nXu

When adolescents struggle to find and pursue their purpose, they inevitably struggle in other areas, too. In the fast-changing, increasingly diverse but still inequitable 21st century, young people need a new kind of learning experience that will set them up to pursue their purpose and realize their dreams. nXu is an out-of-school program and a scalable platform, all centered around an innovative set of standards called Compass Standards that together enable young people to explore, articulate and pursue their purpose in life. 

Launching initially in New York City, nXu brings together a diverse group of high school students from public district, public charter, parochial, and private schools to create new and life-changing learning opportunities that transcend conventional boundaries of the “school building” and the “school day”. The program capitalizes on four summers, afternoons and weekends during 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades as well as a post-12th grade challenge (i.e. gap) year—enabling students to learn with diverse peers in spaces and contexts not typically available to them. 

Through this multi-year, multi-dimensional programming, nXu participants forge new connections—nexus, in Latin—and integrate experiences that have historically been separated for students. nXu sits at the nexus between school and college, childhood and adulthood, education and work, self and other, exploration and mastery, and the made and natural worlds. It is where students discover their purpose, plot out their own journeys, and find their place in the wider community.