Changes

Founded in 2009  at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering, Design for America (DFA) is an organization based on the idea that  people cannot innovate without believing in themselves. This principle defines their motivation behind working on a national level to build a network of students who actively create impact at the local level through team projects. Co-founder Dr. Liz Gerber has researched new ways of learning about human centered design called Extracurricular Design-Based Learning (EDBL). This method engages students, community members and partners to think about our biggest challenges that we face in Education, Health, Economy and Environment. I think the best words that summerize summarize this organization's vision is motivation informed by belief in ability."  DFA holds the idea that we must believe in our ability to develop and implement innovation solutions that can address the world's challenges.

The organization's goal is to create a network of students working to solve social problems and make a significant impact in their community. Design for American student teams survey their local community and assess the challenges people face. Teams go through all steps of the design process from ideation to viable product development. Student teams are part of studios, or DFA organizations indepentently independently run by students on campuses nation wide. Groups of students come together like any other organization on campus and think of problems in their community. They then create teams of 2 to 3 students to take on different projects. Design for America believes that every student has the ability to make an impact and through design innovation students can solve problems in the world around them.