What We Do

If you've ever been to Splash, then we don't need to tell you about the incredible atmosphere, energy, and community. We don't need to tell you what it's like to see a crowded hallway with young students talking excitedly about everything from quantum mechanics to balloon animals, and we don't need to tell you what it's like to see a college student lighting up as they recreate some Shakespeare or demonstrate some biology. Learning Unlimited is a group of alumni organizers of Splash and other similar programs who have come together to bring this energy to universities across the country. Together, we are creating a national network of college student leaders who are bringing back the idea that you can be excited about what you're learning. Let us tell you more about our work.

The Learning Unlimited Philosophy

• Get kids excited about learning and give them opportunities to learn: that will make all of their education more successful.
• College students are ready, able, and excited to take on real leadership roles in education.
• Passionate teachers who volunteer to share their love of learning will draw students to follow in their footsteps.

You can recognize an LU program because it's filled with classes you wish you could attend, everything from Film Criticism to Intuitive Quantum Mechanics, Greek Tragedy to The Secret World of Spies. Our philosophy of programs brings out a passion in learning and shows students why they're learning in the first place.

Here's the other thing you need to know: each local program is run by college students. Learning Unlimited supports a national network of college student groups that develop and run learning opportunities for middle and high school students. We give college students a way to get involved in education that is is fun, deeply meaningful, and suited to their schedules. College students run the programs themselves, and customize them to their school and community; we help them to do it.

What Makes Us Different

• At each campus, college students are in charge of their own programs. There's no central office giving them directions; just a network of experienced advisors and extensive resources.
• Programs are customized to each campus and region.
• There's an incredible energy coming from program leaders, teachers and students, all making this happen because they love it.
• The program provides real leadership opportunities, from the moment of first designing a program to making it happen.
• Scalability. Each program is run by volunteers and supported by the college, so that no large investment of centralized resources or administrators is needed.

The Programs

In a typical Learning Unlimited program, college students are invited to teach anything, and they step up to the plate with classes on everything from astrophysics to archaeology, urban planning to Shakespearean sonnets, molecular biology to tap dancing. Middle and high school students are invited to come and learn anything, and they can choose what they want to learn from a selection of hundreds of different classes.

Splash is our most well-known program and now runs at four universities nationally. Splash runs for one intense weekend and some single-weekend programs are as large as two thousand students.

Each Splash program at each university is different, adapted to local needs and communities. All are low-priced (around $30 for the full weekend, with financial waivers for those with need) or free. Most cover a huge breadth of topics, although some focus on just math and science. Some are one day, some run for two. But the common core is the same: show kids why they learn.

Learn More

Continue on to read about our results. You can also contact us and join our page on Facebook.