Social Design Academy (SoDA)
Expressions of interest are open for our Australian 2026 Design Academy!
About the Social Design Academy
The Social Design Academy (SoDA) is an 8-month, project-based program, which supports organisations, leaders, and practitioners, to deliver real world innovation projects and grow their design capability for social impact and systems change.
Facilitated by our team of experienced Social Innovation Practitioners, the Design Academy runs as an online program with fortnightly workshops, regular coaching sessions, and peer-to-peer meetups, alongside a cohort of like-minded professionals and organisations.
Our Design Academy welcomes professionals from a wide range of sectors, including non-for-profits, government, and social enterprise, who choose it for its practical teaching from experienced practitioners, connection with a diverse cohort, and the chance to directly apply skills through real-life projects.
Why join?
The Design Academy program focuses on developing knowledge and expertise in design methodology as applied to complex social issues and systems change, as well as building wider design skills and creative confidence.
The program structure uses a parallel learning and project journey, coaching you through a real world project identified as a priority of your organisation. Each phase is designed to help your team learn key design skills, from discovery through to implementation, and to apply these directly into practice.
For high level information on the program, see our Program Leaflet. A detailed brochure will be made available later in the year, make sure to register your interest to get updates!
“It has been a great team building process, we now all talk a similar language and have a new set of shared experiences to draw on when we are considering innovation and service design.”
2023 participant
How you can join
Expressions of interest are now open. Fill in the form to start your journey with the Social Design Academy.
If you have any questions on the program, please let us know. We can have a chat with you to help you think about the type of projects best suited to bring to SoDA, as well as how to form a team within or across organisations. For any questions, contact designacademy@thirdstory.org
