WORLD ACADEMY PROJECTS

Each member of the World Academy is required to engage in a World Academy Project. The Projects are designed by World Academy members based on a United Nations Millennium or Sustainability Goal.

1) The knowledge and skills they have gained from the curriculum content provided by the World Academy facilitator in their seminars.
2) Their ability to take the Academy content to action through the interactive labs.
3) The coaching they received to resolve issues as they move the content into action.

The Projects serve as an opportunity to take action on a significant issue impacting women, children or their community.

They engage in the Project to take action and resolve an issue. Working as a member of a team provides access to developing communication skills and options for addressing issues. This learning, tied to a United Nations goals, demonstrates their ability to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. They are able to see, as they work as a member of the project team, changes in behaviors, growth of individuals, and options to addressing the issue. They can also see changes in their own attitudes and ideas and recognize how the action they took made a difference to another person.

At any point in the World Academy members can create new projects to add to the World Academy choices. As new members learn what is needed for change to create change they see new possibilities to engage and address the issues.

Academy members are encouraged to reach beyond the World Academy membership and engage Sias students in their Projects. This is a valuable step in understanding how to recruit, enroll, and lead others in their areas of focus and passion. The result of engaging other students provides an enormous opportunity for their leadership to develop, as well as an opportunity for more Sias students to understand the issues facing women worldwide. They encourage Sias students to choose to participate with the World Academy in the solution of a social issues that impacts gender equality, social justice, and human rights.

The opportunity to create and grow the projects is enormous. This includes projects on campus, in the university community, in their villages, townships, as well as opportunities to connect with national and international projects. A larger global community become available when Academy members realize the impact their leadership can have in bringing change and progress to the lives of others.

First year Academy members are required to visit three World Academy Projects during their first semester in the Academy. This provides them a broader understanding of the issues, as well as recognizing where their passion for being a leader and making change resides. It also provides a wider view of the issues where leadership is needed and encourages them to have a broader perspective for what is possible when leadership addresses an issue.

During year two, as a member of the Advanced Academy, members can become Project Leaders and gain greater opportunities to enroll, organize, and expand their participation as leaders.

Third year members, “Academy in Action”, serve as project advisers and analyze and evaluate the impact of the Projects. In addition they access the growth of the Academy members in their understanding and action as team members, providing feedback and suggestions.