Big Thought

THE MISSION OF BIG THOUGHT IS TO MAKE IMAGINATION A PART OF EVERYDAY LEARNING. WE BRING RELENTLESS OPTIMISM, INNOVATION, AND IMAGINATION TO THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING EDUCATION TODAY: THE OPPORTUNITY GAP.

DRIVEN BY OUR MISSION TO MAKE IMAGINATION A PART OF EVERYDAY LEARNING, BIG THOUGHT IS AN IMPACT EDUCATION NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO CLOSING THE OPPORTUNITY GAP FOR YOUTH IN DALLAS AND BEYOND. FOUNDED IN 1987 BY DALLAS CIVIC LEADERS EDITH O'DONNELL AND MITCH JERICHO AS AN AFFILIATE OF YOUNG AUDIENCES, THE ORGANIZATION BEGAN INNOVATING EDUCATION FROM ITS INCEPTION BY BRINGING ARTS AND CULTURAL PERFORMANCES INTO CLASSROOMS AT A TIME WHEN THE ARTS HAD BEEN MARGINALIZED OR EVEN ELIMINATED FROM PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULA. THE ORGANIZATION SOON GREW TO SERVE CHILDREN, EDUCATORS, AND FAMILIES IN MORE WAYS THAN ITS FOUNDERS EVER IMAGINED. IN 2004, THE NAME BIG THOUGHT WAS ADOPTED TO REFLECT THE BROADENED SCOPE AND VISION.THROUGHOUT OUR 35+ YEAR HISTORY OF INNOVATION, BIG THOUGHT HAS BECOME A NATIONAL MODEL IN ARTS EDUCATION, OUT OF SCHOOL TIME SYSTEMS, SUMMER LEARNING AND JUVENILE JUSTICE INTERVENTION. NOW WE'RE ONE OF 6 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN THE U.S. HELPING SCALE NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES IN SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING.AT OUR CORE, WE EMPOWER YOUTH TO 1. BUILD THEIR CREATIVE MUSCLE, 2. DEVELOP SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS AND WELLBEING3. CREATE THEIR AUTHENTIC VOICE. BIG THOUGHT IMPLEMENTS THREE APPROACHES TO DELIVER THIS WORK:1. DIRECT TO YOUTH PROGRAMS. WE DEVELOP AND DELIVER HIGH QUALITY CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMS TO SERVE COMMUNITIES WITH THE GREATEST NEED. BIG THOUGHT PROGRAMS REACH OVER 16,000 STUDENTS FOR MORE THAN 321,000 LEARNING HOURS EACH YEAR.2. LEARNING SYSTEMS. WE DO THIS BY STRATEGICALLY CONNECTING PARTNERS AND RESOURCES ACROSS THE CITY TO CREATE LEARNING SYSTEMS THAT ADDRESS THESE THEMES. BIG THOUGHT LEARNING SYSTEMS REACH OVER 137,000 STUDENTS FOR MORE THAN 3.7MILLION LEARNING HOURS EACH YEAR.3. BIG THOUGHT INSTITUTE. WE OBSESS OVER RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN, ENSURING THAT WE ARE EVALUATING AND ENHANCING OUR WORK YEAR AFTER YEAR. FURTHER, WE TAKE OUR EVIDENCE-BASED BEST PRACTICES AND LEARNINGS AND SHARE THEM WITH OTHER NON-PROFITS AND ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH CONSULTING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAM DESIGN SERVICES.HOW WE IMPLEMENT THESE PROGRAMS IS WHAT MAKES US UNIQUELY EFFECTIVE. THE BIG THOUGHT TEAM AND PARTNERS ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH OUR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL FOCUS, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, COMMUNITY-CENTERED PARTNERSHIPS, EQUITY LENS AND FUTURE FOCUS.BIG THOUGHTS UNIQUE APPROACH COMES ALIVE IN THE FOLLOWING IMPLEMENTATIONS: WEVE POSITIONED YOUTH AS EQUAL PARTNERS IN GEOGRAPHIC/LOCAL EXPANSION OF BIG THOUGHT DIRECT-TO-YOUTH PROGRAMS SO THAT THESE SYSTEMS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE, AND PROGRAMS ARE ESTABLISHED WITH A RACIAL EQUITY LENS. WE ADVOCATE ON ISSUES AND POLICY CHANGES RELATED TO RACIAL AND ECONOMIC EQUITY. WE RAISE AWARENESS OF CREATIVITY AS WORKPLACE SKILL AND ADVOCATE TO EMBED IN HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS. WE SCALE BEST PRACTICES TO KEY INSTITUTIONS AND SYSTEMS THROUGH CONSULTING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CURRICULUM DESIGN.