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A Global Organization with Local Impact

We teach students how to think, not what to think, so they can make a world of change.

We are fortunate to live in a time of enormous opportunity and potential.

The rising rate of change and complexity in aour world have rendered our old ways of learning obsolete. Schools are demanding a whole new approach.

Design for Change unlocks a student's potential and instinct to be leaders of change.

Racial justice is more than a history lesson, climate change is more than a science problem, and equity is more than a math equation.

To thrive, students need to know how to think and be prepared to face situations they have never seen before.

1. The challenge of our time

The big social issues of our times are not going away. Classrooms are a key place to have important conversations and engage students to design solutions.

2. Our work is the solution

Design for Change is a dynamic program that facilitates big conversations in the classroom and engages students to address the social issues of their time.

3. We train teachers

DFC gives teachers the framework, tools, and resources to help students imagine and design new solutions to old problems.

4. We help ALL students shine

Design for Change elevates the lived experience of all students, harnessing their power to transform themselves and their communities.

A framework for addressing the UN Global Goals

DFC has partnered with the World's Largest Lesson to address the 17 Global Goals as determined by the United Nations. The DFC experience is carefully crafted to ensure a focus on the Global Goals at each of the four steps in the DFC process: Feel, Imagine, Do, Share. Students use this framework to think globally while acting locally, designing new and innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.

The Design for Change global movement was founded in 2009 by world-renowned educator and design thinker Kiran Bir Sethi. She started the movement with the conviction that young people are best suited to drive positive change. Kiran partnered with leading experts from Stanford Design School and IDEO to launch the very first design thinking guide for young people across India, which introduced them to the FIDS Framework. Today, the DFC movement includes over 2 million young people in 70+ countries.

The story of our founder,
Kiran Bir Sethi

Designing for Humanity

Empathy is at the heart of the DFC experience. We encourage students and educators to understand another perspective by using the Feel, Imagine, Do, Share methodology. By transforming their communities, young people transform themselves, realizing their own power to create lasting change.

We Are Your Partner

The DFC team supports educators/mentors in their own design thinking journey, through a combination of training and tools. Our goal is to equip educators/mentors with the knowledge they need to implement the DFC methodology with their students. We hope to remind all educators that they are making a meaningful difference in their community each and every day.

We Give Time Back

We recognize that teachers and mentors are always doing more with less (less time, less resources, less everything). Our goal isn’t to add more things for them to do—rather to find new and simpler ways of doing them. Our focus on an easy-to-adopt framework and integrate design thinking principles into your existing curriculum, which we believe will enhance what you are already teaching.