If “What matters to you?” is the question that lives at the heart of the Scott Center, “What are you doing about it?” acts as our heartbeat.
Our mission—both on campus and off—is to expose the changing needs of people and the planet. By giving learners the tools they need to identify their interests, we empower them to turn ideas into sustainable impact. We embrace local and global challenges through partnerships that drive these projects towards long-term systemic change. We’re proud of the impact our community has created over the past five years—and are even more excited for what is still to come!
Two-Year Impact Report
Impact Report Letter From The Director
“In one soul, in your soul, there are resources for the world.”
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Each of us, whether we are 4 or 94, has the potential to reach beyond ourselves and make a difference in the world. This belief guided the creation of the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Hillbrook School in partnership with the Scott Foundation two years ago. Emerson’s quote is both a reminder and a call to action: while all of us possess this transformative potential, we must ask ourselves repeatedly, “what matters to me and what am I doing about it?” These are the questions that ground social entrepreneurship education at Hillbrook and beyond. It takes a certain kind of boldness to commit to social entrepreneurship education. By helping our students achieve their dreams, we unleash the full force of the world’s most powerful resource: imaginative capital.
At The Scott Center, our vision is to inspire all learners to see the world as it is, imagine what it might be, and partner with their communities to realize long term impact for people and planet. We remain the leading education voice in teaching social entrepreneurship in JK-8th grade and took the last two years to thoughtfully define the pillars that make this learning unique, ethical and impactful. Six pillars ground social entrepreneurship education at the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship: DESIGN, STORY, SYSTEMS, CIVICS, FINANCE, and AGENCY.
In this impact report, you will see the pillars come to life and meet some of the social entrepreneurs who came to campus. This impressive group represents a diverse range of lived experiences, entrepreneurial endeavors and is representative of our on-going commitment to DEI and environmental sustainability work. Our most impactful work is done in partnership with innovative thinkers, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders locally and globally.
This impact report is just a small sampling of hundreds of other photos and stories from the Scott Center. We will be launching Scott Center social media channels via Instagram and Facebook and we encourage you to follow our on-going work there. In order to get to know our community better using our core questions, we hope you will share what matters to you by filling out the included postcard (words, drawings, service projects, stories, and photos are all wonderful ways to respond). The postcards will be shared in our new space on campus, the Equity and Impact Lab.
We are proud of what we have accomplished in the last two years and we believe the best is yet to come! This work would not be possible without the on-going dedication of Shannon and Kevin Scott. Their partnership has allowed our work to reach learners near and far. Many other folks have played unique and critical roles in shaping our work and that support has made all the difference. If you are interested in ways to get involved with the Scott Center, I hope you will reach out to me. Your voice and ideas matter!
Hugs and high fives,
Annie Makela
amakela@hillbrook.org
Strategic and Programmatic Partnerships
The Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship believes deeply that all curriculum and learning is tied to thinking about the impact on people and the planet. Sustainability education, including teaching about climate change, plastic pollution, fast fashion, and global warming, remains a core component of social entrepreneurship education.
In February of 2020, Annie co-led a Research and Design day at Hillbrook School with four faculty members from the science department which resulted in a sustainability vision statement:
To increase awareness of the impact of our choices on the planet and inspire mindful advocacy on its behalf.
Additionally, Annie works closely with Hillbrook School Director of DEI, Gulliver LaValle, to ensure connection and collaboration under the DEIJA framework, in which Social Entrepreneurship education becomes the justice and action arm of learning tied to DEI lenses and priorities. The Center and the DEI team have collaborated on many projects, including the all-sixth-grade Identity and Impact course, resulting in a formal collaboration of a DEIJA leadership group that extends from the Board level all the way down to the student level. This has also allowed the DEIJA team to grow and evolve their work on and off campus with exciting new hires and school-wide initiatives.
Collaborators
Impact.Ed
A virtual collaboration community led by 8 leading social entrepreneur educators from around the country (previously known as SocEntEdu). More about Impact.Ed
JUNTO2020
A gathering of social entrepreneurship educators.
Social Entrepreneurs on Campus
We believe deeply in connecting our learning community to the front lines of social entrepreneurship on and off campus. Since the launch of the Scott Center in 2017, we have brought social entrepreneurs to campus to engage with students, faculty and our community. The Scott Center does not shy away from tough conversations when it comes to talking about how women and people of color are underrepresented in the entrepreneurial world. We prioritize bringing a diverse and inclusive group of social entrepreneurs to campus to be sure all stories of entrepreneurship and impact are told. Learn more about social entrepreneurs on campus below:
Tyler Higginson and Austen Stranahan - MIIS Grad Students/Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Monterey, CA/Rwanda/Kenya)
Grace Moyd - Pop-up Stationary Studio (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Celina Rodriguez - La Kaliente Radio Show (San Jose, CA/Mexico)
Sarah Adeel - Kiva/WeWork Collaboration (San Jose, CA/Global)
Polina Pinchevsky - RoundPeg Benefit LLC (Washington DC)
Jannat Saxena - Sumsaara Designs (San Jose, CA)
Curriculum Partners
Students And Faculty
Students and faculty engage with the Scott Center in many different ways for different periods of time, whether that be in the classroom, outside school hours, during the school year, or in the summer.
Much of the curriculum is led through a train-the-trainer model in which faculty seek out partnership and guidance from the Scott Center team and evolve current or future curriculum to include social entrepreneurship education. The Scott Center spends considerable time working alongside and in collaboration with Hillbrook faculty. Ms. Mak can often be found co-teaching a JK science lesson on biomimicry and minutes later jumping into a 7th grade Model UN debate in 7th grade integrated studies. The fluidity of learning at Hillbrook and the Scott Center allows for both formal project or class-based partnership and 1:1 support of student or faculty or family ideas. In recent years, the Center has also partnered with students to support their leadership of school-wide projects. Learn more about specific Scott Center initiatives on the featured program page.
The Scott Center was a key partner in launching and evolving the exciting programming and learning that happens in the weekly Reach Beyond Block and annual Reach Beyond Week.
Equity And Impact Lab
Launched on campus in the 2019-2020 school year, the Equity and Impact Lab serves as a collaborative classroom and meeting space on campus for the work of the Scott Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department. Students and faculty use the space for club meetings, including HERO (Helping Everyone Reach Out), Model United Nations, Scott Center Green Team, and Student Council. Several elective classes, including Social Impact and Digital Storytelling and Money Matters, meet in the Equity and Impact Lab as well. The space is consistently used during Reach Beyond Block. Read more about the design and launch of the Equity And Impact Lab in this article!