Tilting Futures

Tilting Futures Launches Take Action Lab: Civic Innovation

Fernando Martinez — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:52:03 +0000

A new credit-bearing global experiential learning program designed to build the civic capacities the next generation needs, validated by Harvard and UC Berkeley. Applications open now for August 2026.

Every generation inherits the world it gets. This one is inheriting ours: more complex, more uncertain, and more in need of people who know how to build trust, collaborate, and solve problems across the full complexity of human difference. Tilting Futures has spent 15 years figuring out how to develop those leaders.

Now we have the proof, and we’re building on it.

Beginning August 2026, we are launching Take Action Lab: Civic Innovation, a four-month, credit-bearing global immersion program set in Cape Town, South Africa. It is built on a decade of evidence, refined through years of learning and adaptation, and designed to give young people what it actually takes to act with courage and build something better together.

THE PROBLEM

Polarization is not a problem of ignorance. It is a problem of conditions. The conditions required to interrupt it are very specific: sustained contact across difference, equal status among participants, shared goals, and cooperative work over time. Those conditions are extraordinarily difficult to engineer at home because the familiar fault lines, partisan identities, and status structures that drive polarization are woven into the fabric of everyday life.

THE MODEL

Take Action Lab: Civic Innovation is a structured civic immersion experience with four unique features:

1. Intentionally diverse global cohorts. Each cohort brings together students from the U.S. and 30+ countries working, living, and learning side by side. They navigate unfamiliar terrain together, sharing the same curriculum, the same standards, and the same accountability to each other. The cohort reflects the world’s complexity, and teaches through it.

2. Real-world apprenticeships. Students work alongside community leaders at civil society organizations. They develop the adaptive, human-centered capacities that matter most in an AI-reshaped economy: navigating ambiguity, building trust across difference, and solving problems without clear answers. For many students, this is their first professional apprenticeship, and the skills they build here are what employers increasingly value and what societies urgently need.

3. Shared living and learning. Students are immersed in a curriculum built on more than a decade of experience and evidence, covering power, identity, trust, systems thinking, asset-based design, and civic engagement. And then they live it. In house meetings, around the dinner table, and at their apprenticeships. The possibility for polarization shows up in everyday decisions: how to handle conflict, how to make group choices, how to navigate completely different values about time, money, and responsibility. This is where the daily work of navigating difference happens, and where students build the civic muscle memory that matters most.

4. Credit-bearing and institutionally adoptable. In partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, students are eligible to earn up to a semesters’ worth of academic credits. We are working with a growing coalition of philanthropists and universities to build the credentialing infrastructure that makes this model replicable at scale, so that global civic immersion becomes a standard feature of an undergraduate education.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are at an inflection point. The demand for evidence-based approaches to trust-building, belonging, pluralism, and civic development has never been higher, and the urgency of investing in the next generation of young people equipped to lead across difference has never been more acute.

Take Action Lab: Civic Innovation is both a programmatic expansion and a systems-change bet. The goal is to serve more students and to make credit-bearing global experiential learning a standard feature of an undergraduate education, not a privilege reserved for the few.

Young people are inheriting fractures they are being asked to navigate without the tools to do so. That is in part the legacy of underinvestment across an entire ecosystem of work. Sustained, globally immersive, cross-difference experience is an essential and chronically underfunded part of the solution. That is the gap philanthropy can close.

Start a Conversation

Aziza Musa, MSW | Chief External Affairs Officer

amusa@tiltingfutures.org | tiltingfutures.org

Read our 2025 Annual Report:

Ready to Apply?

Applications for August 2026 are open now.

About Tilting Futures

Tilting Futures is a nonprofit organization building a worldwide coalition of young people with the skills and networks to solve our most complex global challenges. Our flagship program, Take Action Lab, immerses students ages 17–22 in hands-on apprenticeships and global immersion, blending real-world experience with self-discovery and civic orientation. With 3,000+ alumni from 100+ countries, 80+ university partners and growing, research partnerships with Harvard and UC Berkeley validating our outcomes, and as a founding member of the Peace Corps’ Circle of Service, we are at the forefront of the movement to make credit-bearing global experiential learning a standard part of every undergraduate education in America. Read our 2025 Annual Report.

