Startland’s Social Change Internship: Congrats to our Second Cohort!

This summer, we launched the second cohort of our Social Change Internship - an 8-week program that challenges students to inspire, encourage and create social change. With design thinking at its core, high school and college students created, tested and pitched real-world solutions to social issues in their communities. Along with this, students had the opportunity to network and learn from local changemakers and entrepreneurs.

Final Pitches from our Second Cohort

Beyond The Impossible

Finding that for every gram of beef produced, 221 grams of carbon dioxide are emitted, this team of students decided a change needed to be made. They suggested a need for meat-substitutes, but took it a step further by acknowledging the inaccessibility of these substitutes. They surveyed users and understood that most people face anxiety around starting a new lifestyle - especially one that’s eco-friendly. Taking this input, the team’s solution was to create social media pages that share resources for people looking to try vegan options. As part of these resources, the pages feature local businesses to help increase their customer base. The team emphasizes that these pages are meant to be stigma-free, and purely information-based. They are now looking to expand their social media and increase the pages’ viewership.

Eye of an Immigrant

This team’s solution came from their personal connection with immigration, as well as the state of immigration in Kansas City, where immigrants make up roughly 7% of the population. Through surveying users, they discovered that many immigrants don’t know about resources available to them. So instead of creating a new resource, the team decided to build a website that serves as a central hub for resources. Recognizing that older audiences might not readily seek this website out, their focus was to engage first-generation young adults. They advertised on social media, and turned those viewers into visits to their website. The team has received support from places like Channel 9, PBS and Lenexa City Council. Their next steps are to create a series highlighting various immigrant groups; and turn their idea into a nonprofit organization.

GirlsLeadKC

Exploring gender inequality in U.S. Congress, this team asked why laws concerning women’s bodies are largely created by men and, more broadly, why only 24% of women make up the U.S. senate. They hypothesized that the sooner we inspire young women, the more interested they will be in becoming politicians. Introducing GirlsLeadKC: a special, pilot event that will connect teens with women leaders for one-on-one discussions. By having in-depth discussions with leaders in their community, the team hopes they will inspire the next generation of women. The team already has over 15 sponsors (including HyVee, Price Chooper, and Sonic), and is planning to launch the event on Aug 10, 2021.

Race To Equality

Beginning with the topic of Racial Injustice, this team assessed what factors contribute to this issue and how to dismantle them. They chose to hone in on microaggressions, and how to engage with these as young people. After choosing middle schoolers as their target audience, they interviewed them and learned that most would like learning through a blog. They decided to create a website where people share their personal experiences with microaggressions - including how they’ve encountered them, how they’ve felt, and how they’ve moved on. The team’s next steps are to expand the site so that anyone can submit their stories, and to provide live learning sessions for middle schoolers.

Teens For Teaching

Understanding that the college admissions process is already difficult for affluent US citizens, this team sought to understand how much more difficult it can be for international, first-gen and low-income students. From 2019 - 2020, applications from first-gen students were down 16%; and the number of low-income, first-gen students who dropped out their first year of college was 89% - a staggering statistic. While there are already numerous resources available for college applicants, the team found that the accessibility to those is lacking. The team decided they would create an online hub for college applicants across the globe to help in their process. The hub hosts blogs, videos, study materials, amongst a host of other resources. Their next steps are to optimize their digital marketing, and register their organization as a nonprofit.

Our Impact

“When I first started at Social Change Internship, I never realized that I would be able to learn so much about myself and my capabilities while also making an impact on people through teensforteaching. Weekly meetings exposed me to the entrepreneurial spirit and the mindset which taught me valuable lessons about tackling problems - being logical instead of emotional, as well as being more responsible. Before I met [my advisor], I struggled with communicating my ideas more efficiently and impact fully, however (thanks to mentoring sessions) I feel I have greatly improved in my communication and leadership responsibilities.”

— 11th Grader, Adlai E. Stevenson High School

“My experience in Startland has shaped the way I tackle problems. Whenever I have projects or assignments, I’ll think about Startland and how ‘to go fast, you must start slow.’”

— 12th Grader, Olathe East High School

“I've learned a lot about having empathy for others and their problems. Forming connections with the community is another thing that I have learned.”

— 12th Grader, Blue Valley Northwest High School

Congratulations to our students for completing the 8-week internship! We’re excited to see how they continue to pursue these ideas and turn them into reality. 

If you know a student who would like to participate in a future Social Change Internship, please visit our application page.