Curriculum Design & Partnership:
UN at Your Doorstep
Client: Compass Education in partnership with the Global Schools Program (UN SDSN)
Learning Format: Monthly curriculum modules, asynchronous and classroom-ready
Summary: Compass Education was invited to contribute to the Global Schools Program's UN at Your Doorstep program, which gave students direct access to global leaders through live monthly dialogues on the world's most pressing challenges, in parallel to Jeffrey Sachs' Ages of Globalization course. As Education Program Manager, I Gitanjali led a team that developed the post-dialogue systems thinking debrief layer for each module, helping students connect what they heard in the dialogues to a deeper understanding and possible action in their own communities.
Date: 2023-2025
The Global Schools Program wanted to partner with Compass Education to help students use systems thinking as a bridge between the dialogues they attended and a deeper understanding of the issues, and from there, toward action in their own communities. As Education Program Manager at Compass Education, my role was to lead the team in designing the pedagogical layer that enabled that transfer.
The Challenge
Project Overview
To design a reusable systems thinking debrief framework for the full dialogue series, author the first Transform sections to set the pedagogical standard, and build the capacity for a volunteer team to contribute.
The Goal
I designed the Transform section format for the module: a systems-thinking debrief that used the Sustainability Compass and Systems Iceberg to help students surface root causes, map interconnections, and identify where they might act in their own communities. I authored the first three topics myself to establish the design standard, then recruited, trained, and handed off to a volunteer team who took ownership of the work for the program's second version.
The Learning Experience
Authored Transform sections for 3 modules and established a reusable framework for the full series
Recruited and trained a volunteer team to expand the series to 10 modules and carry the work into a second version independently
The Sustainability Compass and Systems Iceberg are embedded in a UN-affiliated program reaching students across more than 165 countries
The Outcomes
Explore the three modules I contributed to
Check it out!
Browse the full series at the UN at Your Doorstep program page.