CaSIG

Founded in 2017, CaSIG is a coalition of Cal State LA faculty, students, staff, and community partners who equip students to make positive social change with purpose and creativity, sparking meaningful innovation in their careers and for their communities.

Goals & values

• Interdisciplinary approaches to education, innovation, and social justice that advance creative solutions for Los Angeles communities
• Building soft and hard skills using culturally relevant pedagogy that includes applied researching, creating, and advocating proposals for meaningful change
• Collaboration across sectors to build networks and create academic and career opportunities particularly for first-generation students

What we do

• Civic & Social Innovation Summit: provides over 100 students each semester the opportunity to showcase ideas addressing a range of issues including but not limited to education, environmental justice, recidivism, public financing, racism, sexism, immigration.
• Rooted Innovator Lab: a semester long follow-on course where students work directly with local organizations to develop, fund, and implement an initiative grounded in the theory and history of effective movements for social change.
• Social Impact Career Connector: fills a gap on campus by enabling students to connect in person with social impact organizations, exploring models of change and expanding their network for additional career opportunities.
• Social Innovation Prize: a campus-wide event in which teams of students turn ideas for social change into feasible plans and compete for prize money to help launch real-world ventures and initiatives.
• CaSIG Intern Program: trains undergraduates as peer leaders and advocates for social innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement, both on campus and in the broader Los Angeles region