Building skills to tackle societal challenges

August 15, 2023

New Velocity program fosters students’ innovative mindset

Velocity has launched a new program called Foundations to help students develop an innovative mindset, a skill which is becoming increasingly important.

Applicable to any career, learning how to ask great questions for a deeper understanding of a problem can be a professional lifeline, in particular due to the ubiquity of large language models like ChatGPT that is giving rise to questions about the future of job opportunities.

This Spring 2023 term, students explored loneliness and other mental health challenges. These issues are afflicting young people at the highest levels since studies have started measuring them. According to the Centre for Disease Control in the U.S., 37.1 per cent of high school students say they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past few semesters, many students have spoken to Velocity staff about the challenges related to loneliness and mental health. Students that applied to Foundations indicated they wanted to explore this topic specifically and learn more about what can be done to address this significant challenge.
Ben Graham, Velocity’s Problem Lab manager

Over the course of the eight-week program, students will attend weekly group sessions designed to actively engage them in research, problem-solving and skill-building activities. They will hear from expert guest speakers from the University and other stakeholders. Students can also access Velocity coaching from an expert in problem analysis.

Read more about students’ experience in Foundations on Waterloo News and contact Ben Graham to learn more.