About The UnSchool
Early in Leyla’s career, she noticed a glaring knowledge-action gap for people who cared about the world’s most complex problems but did not know how to intervene.
So, she decided to start a school for adults, designed to overcome the crisis of agency that exists between the knowledge of the world’s most significant problems and the action in creating alternatives to the status quo that would help change them.
The UnSchool of Disruptive Design was the result, an experimental knowledge lab for adults who want to develop new skills to make a positive impact in their life and work.
Born in part out of a desire for an educational experience that would fill the gaps Leyla experienced in her own education journey and for a desire to support more transformative change at scale, The UnSchool bases knowledge on synthesising complexity, enhancing curiosity, employing adventure and activating change.
Centering a problem-loving mindset, it helps people rapidly gain the knowledge and practical skills necessary to activate a positive impact in the world around them and teaches the core aspects of the Disruptive Design Methodology.
Since 2014, tens of thousands of people have attended an UnSchool fellowship, workshop, or taken online courses to help them make positive change.
Over the first five years, the UnSchool team produced 10 fellowships in 10 different cities.
Why Leyla Started a School for Adults
How she did it
One of the hypotheses Leyla explored in creating the UnSchool was that immersive, cognitively activating experiences could have a long-lasting educational and personal change effect.
She began by running lunchtime workshops with fellow tenants at the Center for Social Innovation in New York City, then conceptualized a week-long Fellowship program designed as a fully immersive learning experience, adventure-based, with inspirational mentors and a program packed full of collaborative fun.
The first Fellowship was held in NYC in 2015, bringing together 12 participants from around the world for a citywide adventure in social innovation, sustainability and creative change-making. The program remained a mystery to participants, receiving only a “menu” of activities listing times and locations, but no specifics. Mentors would provide an interactive session on the High Line, and then a food-based experience would happen next. It was adventure, interaction and immersion, all rolled into an incredible 7 days.
After the success of the first fellowship, Leyla and the tiny but mighty UnSchool team set about doing more, and it naturally emerged that former Fellows would invite the UnSchool to their cities to host the next program. From NYC, the Fellowships landed in Mexico City, then São Paulo, San Francisco, Melbourne, Queenstown, Cape Town, and Kuching. A planned Fellowship in Cochabamba was canceled when COVID-19 forced closure for in-person gatherings, prompting a pivot to live online and self-directed learning programs.
The UnSchool has always been about the people who self-select into it. They don’t do any advertising and maintain a comprehensive equity access program, including scholarships and a pay-what-you-can model on some courses. They also produce free content whenever possible and are dedicated to supporting people in learning and growing into creative change- makers, wherever they are in the world.
My experience with Unschool is that it is not only well designed in considering the topics, content and pedagogy but also the really beautiful lay-out and designs of the courses which makes you feel attracted to read and see more. I as well like the free options as tasters but also to support more inclusive community as not everyone might be able to afford a course.
— Sanne Van Oort
Watch The UnSchool Fellowships
Check out More Fellowship mini-documentaries
“I had an amazing experience exploring how systems thinking can be applied in real-life challenges. The practical insights I gained from The UnSchool have stayed with me, and I’ve already started using these approaches to drive positive change in my design work. It’s been inspiring and truly eye-opening!”
Leonardo Brucato
“I've just completed a number of your online courses and they have been phenomonal at encouraging me to think bigger and differently....and appreciate the layers involved in creating change. I'm a lot more compassionate and curious as a result.”
Colette Reilly
“It’s amazing how my perception of the world and connections around are changing after diving in to the systems thinking. I’m feeling like I have unlocked next level of perception and ready for the new deeper discoveries.”
Nadezda Schmaranzer
Interested in an UnSchool Style Training?
Find out more about Leyla’s workshops and facilitation services.
