Design Thinking Projects and Challenges: Learn By Doing and Creating

Empowering a generation of innovators and makers
 

 

Program Description

Design Thinking is a two week immersion program that focuses on critical areas and skills of the 21st century: empathy, design thinking, critical thinking, creative problem solving, confidence, and curiosity.

Together with industry experts and design thinking educators we provide a hands-on experience and powerful insights embedded in daily design development challenges.

Bring your own idea and create your project while learning the concepts and advanced techniques of design thinking.

We are extremely passionate about what we do and believe that our program will provide a unique learning experience for you! 

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Program Highlights

fascinating courses

Our unique program is a combination of academic seminars and practical workshops that encourage creativity, active problem solving, critical thinking, and innovation. We include best practices and methods of Stanford d.school to make our program one of the best in providing 21st Century knowledge and skills.

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

All our classes are interactive and based on the method of learning by doing: working in a small team environment, using the latest technologies and 3D printing, program participants develop inventions to solve global problems.

PERSONALIZED INSTRUCTORS

All our instructors and educators are highly qualified and respected professionals, who are dedicated to creating innovative learning opportunities. They are leading experts from the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley and professors from top U.S. universities.

PITCH COMPETITION

Pitch Competition is a great opportunity for all participants to present their projects and ideas in front of judges and other contestants and learn first-hand how to pitch successfully to sell their “Big Idea”

INNOVATION PRACTITIONERS

We provide a unique opportunity for our participants to visit the world's most admired companies in Silicon Valley (Google, Facebook, Twitter, Intel, Oracle), innovation museums (Computer History Museum, The Tech Museum of Innovation), and leading universities (Stanford, UC Berkeley)

Real Life Application

Design and build a product to solve real life problems and challenges, acquire necessary skills to use in everyday life and enhance future learning experiences

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What You Will Learn

21ST CENTURY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

By integrating Art + Design with STEM, our program aims to build the knowledge and skills of the future to solve some of the most challenging problems of modern society.
- Creativity and innovation
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Communication and collaboration
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Initiative and self-direction

DESIGN MEANINGFUL TOOLS and SOLUTIONS

By combining the best design thinking practices and Stanford d.school curriculum we provide all our participants with tools and approaches they can use to construct their ideas, design and develop solutions, including:
- Transforming insights into actionable ideas
- Transforming problems into tasks and innovative products
- Creating value for your end user

LEADERSHIP and PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS

We motivate, inspire and encourage our students to go out in the world and make a difference. Our student success series workshops are designed to help students learn how to:
- Communicate with different people
- Confidently and convincingly defend their position
- Articulate and communicate their ideas
- Ask the right questions and come up with the right responses

SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION SKILLS

Today presentation skills are required in almost every field, that’s why we designed a special course “Secrets of Successful Presentations” with a focus on how to:
- Prepare a winning presentation
- Speak passionately, with enthusiasm
- Keep the audience interest
- Respond to questions from the audience

Testimonials

"These two weeks have given me what I usually sought for months. I realized that there are a lot of people like me. And it means that I have to work really hard going forward. But there also are people who believe in me. If in the future I won't open a multimillion dollar company, all the hundreds of books that I have ever read, will be in vain. But having come so far, can I just give up now?"

Aynura Kubasheva
Program Participant

Thank you SVIC, the program provided valuable hands-on experience on design and critical thinking. I’ve gained a new perspective on the world, both from the discussions in class as well as from all the people I’ve met from leading companies and innovation centers.

NIS students

Client Success Story: Design Thinking Innovators Camp

The “Design Thinking Innovators Camp II” repeated the program of DTIC I and, just like the first camp, included lectures and hands-on workshops on theory and practice of design thinking, empathy development, ideation, idea prototyping, testing and iteration. The comprehensive curriculum was delivered by leading experts in design thinking and problem-solving. For example, the prototyping session was led by Will Krause, an Emmy Award nominee for his design work at Sesame Street. Additional sessions focused on enhancing such key skills as value proposition development and customer identification (using the famous Lego Serious Play method), 3D modeling, efficient public speaking, team building and pitching. 

 

Silicon Valley Innovation Center organized a 2-week educational summer camp for top high school students from a network of innovative public schools in Kazakhstan - Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools. The “Design Thinking Innovators Camp” included lectures and hands-on workshops on theory and practice of design thinking, empathy development, ideation, idea prototyping, testing and iteration. The comprehensive curriculum was delivered by leading experts in design thinking and problem-solving. The program also included sessions on such vital skills as value proposition development and customer identification (using the famous Lego Serious Play method), efficient public speaking, team building, pitching and 3D modeling. During the solution testing phase each student practiced giving constructive criticism and reviews on each other’s project. 

 
 

What Is Included in The Program

Participation in the summer program;
Visa support (official invitation for B1/B2 visas);
Transfers (during the entire program: airport, hotels, company visits);
Accompaniment during the program;
Lunches ( Mon-Fri);
Program Completion Certificate.

 

 

Who Should Attend:

If you are between 13 and 18 years old
if you want to make changes in the lives of others
if you are active and energetic
if you are full of ideas and look for new challenges and opportunities
 
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Companies Participated in Past Programs

Intel
Intel
Google
Google
Microsoft
Microsoft
Stanford dSchool
Stanford dSchoo
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley
Twitter
Twitter
Computer History Musem
Computer Histor
Exploratorium
Exploratorium
Honey Point
Honey Point
IDEO
IDEO
TechShope
TechShope
Tinkercad
Tinkercad

Past program speakers

Lawrence Shubert
PARTNER, Innovationship
Lawrence Shubert
Stephanie Marrus
Educator, UCSF
Stephanie Marrus
Jonathan Littman
Founder, Snowball Narrative
Jonathan Littman
Olive Davis
Director, Berkeley Business Academy for Youth
Olive Davis
Aimee Gardner
Manager, Computer History Museum
Aimee Gardner
Nathan Gold
Chief Coach, The Demo Coach
Nathan Gold

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Executive Education Program

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Contact Us

Have a question?
+1 (650) 274 0214
Send us a message
- info@svicenter.com
Find us on the map
-1710 South Amphlett Blvd., Suite # 306,
San Mateo, CA 94402

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