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Teaching the Skills Democracy Depends On

Fernando Martinez — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:09:21 +0000

In a world shaped by polarization, the ability to listen and work across differences is no longer optional, it’s essential. At Tilting Futures, we’re seeing what happens when those skills are intentionally taught, and a different kind of leadership emerges.

Democracy doesn’t depend only on laws, elections, or institutions. It depends on people. People who can engage with complexity, hold disagreement without disengaging, and remain grounded in their values while staying open to others. These are not innate traits. They are skills. And like any skills, they can be practiced, strengthened, and learned intentionally.

Yet many young people are coming of age in environments that reward certainty over curiosity, and speed over reflection. Too often, civic engagement is reduced to soundbites, and classrooms are constrained by rigid curricula that leave little room for nuance or dialogue. The result is a widening gap between the world we need, one that is collaborative, inclusive, and capable of solving shared challenges, and the preparation young people receive to lead within it.

Tilting Futures exists to help close that gap.

Through Take Action Labs, students engage in immersive, real-world experiences designed to develop the core skills that democratic life requires: empathy, perspective-taking, cross-cultural collaboration, and ethical agency. These are not abstract lessons; they are lived through apprenticeships, reflective practice, dialogue, community, and shared responsibility.

And the impact is real and measurable. Independent research with partners at Harvard University and UC Berkeley confirms what we see every day in our programs. Students demonstrate measurable growth in wellbeing, sense of purpose, self-awareness, and the ability to build meaningful relationships across differences, with some of these skills emerging after just a few weeks of intentional practice. Compared to peers who applied but were not selected, Tilting Futures alumni show greater global belonging, reduced prejudicial attitudes, and a stronger orientation toward careers that create positive social impact. In short, when young people are taught how to reflect, listen, and engage across differences, they develop the human skills democracy depends on.

These aren’t just statistics, they reflect transformation in how young people see themselves and their place in the world.

At a time when civic life feels fragmented and polarized, it can be tempting to focus on short-term fixes. But the long-term health of our democracy depends on whether the next generation is equipped with the human capacities that enable shared problem-solving, community engagement, and respectful dialogue across differences. This is not ancillary to civic life… it is foundational.

We believe this work matters because we see its impact every day. When young people are trusted with responsibility, exposed to difference, and supported in developing their voices, they rise to the occasion. They become not just participants in democracy, but stewards of it, individuals who bring curiosity, humility, and courage to the hard work of sustaining a just and inclusive society.

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The Work of Peace Begins with People

Fernando Martinez — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:08:05 +0000

A new class of young leaders started their Take Action Lab journey last week. They come from different backgrounds and communities, learning how to collaborate across difference and turn care into action.

Across two sites, 83 students from 39 countries are coming together to learn in community, bringing a wide range of lived experiences, perspectives, and aspirations. Together, they represent what becomes possible when young people are given the tools, trust, and space to practice peace in real and lasting ways.

As the class begins their journey, their curiosity and commitments already reflect the kind of leadership Take Action Lab is designed to nurture.

Coming From...

Australia

Bhutan

Brazil

Cambodia

Cameroon

Colombia

Egypt

Eswatini

Germany

Italy

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Lesotho

Mexico

Mongolia

Myanmar

Nigeria

Nepal

Pakistan

Panama

Peru

Russia

Rwanda

South Africa

South Sudan

Syria

Tanzania

Uganda

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Meet some leaders in the making

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From Tiny Island to Global Impact: Ara’s Ocean Journey

Fernando Martinez — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:06:37 +0000

Growing up on a remote Indonesian island with fewer than 100 residents, Ara’s world was shaped by the ocean. Today, she’s inspiring youth across Indonesia to become ocean stewards and has just released her first environmental film.

Ara grew up on the Gili Islands, where opportunities were limited and independence came early. Diving became both a way to stay close to the ocean she loved and a way to make ends meet. It was while guiding a tourist on a dive that she first heard about Take Action Lab. She applied, unsure what to expect, and was accepted into one of our early classes.

For Ara, Take Action Lab was transformative. It was the first time she experienced a global learning community that believed deeply in her potential and challenged her to imagine a broader future.

