Empowering boys to solve complex, real-world problems

Currently offered by only four schools worldwide, Systems Transformation is one of three IB DP graduation pathways available to UCC students entering Year 11 in 2025. Its cornerstone is the 300-hour “Innovation for a Better World” course that helps students learn and apply mindsets of systems and design thinking along with technology skills. They’ll explore complex problem spaces that implicate pluralism, wellbeing and sustainability, and undertake projects where they harness their learning to develop ethical solutions to local, national and global issues. 

When asked about what types of problems students might be grappling with, Vice-Principal of Learning and Academic Innovation Dr. Julia Kinnear points to clean water as an example. Fundamental to life itself, she explains that water is at the centre of myriad intersecting environmental, political and social systems — and thus demands innovative, culturally sensitive solutions.

“Depending on the context students are studying, perhaps they’re prototyping some kind of cost-effective, decentralized water treatment unit,” says Kinnear. “Or maybe they’re using digital tools to map algae growth to see how it affects the absorption of nutrients and pollutants.”

Whether the problem is clean water or an issue like housing insecurity, cross-disciplinary approaches that engage broader communities are key. 

“It’s about understanding the world in all its complexity, and appreciating the intersections between disciplines,” says Vice-Principal of Advancement Brendan Dellandrea ’01. “To create lasting change, we must study the systems in which we operate as humans, societies and institutions. Let’s talk to people — both those experiencing the impacts of these issues most acutely, and those trying to develop solutions.” 

As they pursue their projects, Systems Transformation students will be able to lean on a nine-person advisory council. Members have a vast range of experience across entrepreneurship and social innovation and include TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky ‘01 and Dr. Beth Coleman, associate professor of data and cities at U of T. 

Julie Tanenbaum-Albert — UCC donor, parent of Benjamin Albert ’19, aunt of Jack ’18, Ethan ’20 and Dylan ’22 Tanenbaum, and president of the Larry and Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation (LJTFF) — loved the idea of the IB DP Systems Transformation Graduation Pathway as soon as she heard it. The LJTFF is a program founder and lead supporter, along with founding supporters The Brian and Joannah Lawson Family Foundation; Justin Madhany and Robert D’Andrea; and the Wright Foundation. 

Tanenbaum-Albert, however, did have one problem with the program: it wasn’t big enough. 

Could UCC expand the reach of the experiential, solutions-oriented learning that’s baked into Systems Transformation across more ages and stages?

“This is exactly the kind of question we love to be asked,” says Dellandrea, who proceeded to work with colleagues to develop a two-pronged way to achieve this aim through the Tanenbaum Inspire Fund and the Tanenbaum Director of Partnerships and Social Impact role, both of which are supported by a $2M gift from the LJTFF.

Through the Tanenbaum Inspire Fund, UCC will be integrating learning in systems thinking across the IB Continuum, offering all students opportunities to incorporate it in age-appropriate ways. This will be overseen by the incoming Tanenbaum Director of Partnerships and Social Impact, who will lead the broader strategy, which includes teacher training, community engagement and guest speakers. 

For Ms. Tanenbaum-Albert, this work is central to the strong values her parents, Larry and Judy, have always placed on education, independent thinking, and giving back to the community. 

“Our future leaders need to have a social conscience,” she explains. “They need to be problem solvers, to be thinkers beyond the page. And these projects the boys will be embarking on, I think there’s power there.”