What We Do
Learning Unlimited (LU) is leading a movement of college students teaching high school students everything and anything. By seeding and supporting self-sustaining student groups at colleges and universities around the world, LU reaches over 10,000 students annually.
Splash
LU’s flagship program is Splash. In one weekend, hundreds to thousands of high school and middle school students are invited to a college campus to learn about everything and anything from passionate university students. Splash often serves as a gateway to long-term programs run by the same students.
These programs are run by undergraduate or graduate student groups. Each is independent, mentored and supported by LU, with their own budget and leadership.
What Makes Us Different
Leadership
While LU’s most well known program is Splash, LU encourages and supports chapters creating and exploring other educational programs of their own. Our purpose is not to dictate or direct chapters what to do or how to do it, it is to provide support and guidance to the student leaders that create and run these programs. This allows college students to take on real leadership roles and work with each other to create a program that is truly their own and works best for their campus and community.
Mentors
LU has an intense mentoring process and the amazing college students that take charge of running programs. These up-and-coming leaders run their programs with energy, professionalism, and a real sense of fun.
LU provides intense mentoring and start-up support, an open-source web platform for every aspect of program management, a knowledge base of organizational guides and best practices, and other shared national resources. With LU’s help and guidance, each group customizes their programs to their university, community and individual strengths.
Passion
By engaging volunteers to teach what they love to students not much younger than them, Learning Unlimited opens up a world of possibilities to young minds. For the first time, they can explore topics like urban design, or cosmology, or advanced mathematics, or impressionist art. Students realize that careers are open in these fields, and can picture themselves doing it. They have a chance to explore on their own terms, and then they make that study their own.
Learning Unlimited supports programs where students choose between hundreds of classes. Students have the freedom to explore a college campus on their own, and to be treated as responsible adults. Research has repeatedly shown that choice and autonomy, both key features of LU programs, are essential to developing internal motivation in learners.
Outcomes
University student leaders and teachers report benefits to their careers and interest in teaching. Pre-college students report increased interest in learning the topics they see at Splash. See more at our results page.
