Acara

Important announcement

Thank you for visiting this page to learn more about Acara. Just like ecosystems adapt, so do organizations. Part of our current adaption is rebranding our entrepreneurial opportunities and moving away from Acara as an umbrella term.

While the branding “Acara” no longer formally exists, its legacy lives on through several types of opportunities. Here are other resources to help you with your changemaking projects:

Sign up to receive Institute on the Environment newsletters to keep up to date on all our programming.
Consider participating in an international trip to Brazil and competing on a multinational team with students and leaders from around the globe at Moving the Cities.
Take GCC courses such as Innovation for Changemakers: Design for a Disrupted World and Knowledge to Impact: Creating Action with Your Grand Challenge Project Idea to make your idea a reality!
Visit the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship as well as the Toaster Innovation Hub in Walter Library to learn how they can also support your work.

Note: below, you will see information on Acara. We will archive this information as we move to a new website platform.

Acara is a leadership incubator program open to students from any discipline who want to be part of solving real-world challenges, like equitable access to clean water, health care, energy, and healthy food. We support students with a passion, project, or idea as they take it to the next level – whether that be developing an app or student group, starting an advocacy campaign, or developing a social enterprise.

This happens through programming that includes:

Courses for undergraduate and graduate students
Non-credit programs, such as the Graduate Changemakers Lab
Funding to pilot change making ideas
Free coaching from incredible faculty and community leaders

We are also more than a program – Acara is a community. Our network of partners provide ongoing support and coaching to students, helping them better understand the challenges communities face and how to develop viable solutions.

By being a part of Acara, you will learn:

How to develop and work on multidisciplinary teams.

Human-centered design and an entrepreneurial mindset.

The top skills that employers are seeking, including analytical, problem-solving, communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.