“I met amazing people who became lifelong friends,” she reflects. “I was surrounded by mentors and peers who believed in me, even when I doubted myself. That support made a real difference.”

Through Take Action Lab, Ara developed confidence, leadership skills, and a stronger sense of purpose. The experience pushed her to think beyond survival and toward impact. It also opened doors she had never imagined, including attending the Villars Institute Summit in Switzerland as part of the first Tilting Futures delegation, joining young leaders from around the world to engage with global decision-makers on sustainability and environmental action.

Since completing Take Action Lab, Ara has continued to build on that foundation. She works as a dive instructor and supports project management for an ocean-focused organization in Indonesia. She also applied for and was accepted into the Darwin 200 Fellowship, joining a scientific voyage to Tasmania focused on humpback whale research.

That voyage became the subject of Ara’s first environmental short film of a three part series. The film showcases stunning marine life and landscapes, but it also reflects the confidence and clarity Ara gained through her Take Action Lab experience.

“Being in that environment pushed me to grow, to try more, and to care more deeply about the impact I can have on others,” she says. “It reminded me that we’re not alone in the work we do.”

Today, Ara is still living the values she strengthened through Take Action Lab: leadership rooted in community, purpose, and care for the planet.

She is working on the second and third parts of her documentary series and looks forward to sharing the rest of the films with her community.

From a tiny island to a global community, Ara’s story shows what becomes possible when young people are given the opportunity, support, and belief they need to turn passion into lasting impact.

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Tilting Futures Announces Strategic Partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College to Expand Graduate Pathways for Emerging Global Leaders

Fernando Martinez — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 23:02:37 +0000

New collaboration guarantees scholarships, a waiver of application fees, and customized programming for Tilting Futures alumni pursuing master’s degrees at CMU’s Heinz College starting Fall 2026.

January 6, 2026

Tilting Futures today announced a new strategic partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy designed to broaden access to graduate study in public policy, technology, and data analytics for emerging leaders around the world.

Through this collaboration, Heinz College will award scholarships each academic year to up to ten incoming master’s students who are also alumni of Tilting Futures, a nonprofit coalition of young people equipped to solve global challenges.

“We are so pleased to enter into this partnership with Tilting Futures,” said David Eber, Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Heinz College. “Tilting Futures alumni are committed to creating meaningful impact on global issues, and we look forward to welcoming them into the Heinz College community.”

Beginning with students enrolling in Fall 2026, Tilting Futures alumni who have completed their bachelor’s degree can apply and enroll in one of Heinz College’s full-time master’s programs. Eligible students will receive a waiver of application fees, a guaranteed merit-based scholarship equal to at least 30% of tuition per semester, and full consideration for additional merit aid based on the strength of their application. Students will also have access to annual sessions jointly offered by Heinz College and Tilting Futures on topics such as careers in public service and navigating the graduate school application process.

Tilting Futures equips emerging leaders with the skills and networks to solve complex global challenges and strives to make global experiential learning a universal rite of passage. Through its programs, the organization prepares young adults to navigate diverse perspectives, engage in civil dialogue, and drive positive social impact in their communities and industries.

“We are honored to help build a leadership pipeline rooted in humility, community, and a deep understanding of our interconnected global challenges.” said Elikem Tomety Archer, Chief Program Officer at Tilting Futures. “With guaranteed scholarships and focused programming, this collaboration creates a clear pathway for alumni to deepen their learning, expand their community, and continue shaping solutions in public policy, technology, and data analytics.”

Alumni: Explore graduate pathways at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College and learn whether a master’s program in public policy, technology, or data analytics is right for you.

Universities and Colleges, want to offer your students an evidence-based global learning experience that strengthens academic outcomes and career readiness?

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About Tilting Futures

With rising demand from students, industry leaders, and in collaboration with a growing coalition of partners — including the University of Pittsburgh, the Bonner Program, Morehouse College, the University of Oregon, Rhodes College, African Leadership University, Clinton Global Initiative University, Harvard University, and the University of California, Berkeley — we are working to integrate this powerful learning model into mainstream education, ensuring access for all. When they graduate, our students join a global alumni community 3,000+ strong, continuing to collaborate, lead, and drive impact across sectors and borders.

