Sustainable Scholars Program

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The SSP provides microfinance and educational services to low-income undergraduates committed to a study proposal related to local sustainability and willing to payback their loans by sponsoring new students.

Standings & Awards

18 out of 190 in Central & South America
47 out of 779 in Education
64 out of 573 in Pilot
77 out of 992 in Charitable
220 out of 4003 Overall

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VOTES

the three musketeers

Connecting social investors to highly-motivated low-income students committed to sustainability

In 2011, the Pro-UNI - a brazilian governmental program designed to increase the representation of low-income high-school students in private undergraduate programs - reported a drop-out rate of 25% for the nearly 1 million benefited students receiving full or partial tuition waivers since 2005. This scenario points to the existing myriad of challenges low-income students face that extend beyond the financial helm. We believe that these scholars - if supported additionally with financial, psychological, career counseling, and academic advising services - can become effective agents in our society to cultivate a sustainable community.

Program’s Mission

“To provide an infrastructure of services that fosters the formation of an increasing number of low-income college students aware of the sustainability challenges of our society, seeking to create a community – of students, alumni, investors, sponsors, angels and partners – to support this model in a self-sufficient way and constantly drive change towards a world where peace, sustainability and education advance hand-in-hand.”

Approach

Selects undergraduate students from a low-income background registered in a partner top Brazilian university with a 100% tuition waiver secured for his/her college studies - such as those offered by the Pro-UNI. The selection criteria focuses on applicants interested in one or more aspects of environmental, economical, social and cultural sustainability demonstrated through its life and career. Connects sponsors, partners, fellows and peers, and our staff through an interactive online platform exposing media materials on candidates available for funding and progress reports on current fellows, supporting transparency in multiple levels. Provides additional financial, psychological, academic, professional and personal development services routinely for selected fellows, accompanying the full helm of factors that determine one’s success while strengthening one’s freedom and the community laces.

FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS Required (60 - 90 minutes)

1. What is your innovation?

The SSP delivers the connection between two worlds: low-income students committed to sustainability topics and anyone who want to support them. An online web tool allows donors to select students based on a database of student's profiles, and to follow-up on their academic progress, psychological support self-evaluation and financial statements. The virtual component of the program is accompanied by an infrastructure of educational and financial services that are delivered to selected fellows.

2. Who gains the most?

The students and the community where students are supported! The program's long-term goals are to develop a sustainable community and a self-sufficient model in which students receive 5-years of support, become professionals in their fields and return the investment (both financial and time) to new students; we call this cycle "the gearbox". After graduation, we expect students to practice their interest for sustainability and return in multiple forms to the community.

3. Who pays?

The gearbox is supported by donors around the globe and, in the future, by the alumni of the program. We believe that if the program can deliver true resources to empower students, then it will become their own goal to support the gearbox.

4. What is your success?

Our one-year goal is to deliver an online system where scholars' profiles can be viewed for selection and progress follow-up by donors as well as an initial infrastructure to serve the first 10 students all located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 2013-2014 term. In three-five years, the program aims to serve a larger audience of students in Brazil (adding 30 students per year) requiring partnerships with new universities and to upgrade its web-interface and interactivity.

5. How will you do it?

Before we can accept the first student, funding for building the online tool has to come from angel investors. With the online tool in hands, a project manager will be responsible for updating student's profile, coordinate the selection process with a volunteer review panel, and, eventually, schedule payments and appointments for students to receive support. For the psychological, academic and career counseling career services, volunteers from partner universities will be a source for volunteers