Hearing From Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

When dozens of young San Diego Unified School District students came to USD for a summer camp this week, they found a classroom that ditched the whiteboard and dry-erase markers in favor of a recording studio.

It was part of the 2025 ImPactful Teen Innovation Sandbox hosted by the Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education and made possible thanks to grant support from San Diego Foundation and San Diego Unified through the Level Up SD program, in partnership with Cloudcast Media.

For one week each summer, the camp welcomes kids to USD’s campus at no cost to them to learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and how they can be used to innovate and tackle some of the world’s, and the next generation’s, most pressing issues.

But rather than cracking open books or telling them about these ideas, the Jacobs Institute put students front and center and tasked them with educating.

“It’s about having great ideas, and doing something with them,” said Ashley Ahrens-Víquez, Program Operations and Engagement Manager with the Jacobs Institute.

Students are broken up into groups where they work together to identify an issue affecting San Diegans. Next, they’re given the opportunity to interview a local expert about the problem; these can be professors, health care professionals, organizers and more. Organizers say this empowers students: they do the research on a topic and then get to ask experts the questions they have based on what they learned.

From there, the group uses design thinking to brainstorm a solution that incorporates the UN goals. Finally, representatives from Cloudcast Media help the students record and edit a podcast, where they present their ideas to a broader audience.

“I’d never thought about podcasting. I love listening to podcasts, so it was cool being in one,” said Nia, a student at the camp.

It’s all part of a project-based approach to learning, aimed at getting students more engaged with the curriculum.

“It is one thing to learn something in a classroom – and that’s really incredible and important – but it’s another thing to apply it,” Ahrens-Víquez said. “This gives students the opportunity to take whatever they learn in the classroom and put it to action, and feel like they are able to solve problems.”

The camp teaches students how to collaborate and innovate, and how civic leaders are working to address issues in their own backyard.

Instructors say it gets kids thinking critically and students say it’s an exciting opportunity they don’t always get in a traditional classroom.

“My experience has been great because of the opportunities I get with this camp. My teammates are excellent,” said Noah, whose team was working on ways to stop teens from vaping. “I encourage people to try something new. This is my first time at this camp and it’s going great. Try new things!”