Learn more at https://go.tiltingfutures.org/annual-report/2025/

Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College

The Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy is home to two internationally recognized graduate-level institutions at Carnegie Mellon University: the School of Information Systems and Management and the School of Public Policy and Management. This unique colocation combined with its expertise in analytics set Heinz College apart in the areas of cybersecurity, health care, the future of work, smart cities, and arts & entertainment. In 2016, INFORMS named Heinz College the #1 academic program for Analytics Education.

Learn more at www.heinz.cmu.edu

Contacts

Aziza Musa
Chief External Affairs Officer, Tilting Futures

Aziza@tiltingfutures.org

Caitlin Kizielewicz
Media Relations, Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College

ckiz@andrew.cmu.edu

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Tilting Futures and LearnerStudio Partner on New Model to Credential Civic and Human Skills Inside U.S. Higher Education

Fernando Martinez — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:24 +0000

The partnership supports Tilting Futures’ work to embed measurable, credit-bearing civic and human skills into learning pathways, advancing institutional adoption of learning models that build agency, civic participation, and social cohesion.

December 18, 2025

Tilting Futures is proud to announce a new partnership with LearnerStudio that will help accelerate the organization’s work to build scalable, credit-bearing pathways for the civic skills and uniquely human capacities young people need to thrive.

At a time when education systems are under increasing pressure to engage learners and prepare them for a rapidly changing world, this partnership advances a critical systems shift, ensuring that learning experiences that build civic capacity, ethical agency, and readiness for participation in a pluralistic society are not only valued, but formally recognized within established degree pathways.

From Experience to Evidence to Credit

Tilting Futures’ flagship Take Action Labs combine immersive, real-world learning with a rigorous evidence base validated by research partners at Harvard University and UC Berkeley. These studies demonstrate statistically significant gains in self-awareness, systems thinking, empathy, and civic orientation, the very skills that are essential for democratic participation, workforce adaptability, and long-term social cohesion.

This partnership with LearnerStudio is a strategic component of Tilting Futures’ next phase of growth: translating these outcomes into institutionally adoptable models, including:

Credit-bearing pathways recognized by U.S. colleges and universities
An accreditation and credentialing playbook designed for replication
Field-building research and shared learning to support broader adoption

This partnership builds on Tilting Futures’ role as a field-building partner focused on identifying what works, reducing risk for institutional adoption, and accelerating the spread of proven learning models across the broader learning ecosystem.

“Tilting Futures is doing the hard work of translating powerful learning experiences into models that the education sector can adopt, learn from, and build on. Their focus on evidence and credit pathways helps create the conditions for this kind of learning to spread.” said Courtney Garcia, Partner.

This partnership represents an important early investment in this next phase of work. Realizing the full potential of these pathways will require additional philanthropic partners committed to strengthening civic participation, agency, and social connection through education.

Tilting Futures is inviting philanthropic and programmatic partners into a growing coalition committed to reimagining how young people in the U.S. are prepared for lives of civic contribution, community engagement, and resilient careers.

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About Tilting Futures

Learn more at https://go.tiltingfutures.org/annual-report/2025/

LearnerStudio

LearnerStudio is a nonprofit guided by one focal question: What do young people need to be inspired and prepared to flourish in the Age of AI – as individuals, in careers, and for democracy? By seeding ideas that reimagine the purpose of learning, funding innovators who are building a future-ready learning ecosystem, and connecting allies dedicated to this vision, LearnerStudio supports the individuals and organizations essential for transforming how we learn and thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Learn more at https://thelearnerstudio.org/

Contacts

Aziza Musa
Chief External Affairs Officer, Tilting Futures

Aziza@tiltingfutures.org

The post Tilting Futures and LearnerStudio Partner on New Model to Credential Civic and Human Skills Inside U.S. Higher Education appeared first on Tilting Futures.

15 Years. 3,000 Young Leaders. One Unstoppable Movement.

Fernando Martinez — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 16:17:54 +0000

Tilting Futures’ 2025 Annual Report showcases a decade and a half of globally recognized, research-backed experiential learning, and the bold next chapter ahead.

