Students across the country are getting excited about Design for America (DFA), a grassroots initiative started at Northwestern University that encourages students to apply problem-solving skills to real-world issues and design solutions for local and social problems. DFA builds a network of students from all backgrounds and majors through university-based, student-led studios where teamwork is put to use to create social innovation. The collaborative teams are made up of students, faculty, advisors, and mentors who bring an interdisciplinary perspective to the projects that address a range of challenges in education, health, and the environment. In the program, students are trained to determine a “glocal” challenge of interest, discover potential users through community partnership, and create solutions that solve the needs and desires of the indentified users. Within the next five years, DFA hopes to expand to 50 studios throughout the country in order to stimulate community participation in social change. 

DFA has quickly grabbed media attention for its national growth and innovative design efforts. A group of DFA students were featured on the cover of the October issue of Fast Company Magazine and in an online Forbes story.