond CATALYST
Change Projects have the potential to form a natural backbone for university applications or to set the stage for a rich personal statement.
A student’s performance on their Change Project will be part of their CATALYST Transcript and accordingly, we are especially interested in the extent to which the student has evidenced: negotiation and resolution, narrative defence, effective communication, quantitative fluency, empathetic collaboration, and critical analysis and problem-solving. By focusing on these key elements, we hope to set the stage for our students’ Change Projects to become tangible and actionable, and to push it to the point of making a real impact in the world.
To help students go further, and faster, we also sponsor extraordinary Change Projects by providing up to £250 in project finance.
When we say we push our students to look beyond school and university, we mean it.