November 20, 2025

Tilting Futures today released its 2025 Annual Report, Building a More Human World: 15 Years of Tilting Futures, marking a major milestone in the organization’s journey. Now celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the organization reflects on its most ambitious and impactful year yet.

The report highlights young changemakers leading with courage and creativity, expanding university partnerships across continents, and the growing momentum behind immersive, credit-bearing global learning. Across every story emerges a clear throughline: this progress is powered by a global coalition of students, educators, partners, and supporters advancing a shared vision for the future of education.

Since stepping into the CEO role three years ago, Erin Lewellen has led a new era that is now delivering results at a scale we’ve never seen before. It’s proof that when visionary work is carried forward collectively – with young people, partners, a global team, and Board – its reach becomes exponentially greater.

“Applications in the past three years now exceed the prior twelve combined. This is clear proof that young people are hungry for a model that matches the scale and urgency of today’s challenges. Tilting Futures is building a global launchpad for the next generation of leaders, and the momentum behind this movement has never been stronger.”

–Erin Lewellen

The full anniversary report is now available.

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About Tilting Futures

With rising demand from students, industry leaders, and in collaboration with a growing coalition of partners — including the University of Pittsburgh, the Bonner Foundation, Morehouse College, the University of Oregon, Rhodes College, African Leadership University, Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California, Berkeley — we are working to integrate this powerful learning model into mainstream education, ensuring access for all. When our students graduate, they join a global alumni community 3,000+ strong, continuing to collaborate, lead, and drive impact across sectors and borders.

Learn more at https://go.tiltingfutures.org/annual-report/

Contacts

Aziza Musa
Chief External Affairs Officer, Tilting Futures

Aziza@tiltingfutures.org

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Tilting Futures and the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University Collaborate to Expand Purpose-Driven, Global Service-Learning Pathways

Fernando Martinez — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:40:26 +0000

Through the Haas Center for Public Service’s Cardinal Quarter program, Stanford undergraduates can now participate in funded, hands-on service-learning with Tilting Futures’ Take Action Lab Accelerator.

November 11, 2025

Tilting Futures is collaborating with the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University to make global service-learning more accessible for students. Beginning June 2026, Haas Center-supported students will have dedicated seats in Take Action Lab Accelerator: a stipended, full-time, summer-quarter experience in South Africa or Malaysia that combines community-based apprenticeships and a reflective, interdisciplinary curriculum.

The program brings together a global cohort that lives and learns together under the guidance of Tilting Futures’ learning team, cultivating self-awareness, ethical leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and the ability to translate purpose into action for the common good.

“At its core, this partnership is about creating spaces where students grow as whole people and where learning, service, and reflection come together to shape how young people see the world and their place in it,” said Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures. “Together, Tilting Futures and Stanford are demonstrating how universities can weave experiential learning and service into the heart of higher education, equipping the next generation to lead with empathy, courage, and a global perspective – skills our world needs most right now.”

This collaboration was made possible through the vision and generosity of longtime Stanford supporter Jane McConnell (Stanford ’85), who, with her husband, has supported Cardinal Quarter Fellowships at the Haas Center for more than a decade. By funding Tilting Futures placements, McConnell is expanding opportunities for Stanford students to engage in high-impact, community-based experiential learning around the world.

“Jane’s leadership reflects the very essence of what this partnership stands for—it increases access to experiential learning opportunities, opening new pathways for students to serve, learn, and lead globally,” said Lewellen.

“At the Haas Center, we’re constantly exploring new ways to connect public service with experiential learning,” said Meghann Tovar, Program Director for Undergraduate Fellowships at the Haas Center for Public Service. “We’re excited about placing students with Tilting Futures this year, giving them the opportunity to live and learn in global contexts that challenge and inspire them to think deeply about service and global engagement.”

Together with the Haas Center and a growing coalition of higher education partners, Tilting Futures is uniting colleges and universities around a shared vision: a world where young people learn through experience, build empathy through service, and emerge as leaders ready to shape a more sustainable and connected future.

Stanford Students, explore Cardinal Quarter pathways and discover if Take Action Lab: Accelerator is the right fit for your summer.

