WHAT DOES KINETIC Do?

As an action-oriented think tank, we provide an avenue for students to move from theoretical conversations to meaningful action. The aim of our model is to galvanize student leaders to make a tangible impact in tackling the large-scale issues facing our nation and world.  We emphasize comprehensive research, empathetic problem solving, and a flexible collaboration throughout the design and implementation process. Ultimately, we hope that after college these students will carry on our organization’s ethos of service and social entrepreneurship.

HOW DOES KINETIC WORK?

Kinetic members serve on either Design or Implementation Teams for the duration of a semester. Members form partnerships that focus on the issues that reconciling their personal passions with a thoughtful assessment of the current state of global and national affairs. Once a partnership has been formed with an outside organization, students engage in broad research to gain insight and understanding of the various factors and forces that affect the chosen issue.  During this process, the insight from professors and other experts provide into the intricacies of their issue is invaluable. Co-leaders guide the members through the analytical thinking necessary to fully understand the complex systems in place, and encourage members to question and challenge each other to design a nuanced and complete solution that satisfies a chosen niche within the larger issue.

Kinetic employs a method of design thinking in its creative brainstorming stages to develop a well-thought out and often imaginative solution to the issue at hand. After successful ideation, students put together a detailed implementation plan to serve as the basis for execution. Working directly from an implementation plan, students in the corresponding Implementation Group work with their partner organization to put the plan into action. They continue to seek out guidance from local resources and experts and to make necessary adjustments. Students devise metrics to measure the success of their solution over time.

At the conclusion of the semester, each group produces a final portfolio or report of its research, design and implementation processes, impact analysis, and plans for future work. This final product is made public on our website and available to other interested parties. It serves as the culmination of months of dedicated work intended to achieve meaningful change.