Start Strong for Young Changemakers

Take a peek at Acton Academy and you may wonder if you’ve stepped into a mythical world where students are heroes, learning is a quest, and adults are guides for the journey. Acton Academy was founded by Laura Sandefer and her husband Jeff Sandefer, the founder of the Acton School of Business as a school deeply rooted in an overarching theme of a Hero’s Journey. The school focuses students around a search for their life’s “calling, teaching content through game-based tools, Socratic discussion and face-to-face projects the school calls “quests.” Laura and Jeff show us how to guide our children through these times with an open mind and a Socratic outlook.

17-year-old Avi Schiffmann knew about Covid-19 before the rest of the country. He created a website to track the cases globally and wound up being one of the internet's top visited sites with millions of hits per day. He did it alone -- self-taught, self-motivated.

Learn how a budding 13-year-old fashion designer seen with the likes of Kimora Lee Simmons and Kelly Clarkson is pivoting and using her skill of observation to find solutions and opportunities in her community.