Universities and Colleges, interested in offering your students a credit-aligned, evidence-based global service-learning track?

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About Tilting Futures

Learn more at https://go.tiltingfutures.org/annual-report/

Haas Center for Public Service

Since 1985, the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University has been connecting Stanford students with opportunities to serve communities locally, nationally, and around the world. It administers Cardinal Service, a university-wide effort to make service an essential feature of a Stanford education. The Haas Center connects academic study with community and public service to strengthen communities and develop effective public leaders. The Center aspires to develop aware, engaged, and thoughtful citizens who contribute to the realization of a more just and sustainable world.

Learn more at https://haas.stanford.edu or https://cardinalservice.stanford.edu.

Contacts

Aziza Musa
Chief External Affairs Officer, Tilting Futures

Aziza@tiltingfutures.org

Meghann Tovar
Program Director, Undergraduate Fellowships, Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University

mztovar@stanford.edu

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Tilting Futures Partners with Universiti Sains Malaysia to Launch the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders

Fernando Martinez — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:51:48 +0000

A new collaboration between Tilting Futures and Universiti Sains Malaysia advances global experiential learning in Penang, equipping the next generation to lead sustainable solutions through hands-on experience and an evidence-backed curriculum.

November 6, 2025 | Updated December, 2025

Tilting Futures, the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), are proud to announce a new collaboration to expand access to immersive, place-based learning opportunities for young people from around the world.

This collaboration combines the strengths of Universiti Sains Malaysia, recognized for its excellence in sustainability research and policy leadership; and Tilting Futures, a global leader in experiential education and youth development, creating a new model that bridges education, innovation, and environmental leadership.

Penang’s remarkable biodiversity makes it an ideal living laboratory for Tilting Futures’ newest Take Action Lab. Students participating in this Environment & Sustainability Lab will have the unique opportunity to apprentice in 20+ apprenticeships with community-based, research organizations, and other community partners working on a wide range of climate adaptation, conservation, and sustainable development initiatives.

“Through these partnerships, students don’t just learn about sustainability, they live it,” said Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures. “Penang’s dynamic ecosystem of NGOs and community innovators offers powerful examples of climate resilience, and we’re thrilled for our students to learn from those leading the way.“

Each student will learn directly from local mentors and leaders, gaining real-world experience that cultivates adaptability, empathy, and systems thinking.

“Our collaboration with Tilting Futures allows students to experience sustainability in action and to engage directly with research, policy, and community-based innovation,” said Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Wira bin Mohd Shafiei, Director, Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

Grounded in Tilting Futures’ signature curriculum which is rooted in systems-thinking, asset-based problem-solving, and the nine planetary boundaries, these experiences equip young people to translate insight into action and to lead with purpose in an interconnected world.

Students, Ready to dive into real-world environmental action and learn from sustainability innovators in Penang?

Universities and Colleges, Interested in partnering to bring immersive, credit-aligned environmental learning opportunities to your students?

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About Tilting Futures

Learn more at https://go.tiltingfutures.org/annual-report/

Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is one of Malaysia’s leading research universities, recognized globally for its commitment to sustainability and innovation. Within USM, the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS) serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research, policy development, and education focused on advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through collaboration with local and international partners, CGSS fosters learning experiences that prepare students and researchers to design and implement sustainable solutions addressing today’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.

Learn more at https://cgss.usm.my/

Contacts

Aziza Musa
Chief External Affairs Officer, Tilting Futures

Aziza@tiltingfutures.org

Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Wira bin Mohd Shafiei
Director, Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

wira@usm.my

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University of Pittsburgh & Tilting Futures Partner to Redefine the Path to Success in a Changing World

Fernando Martinez — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:49:59 +0000

What if that path included real-world skill development through full cultural immersion and collective action on shared global challenges? This landmark partnership begins to answer that call, inviting other institutions to join in embedding this new way of learning into degree pathways.

August 28, 2025

The University of Pittsburgh and Tilting Futures today announced a precedent-setting agreement that integrates immersive, credit-bearing global experiential learning directly into undergraduate degree pathways. Beginning next semester, students who complete Tilting Futures’ Take Action Lab: Civic Innovation in Cape Town, South Africa will be eligible to earn 12 academic credits from the University of Pittsburgh.

