Continuing its focus on improving the communities in which the company operates, Las Vegas Sands announced a partnership with education nonprofit Nevada Succeeds for the establishment of the InspirED Global Fellowship. Sands is funding the first cohort of the Fellowship, being in the unique position to connect two of the regions in which the company operates – Las Vegas and Singapore. The Fellowship will lead Nevada teachers and administrators through an eight-month program of study ultimately designed to cultivate new ways of thinking in the Nevada school system. As a springboard for developing long-term education solutions that can be rapidly put into practice, the Fellowship includes a 10-day community immersion in Singapore, internationally recognized as a standard-bearer in education. While there, participants will study the successes and unique attributes of the region to draw inspiration for their own work.

“This is a new way of approaching improving education in Nevada, and Sands is providing the catalyst that will enable the first cohort of the Fellowship to dive deeply into the issue and develop real solutions,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications at Sands. “One of our core tenants of corporate responsibility is to improve the communities in which we live and do business. With the InspirED Global Fellowship, we’re bringing two of our business regions together to tackle an issue that is important to us: ensuring our young people have access to high-quality education, to give them the best opportunity for success in life.”

The Fellowship is built around a unique design-thinking framework, wherein participants will carefully and collaboratively work to help design the next iteration of public education in Nevada. Focusing on viewing local education through a global lens, the program will see Fellows engaged in applied, hands-on research and document their findings in a white paper and thesis presentation at a community showcase alongside statewide education stakeholders. In alignment with the work of Nevada Succeeds as a policy organization, the fellows will not only explore potential areas of improvement for the Nevada school system, but will draw on their experiences in Singapore and through the program as a whole to collectively advise on policy initiatives for the 2021 Nevada legislative session.

“The design-thinking framework is a creative, rapid approach to problem solving,” said Jeanine Collins, executive director of Nevada Succeeds. “It is intentionally collaborative and focuses on action. The framework keeps us conscious of who we are designing for, and ensures we take those complexities into account when working for real, long-term change. With Sands’ partnership, we’re looking at new ways of operating, now and into the future.”