NewComm is on a mission to reimagine the public school. Here’s why:

 

More than a Seat at the Table

One of the most devastating features of the design of our country is our unequal education system. In some zip codes, affluent students are taught how to create systems and in other zip codes they are taught to consume them. This divide disables many students from underserved communities from channeling their immense potential to drive impact at the upper rungs of society, a crucial step to breaking the cycle of inequality.

Numerous interventions address this divide, but they often inadvertently perpetuate the very status quo they aim to dismantle. When we concentrate solely on nurturing the "Talented Tenth" and increasing representation within a limited range of professions, we tend to overlook the entrenched structural barriers and biases within these systems.

To address the challenges we collectively face, we must equip all learners with the tools, language, and confidence to disrupt problematic design in order to achieve the profound, lasting change that is so urgently necessary.

 
 

Disrupting the Design

NewComm is a design studio that engages underserved learners, experienced industry professionals, and local stakeholders in year-long projects that address essential questions in their community. Each project, tailored to one of these essential questions, starts with an immersive literacy-themed summer experience followed by a series of Saturday design thinking workshops where learners leverage their newfound knowledge and skills to execute a venture that addresses the essential question. Currently exclusive to 11th and 12th graders, our current projects answer the following essential questions: How can our finance-focused internship help us disrupt systematic economic inequality in the South Bronx? or How can we leverage our travel to Rwanda to help us build a more inclusive and innovative school system?

Central to this approach is our "Literary Science" framework. Here, literature, oral histories, and generational knowledge from marginalized voices are studied not just as mere words for an assessment but as powerful research and design tools for social justice. Our projects immerse learners in the scientific study of these stories which catalyzes them to meaningfully engage in critical thinking, extensive community research, and the year-long design of social impact ventures in partnership with local non-profit and for-profit companies.

Ultimately, this applied, cross-generational learning model will not only increase engagement in literacy skills development and provide robust professional experiences, but more importantly, it provides an avenue for those most affected by our unequal education system to perceive their engaged education as a powerful tool to not just access spaces of power but to fundamentally transform them.

View Our Flagship Program FELLOWS →

 

Hear our Founder Chidi Asoluka’s TED Talk on developing NewComm from a dream he had in 2013.

Our Supporters

We are extremely proud to call Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning our partners in establishing our first campus for our FELLOWS program. They provide the space, food, and intellectual engagement needed to create sustainable impact in The Bronx!

We are incredibly grateful for the support of Horace Mann School. From access to their space, to financial support, to providing tech support to our Fellows, they have been our greatest cheerleaders!

 

NewComm is a proud recipient of an award from the Simons Foundation. The Simons Foundation’s Science, Society and Culture division seeks to provide opportunities for people to forge a connection to science — whether for the first time or a lifetime. Through their initiatives, they work to inspire a feeling of awe and wonder, foster connections between people and science and support environments that provide a sense of belonging. With their seed funding, we launched our pilot in the Summer of 2023.


We are so excited to work with Summer Search NYC to recruit our Cohort class for FELLOWS! Special thanks to Peter Retzlaff and Tashiana Diaz for spreading the word about our work!

 
 

Get Involved

Join us in our transformative mission to reshape the educational landscape for underserved communities. Your involvement can make a profound impact in multiple ways. If you're passionate about driving change and want to contribute your skills and time, we welcome you to become a valued volunteer. Whether you're an educator, designer, mentor, or simply someone who cares deeply about education equity, your expertise can play a pivotal role in our initiatives.

For those looking to make a difference through financial support, consider donating to NewComm! Your contribution will directly fuel our efforts to create exceptional learning environments, foster critical skills, and inspire the next generation of game-changing leaders. Every donation, no matter the size, contributes to our collective vision of a more inclusive and equitable education system.

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