Problem

We urgently need a more integrated education infrastructure: the global economy is struggling to provide employment, educational systems are in crisis worldwide, and the social sector is being called upon to address increasingly diverse and complex challenges. Future generations of skilled professionals know they must study closer to the action, to hone their ability to work and learn in diverse settings without being burdened by crippling levels of debt. By doing so, they will become powerful agents of change, building a more sustainable and peaceful world.

Solution

Our goal is to shape a better model of educating professionals interested in careers in social change, most likely starting with the field of peacebuilding. The Amani model achieves a better quality education at a cheaper price. We will provide students the right blend of knowledge, skills and networks needed to be successful in their careers. But even more importantly, The Amani Institute is about developing whole individuals who have the vision to see what needs to change, the empathy needed to work effectively with others, the courage to step into the unknown, and an ethos of action or changemaking in the service of building a more peaceful world.

Example

The Amani Institute is developing a model for master’s education that retains the current strengths of universities while also offering students opportunities for more sustained field-based training to develop their professional skills, networks and lived understanding of realities on the ground. This will involve increasing the role of technology without sacrificing peer-learning, enabling greater access to networks of leading organizations, and enhancing existing curricula with professional skills such as communications, program management, and evaluation. We will accomplish this while simultaneously reducing the cost of such a top-class global education.