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Dear community members,

INK and Network Capital have joined hands to set up “YouthINK with Network Capital” to help school students build their category of one. It will be a yearlong immersion program where students will spend an hour every weekend learning from top CEOs, academics, artists, scientists and policy makers.

“Some students want to be physicists. Others want to be poets. Some want to be both. Most aren't sure yet, but they want to be people who make a difference.” John Dash

Educator Ana Lorena Fabrega still remembers when back in 2014 Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk walked into a parent-teacher meeting. At the time John Dash used to teach his kids. Disappointed by the way the education system was organized, he asked Dash to work on a micro-experiment to run a school for employees of Space X. The school would be designed to scale first-principles thinking among students.

Essentially first-principles thinking is breaking down complex problems into basic elements and then reassembling them from the ground up.

Musk often says that we should resist the temptation of learning by analogies and focus on the building blocks of knowledge, truths and mental models that stand on their own. Analogies can be biased, first-principles are unadulterated truths.

Among other things, YouthINK with Network Capital is designed to make students excel at first-principles thinking. Through our modules on writing, story-telling and critical thinking, we want to empower our students to think clearly, write persuasively and speak powerfully.

How Do We Plan to Scale First Principles Thinking at YouthINK with Network Capital?

Incentives run the world. If students are incentivized to ace tests, they will optimize for tests, not learning. There are three core components of scaling first-principles thinking at our weekly enrichment program.

First, no grades. By taking the pressure off, students become motivated to learn and compete with themselves, not others. Also, it provides the unique opportunity of students across age groups to learn with and from each other. That is what happens in life, don’t you think?

Second, optimization for relevance. The human mind is not designed to ignore stuff it finds relevant. If students find information relevant, they are likely to remember it. For example, memorizing dates for history examinations - nightmares we all remember - isn’t relevant without understanding the context. Schools can make students date memorization machines but it won’t matter one bit in the real world unless the relevance of those dates is widely understood and appreciated.

Third, problem exploration instead of tool memorization. Instead of inflicting students with obscure facts, we need to empower to students to explore the contours of thorny problems. Essentially, make students fall in love with the problem, not the loudest solution of a premature victory lap.

If students appreciate the problem, they will automatically be interested in figuring out the tools and techniques. Jumping to the tools expecting students to automatically visualize problems is a recipe for disaster.

Imagine if schools around the world indexed on fun and learning instead of standardized tests. Our hypothesis is that students groomed with first-principles will also end up acing tests but if we make tests the holy grail of performance, we can’t expect education to change at a fundamental level.

Specific Details of YouthINK with Network Capital

The YouthINK with Network Capital will be a yearlong immersion program where students will spend an hour every weekend learning from top CEOs, academics, artists, scientists and policy makers. This experience is designed to complement conventional schooling, spark curiosity and propel ambitious students to build their category of one. In the inaugural cohort of the program we will work closely with 100 students, help them identify their core strengths and equip them with the knowledge, network and mental models to build meaningful careers in the twenty-first century.

We are inspired to help students discover what they care most about, work on foundational skills (critical thinking, writing, public speaking), build a strong community and emerge as leaders who make a measurable impact in whatever they choose to pursue.

Learning is contextual. There is no perfect school for every student. Cultural context matters. Relatable mentors matter. Our mission is to enable every student in our school to have a tribe of relatable mentors for life.

This weekly enrichment programme will bring together some of the best faculty members and will create a immersive learning environment in which they will get access to -

1. Live sessions with faculty members

2. Learning resources to practice

3. Personalised guidance and feedback to improve and get better

4. A community of other curious and ambitious students to learn with

Do not confuse test-preparation with education. The real disruption in education is just getting started. We look forward to welcoming your child to a new way of learning.

PS. If you have any questions, you can write to us here.