The AFS & University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy: A Framework for Youth-Led Social Innovation

Bridging intercultural learning and social impact methodology to deliver student-led solutions for a sustainable future. This collaborative journey culminates in the Capstone Project, a certified social impact initiative where participants apply academic frameworks to solve urgent challenges in their local communities.

What is a Capstone Project?

The partnership between AFS Intercultural Programs and the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy provides a structured pathway for student-led community action. During the 12-week virtual curriculum, participants are immersed in a pedagogical track co-created with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy, focusing on global competence, design thinking, and social innovation.

Participants apply their learning through a final Capstone Project. These student-led initiatives serve as a formal synthesis of the curriculum, offering viable solutions to real-world challenges with an emphasis on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. By the end of the program, these projects stand as tangible evidence of our participants’ abilities to drive strategic, sustainable impact and positive social change in their communities.

All capstone projects are reviewed and certified by the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy

This Youth Curriculum for Social Impact is a collaboration between AFS Intercultural Programs and the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy, housed within the School of Social Policy and Practice.
This partnership unites AFS’s expertise in intercultural learning and global competence with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy’s leadership in social innovation and impact strategy methodologies. This curriculum is designed to build empathy, critical thinking, and the strategic capacity to lead meaningful change.

Through this digital learning experience, participants:

Engage with a 12-week curriculum co-created with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy.
Design and implement solutions to challenges facing their local communities.
Receive guidance from trained AFS facilitators and alumni mentors.
Submit Capstone Projects for review and certification by evaluators at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy.

This collaboration ensures every capstone project is not only student-driven and locally relevant, but also rooted in globally recognized standards of social innovation and impact strategy.

The Global Reach of AFS Capstone Projects

Over four years of curriculum delivery, the collaboration between AFS and the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy has produced measurable global results:

2,372

Total number of capstones

99%

Projects successfully certified by the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy

128

Countries represented

Impact Methodology Guided by Global Goals

Participants utilize the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy methodology to align their Capstone Projects with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This framework ensures that each initiative is rooted in sustainable practices and addresses specific, high-priority global challenges through an evidence-based approach. Under the guidance of this curriculum, here are some of the primary SDGs addressed by participant projects:

SDG No. 4: Quality Education

Ensuring inclusive, equitable quality education for all.

Students promote learning opportunities in underserved communities through the lens of accessibility, empowerment, and group learning.

SDG no. 3: Good Health and Well Being

Guarantee of a healthy life and the promotion of well-being for all at any age.

Students promote access to clean water, nutritious food and access to medical aid in vulnerable communities.

SDG no. 13: Climate Action

Adopting urgent measures to combat the effects of climate change around the world.

Students build water filters, emergency kits and social campaigns, creating a more conscious community around the topic of climate change.

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