July 5 - August 13
15 scholars
July 5 - August 13
15 scholars
June 20 - July 31
We take care of logistics.
You focus on your team and your project.
Work on a real-world challenge
Choose a social or environmental challenge connected to your interests and work with a local organization to develop a concrete response.
Immerse yourself
Explore the local context through field visits, research and conversations with people and organizations already working on the challenge.
Learn practical tools
Receive training from make_sense in innovation, community mobilization, collaboration and action-oriented project design.
Lead a team
Guide a group of volunteers, coordinate collaboration, delegate tasks and keep your team moving toward a shared goal.
Build something real
Together with your team and local partners, co-create and test solutions that respond to a real social or environmental challenge.
Build skills in leadership, communication, problem-solving, collaboration, creativity and project management.
Six weeks of field leardning, local collaboration and hans-on project work. makesense supports you with tools, mentoring and practical resources.
Three destinations. Different contests. Meaningful action.

Climate action or gender perspective.

Creative industries and social innovation.

Preserving sea biodiversity, aging well and sustainable food.
*Themes and partner organizations may vary from one edition to another.
“I enjoyed how the program pushed me beyond my comfort zone. I was able to work with a team, learn from a team and eventually lead a team. I gained a lot of leadership, time management, program planning and virtual facilitation experience. I will continue to use what I learned from my time at the programme, to positively impact the fight against climate change”.
– Saeeda
“Thanks to the re_action team, training, team sessions, and volunteers. The deliverable of the project, presented as a social media campaign, is the result of bringing together interests and passions with skills to empower myself and others to be part of the chain of reaction in leading change”.
– Raquel
“I believe the program taught me how to effectively lead a team and delegate tasks based on interest. It also showed me the ways in which team dynamics or plans may change and ways we can best adapt to a short time frame. Overall, it also taught me the effect of research and planning that goes into any organizing project”.
– Elina
Join a global community of Laidlaw Scholars creating meaningful change with local communities.
Limited places available. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.