This milestone reflects a growing recognition in higher education that students need more than classroom learning alone to prepare for the future. By embedding Tilting Futures’ evidence-based, semester-long apprenticeship and global learning model into a Tier One university’s curriculum, the University of Pittsburgh is setting a precedent that other institutions can adopt to broaden participation in rigorous, real-world learning.

“We couldn’t imagine a better first partner to pioneer and scale this new model of immersive global learning,” said Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures. “Together with Pitt, we are demonstrating a distinctly new approach to building the uniquely human skills young people need to be future-ready, skills like empathy, cross-cultural collaboration, and ethical leadership that no technology can replace. Since 2010, Tilting Futures has engaged thousands of young people, and with Take Action Lab we are bringing that proven model into the heart of higher education, creating a blueprint to ensure these transformative opportunities are the norm in higher education, not the exception.”

The partnership was championed by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (Pitt-Johnstown), whose leadership and commitment to innovative, student-centered education played a pivotal role in advancing the agreement.

“We are thrilled to partner with Tilting Futures to launch this groundbreaking venture, offering students across the country and around the world the chance to earn credits from the world-class University of Pittsburgh while learning and doing impactful service in South Africa,” said Dr. Jem Spectar, President of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. “This exceptional learning opportunity is a collaboration between Tilting Futures, a leading non-profit committed to transforming students’ lives, and talented Pitt-Johnstown faculty. Together, they have designed an innovative and immersive curriculum in which students learn by doing, applying knowledge to practical experiences, resulting in deeper and more lasting learning that contributes to greater resilience, agency, and self-efficacy – attributes that are essential for personal and professional success and for becoming effective global changemakers.”

Through Take Action Lab: Civic Innovation, students apprentice with community-based organizations in Cape Town while engaging in weekly seminars that build cross-cultural communication, ethical leadership, and systems-thinking skills. The program’s outcomes are supported by a strong body of impact research, underscoring its value as a model for a new era in higher education.

This milestone is only the beginning. Together, Pitt and Tilting Futures are laying the groundwork for additional universities and colleges to join as anchor partners, ensuring more students have the opportunity to participate in immersive, credit-bearing global learning. By expanding these opportunities, we can better equip young people to collaborate across lines of difference and lead collective action on complex and deeply interconnected challenges that no single country or community can solve alone.

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About The University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown

Founded in 1927, the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown (Pitt-Johnstown) is the first and largest regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Located on 725 acres in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, Pitt-Johnstown provides high-quality, personal learning experiences that build foundational skills, bolster career readiness, and foster personal and professional success. Key UPJ distinctions include:

Nationally ranked by US News as one of the great and accessible “A+ Schools” that support all students in thriving, and consistently a best top 10 Regional Public College in the North.
Top 5 Nursing program in the US and other great career readiness programs in engineering, business, and education, with a hands-on, practical focus, including internships and apprenticeships.
Recognized for programs that build “in-demand job skills” and increase lifetime earnings; excellent placement rates; ranked as a high-access and high-earnings institution (Carnegie Foundation).

Learn more at https://www.johnstown.pitt.edu/

About Tilting Futures

Tilting Futures is building a worldwide coalition of young people with the skills and networks to solve our most complex global challenges. For 15 years, we have been equipping emerging leaders (ages 17-22) to navigate diverse perspectives, engage in civil dialogue, and drive positive impact in their communities and careers. Our flagship program, Take Action Labs, immerses students in hands-on apprenticeships, blending real-world experience with self-discovery and global orientation. With rising demand from students, higher education institutions, and industry leaders, we are working to integrate this powerful learning model into mainstream education, ensuring access for all. When they graduate, our students join a global alumni community 3,000+ strong, continuing to collaborate, lead, and drive impact across sectors and borders.

Learn more at https://go.tiltingfutures.org/annual-report/

Contacts

Aziza Musa
Chief External Affairs Officer, Tilting Futures

Aziza@tiltingfutures.org

Raymond B. Wrabley, Jr., PhD
Vice President for Academic Affairs

rbw@pitt.edu

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