Map the System
Empowering a new generation of systems thinkers
Programme overview
To confront the complex societal and environmental issues young people have inherited, we must invest in a new kind of leader. Young people require the skills to catalyse social change by empowering others and prioritizing a deep understanding of the unjust systems they are trying to dismantle.
Map the System equips a new generation of leaders with the systems thinking mindset needed to re-shape our world. Since 2016, the Skoll Centre has partnered with over 140 institutions across the globe and prepared more than 15,000 students with the skills and tools to become more effective change agents.
Why join
Map the System is a learning programme and global competition that nurtures a global community of educators, students, and practitioners committed to applying the principles of systems thinking to complex social and environmental challenges.
- Join a global movement which values understanding problems first, before proposing solutions. We believe this is the future of social impact education.
- Build global connections with staff, faculty, and students from institutions across the globe - all of whom are passionate about social change.
- Create meaningful opportunities for students by winning cash prizes, making valuable connections, and developing their ideas for impact.
How it works
The Skoll Centre partners with universities worldwide each year, supporting educators to deliver the Map the System programme at their institutions before inviting top student teams from all over the world to convene for a final competition in Oxford.
Through a structured learning journey involving an online learning module, carefully designed guides and activities, virtual gatherings, and peer interactions, students work in teams to dive deep into a social or environmental topic they are passionate about.
With Skoll Centre support, educators organise local Map the System competitions at their institutions. Participating student teams submit written materials, visual systems maps, and orally present their findings. Unlike traditional pitch competitions, participants are evaluated based not on a ‘solution’ to a problem, but rather on their depth of understanding of it.
Top teams from each partner institution are invited to the Map the System global final competition held annually at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. The global final competition is an immersive learning experience where students and educators come together to share and celebrate their research, compete for prizes, participate in workshops, learn from world-class systems thinking practitioners, and engage in networking opportunities.
How to participate
The Skoll Centre is thrilled to now be accepting Map the System registrations for the 2024–25 academic year.
A partnership fee of £4,000 is required per institution. During the registration process you will have to agree to paying the registration fee or request to apply for a fee reduction. There is a modest access fund available to support costs for institutions where the cost is a barrier to participation. These requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
To join for 2024-25, please complete the registration form below or email us at mapthesystem@sbs.ox.ac.uk.Institutions must register before 31st January 2025.
