DD Academy is a free, year-long leadership and self-development program for university students in Tartu and Riga. We help young people become the best versions of themselves and learn the skills for developing society.
How does it work?
9 real-life challenges
Challenges are activities that pull you out of your comfort zone, test you and give you practical experiences. Everything else in our program is meant for preparing you for these challenges.
Online learning with 4 courses
The program consists of four courses, that take place throughout the year and which all participants go through. Before the weekends there are preparatory activities in the form of videos, texts and tasks.
12 weekends of interactive sessions
The program runs from October to May, every other weekend. Each weekend consists of several different interactive sessions of all four courses with discussion and exercises.
Get notified first when the applications open!
Why DD Academy?
You don't know exactly what to do with life, but you have a hunch that it should be something important? Something that will be remembered and that makes life better for other people? Then you're in the right place!
DD Academy is meant for people like that - who would want to change the world, but don't yet know how to do it. This is what you'll learn in DD Academy - how to bring about real positive change in the society.
We have created our program by combining the best interactive training methods from around the world - instead of lectures we have practical exercises, projects, debating, group work etc.
This is why we can promise you that by the end of the program, you will have changed - into a more confident, charismatic, organised, knowledgeable and more capable person!
Our principles:
PRACTICE
We truly believe in learning by doing.
STRENGHTS
We focus on improving the talents you already have.
COMMUNITY
Here you'll find the coolest friends and companions for life.
PURPOSE
Find your aim and work towards it.
Our 4 courses
Each of the four courses runs throughout the year and supports achieving the nine challenges.
DEVELOPING YOURSELF
It is not possible to change anything in the world without understanding yourself. Because of that we are focusing on self-awareness and self development throughout the program.
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
To change the world we also need to understand it. What are the roots of the problem, who does it impact and what would be the most impactful action to take.
CHANGING THE WORLD
The largest course in our program develops skills needed for changing things in the society: communication, public speaking, teamwork and leadership.
DEVELOPING DEMOCRACY
Lastly we need to know to what direction we are changing the world, so we need a goal. We stand for a democratic society and try to protect the world from the tribal attraction.
Who is it for?
Want to change the world?
Study in a university in Tartu or Riga?
Ready to make a big effort?
Have an interest in how the society works?
18-28 years of age?
Want to change the world?
Study in a university in Tartu or Riga
Ready to make a big effort​
Have an interest in how the society works​
18-28 years of age​
Alumni testimonials
For me and probably for other participants DD Academy was like second home, which endlessly supported and encouraged, while still offering enough challenges. It motivated me to overcome my fears, try new things and face uncomfortable subjects.
Diana
Alumna
In a world where there are thousands of programs and learning opportunities to develop yourself, it is a rarity to see a program that really motivates participants to take up hard challenges. It also changed my own understanding of what I can do and how to get started.
Joonas
Alumnus
Tartu, Estonia
Riga, Latvia
Vilnius, Lithuania
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Our friends and supporters
Let's get started
In case of any questions about the program, be sure to check the FAQ section and if no answer is found, contact us directly.