Redefining Education. Creating Entrepreneurs. Designing Change.

THE PROBLEM

There is a profound disconnect between what and how students are taught in schools today, versus what the world demands of them and what motivates them to think and perform innovatively.

VS.

WHY?

Traditional schooling with its emphasis

on knowledge transmission and preparation for high-stakes tests leaves little room for hands-on learning, creative collaboration, and real-world problem solving.

Open online courseware succeeds in

providing access to content but fails to engage learners in ways that promote active, creative learning and innovative thinking.

THE SOLUTION:

Breaker will create a generation of change agents designing environmentally and economically sustainable solutions.

THE BREAKER PROCESS

VISIONARY

poses a CHALLENGE

1

TEAM of interdisciplinary 18-24year-olds

2

spend t h r e e months Designing a service

or product solutionwithhelpfrom

DESIGN professionals

3and supported by

4 game-changing COMPANIES

CASE STUDY

Breaker’s Urban Agribusiness Challenge | NYC March- May 2012

1 2 3 4 5

DESIGN

PROCESS +

ENTREPRENEURIAL

TOOLKIT

Kenyatta James a community organizer, HS drop out. Finds Breaker through Uncollege group on Facebook. Applies to the UrbanAg Challenge. Joins the NYC-based team.

He receives a call to action by Majora Carter to design an affordable, scalable product or service for Urban Agribusiness.

He begins a hands-on learning process to develop a commercially viable solution:

He receives feedback and guidance from Breaker’s network of design and business experts.

He becomes the co-founder of Farm Blocks, a portable, modular raised bed growing system.

RESEARCH

SYNTHESIZE

IDEATE

BUILD

TEST

EVALUATE

REFLECT

TWEAK

BREAKER PROJECTS + PRODUCTS

Future of the Book ChallengeMay-August 2011

Urban AgribusinessChallengeJanuary-April 2012

Tech for Civic Engagement ChallengeMay-August 2012

MOBOO

BREAKER 2.0

Building on the success of three Breaker challenges, we’re expanding to additional sites through a blended learning platform that combines curated content organized around specific challenges and supported by Breaker-trained facilitators in local, hands-on, collaborative teams.

Online content + local collaborative teamwork = blended learning

BREAKER 2.0

Weekly curated content across four consistent sectors

Live video chat with one of the four weekly experts

Ongoing Q&A Forum

Part 1: Online

IndustryExpert

Visionary Designer

Entrepreneur

BREAKER 2.0

Part 2: Offline

Interdisciplinary teams, by application, organized around a specific challenge in an emerging industry

Housed within an incubator, accelerator, or co-working space

Breaker-trained facilitators

WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT

Proven ability to attract world-class experts

Proven ability to assemble diverse teams of young talent and facilitate collaboration across differences

Clay Shirky, authorJake Barton, Local ProjectsBart Haney, fuseprojectTom Uglow, Google Creative LabRyan Jacoby, IDEODickson Despommier, authorRoss Martin, MTVBritta Riley, Window Farms

Robert Winslow, QLabsMike Brown, AOL VenturesBrandy Fowler, Doblin/MonitorCobie Everdell, frog designLiz Burlow, Burlix StudiosCharlie Melcher, Melcher MediaJeremey Heimans, Purposeand many others...

Eighteen year-old gap year studentmeets third-year interior design student meets Morgan Stanley trainee meets slam poet...

COMPETITORS

Open Courseware

SKILLSHARE

COURSERA

UDACITY

Local, offline meetups are study groups not action groups.

Design Programs

D.SCHOOL AT STANFORD

DSI AT SVA

DESIGN FOR AMERICA

Serve matriculated students only.

Youth Empowerment

FUTURE PROJECT

BOLD ACADEMY

Generic skill-building and networking orgs with a focus on the individual above group collaborations.

Incubators/Entrepreneurship

UNREASONABLE INSTITUTE

TECHSTARS BOSTON STARTUP SCHOOL

FOUNDER LABS

THIEL FELLOWS

Attract self-identified startup types. Overlook a more diverse talent pool to feed the startup ecosystem.Business solutions, not necessarily social solutions.

SUCCESS

1: Adoption of the ModelThe NYC team trains facilitators to lead projects in their respective cities using the blended learning platform. As facilitators become more adept, they use the Breaker platform to create their own challenges and, once approved, begin leading additional sites in that challenge area.

Hometeam

NYC

San Diego

Dubai

Amman

New

Delhi

Doha

Los

Angeles

Providence

DetroitCaracas

Brasília

Lima

Amsterdam

Santiago

KievLisbon

London

Moscow

SUCCESS2: Participants of Breaker create a portfolio of evidence demonstrating their competency across eight domains. A Breaker Masters Certificate signifies to employers candidates equipped with essential skills for the 21st century marketplace.

collaboration across networks

a bias toward action and experimentation

agility and adaptability

critical thinking and problem solving

accessing and analyzing information

effective oral and written communication

curiosity and imagination

associative or integrative thinking

SUCCESS

3: Initiatives funded and changing the world born out of Breaker challenges each year

THREE YEAR PLAN

Year TwoYear One

SOLIDIFY PARTNERSHIPS

• Expand recruitment effort for participants and facilitators

• Add 10 new project sites globally

• Continue facilitator training

• Announce annual Breaker product competition: 10k award

• 210+ students served locally

• 100,000+ served via online content

• 1/3 of resulting products form companies

• Capture and curate content in a new challenge area

• Develop a facilitator resource/ social hub

Year Three

STRENGTHEN BREAKER BRAND

• Breaker recognized as the go-to program for social- entrepreneurship education

• Breaker portfolios integrated into professional networking sites. Industries recognize Breaker certification.

• Add 20 new project sites globally

• Convene the Breaker alumni network with other social entrepreneurship networks

• New challenge developed and uploaded by first facilitator

• HQ releases third challenge

• 510 students served locally

• 250,000+ students served via online content

SOLIDIFY EXPANSION

• Disseminate Manual

• Virtually train 4 facilitators in 4 cities (already identified)

• Offer a 3+ day NYC-based training supplement

• Establish relationships with local incubators

• Build digital platform

• Capture and curate content for one 12 week challenge (topic TBD)

• Launch Breaker Programs in 4 cities

• 1/4 resulting products form companies

• 60 students served locally

WHAT WE NEED

Gather the digital assets

Build the digital platform

Build partnerships with Experts

Train the Breaker facilitators

Disseminate the Breaker Manual

Set up infrastructure

projectbreaker.org