Community Consulting for Young Changemakers

June 22-26, 2026 Rose Hill

Non-Credit Course

In this hands-on workshop series, participants will work in consulting teams to co-create a solution for a real world nonprofit organization or social enterprise. Prior to the start of the workshops, the instructor will secure engagement with an organization seeking community consulting support. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with leadership from this organization.

Participants will learn and use proven community consulting tools from Greg Van Kirk’s book, It’s What You Set in Motion: A Toolbox for Collaborative Changemaking, and build toolkits that they can use in the future.

Skills/Learning Outcomes

Overall, participants will build their changemaking mindsets and skill sets while building and enhancing crucial 21st century skills including the following:
     ● Team building and teamwork
     ● Active listening
     ● Adaptive leadership
     ● Empathy
     ● Community engagement
     ● Problem prioritization and identification
     ● Collaborative problem solving
     ● Equitable design
     ● Creativity
     ● Professional communication

Instructor Bio

Greg Van Kirk is a practicing social entrepreneur, educator, facilitator, and consultant. He’s a World Economic Forum "Social Entrepreneur of the Year (2012)" and an Ashoka Fellow. He's a former Ashoka Leadership Group Member where he led the Changemaker Schools initiative.

Over the course of over 20+ years, Greg’s founded, led, and/or consulted for dozens organizations in 20+ countries. He's designed (social) entrepreneurial experiences, taught courses, and led workshops for thousands of high school students, university students, and professionals. Apart from Fordham, he’s designed and taught social innovation courses at Columbia University, New York University, University of Maryland, Miami University, University of Wisconsin, and University of New Hampshire. Greg's led partnerships with universities including Cornell University, Duke University, University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University, and Stanford University. He's designed and led professional development/ experiential learning programs for organizations including Deloitte, Levi Strauss & Co., and Warby Parker. Greg recently published It’s What You Set in Motion: A Toolbox for Collaborative Changemaking. 

Course Details

Community Consulting for Young Changemakers
June 22-26, 2026, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Rose Hill Campus
Instructor: Greg Van Kirk

Course Number: SULA 0116 RN1
CRN: 16561

This non-credit course is open to high school students only.

Tuition

Residential: $2,086.00
Tuition for the residential program includes the course, course materials, housing, meals, and excursions in and outside of class. Move-in is Sunday afternoon, the day before classes begin. Please click here for a more detailed calendar of important dates.

Commuter: $1,418.00
Tuition for commuters includes the course, course materials, lunches, and excursions in and outside of class. Additional meals are available on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Students may wish to bring funds for incidentals, shopping at the Fordham Bookstore, souvenirs, and any personal items they wish to purchase.

 

Apply

Application deadlines:

Course and housing: May 1, 2026; course only: May 15, 2026. Please note that admission decisions are rolling until the class is full, and course caps are around 20 students. Apply by April 1, 2026 to be considered for a limited number of need-based discounts. We recommend early application.

Application Requirements: this non-credit course is open to high school students who have completed their first year. The course is recommended for those with a 3.0 or better. No prior experience with the subject matter is required.

To apply, you will need a copy of your high school transcript and your fall report card if the grades are not reflected on your transcript.

Please make note of the course details above because you will select your course as part of your application.

There is a $75 fee to apply and a $300 deposit to secure your seat. Housing requires a $50 deposit. All payments will be treated as deposits toward your final bill.

Apply

If you are not ready to apply, you can sign up to stay informed about the Fordham Summer Leaders Academy too, or email us with questions!

Immersion 1 Resident Move-In/Move-Out

Date  Resident Information
May 29 All medical forms and consents due
June 21 Move-in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
June 27 Move-out between 6 and 9 p.m.

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