Our Mission
Our program recruits student leaders across the world’s best universities to investigate inventive, local solutions to pressing global challenges.
Reach Alliance Program Components:
1. Faculty Mentorship and Research Process
Once recruited, students are mentored for 12-18 months by dedicated faculty mentors as they undertake their research.
Over the course of the academic year, the Reach Alliance teams conduct in-depth literature reviews and secondary research on the intervention. Reach researchers complete their own research ethics protocols and get required approval from necessary ethics boards. Student teams then prepare and complete primary research, conducting interviews with key stakeholders involved in local project implementation.
2. Performance Coaching
Teamwork underpins success at the Reach Alliance. Throughout the year, each team receives professional performance coaching from a qualified Coach & Culture Strategist. The professional performance coaching program ensures that each researcher can contribute unique knowledge, skills and experience in the context of interdisciplinary teams to drive high performance.
3. Professional Skills Development
Student research is complemented by an exclusive comprehensive skills development series to advance their professional and research skills development that is delivered by field experts including: Reach faculty mentors, alumni, and private sector experts.
4. Actionable Insights
Once teams complete primary research, teams produce a case study report, highlighting the findings from each project. The findings are published in journals, shared with practitioners and policymakers, and presented at the annual Reach Conference. Research findings have been published in prestigious journals, including the Bulletin of the WHO, the BMJ Global Health and Health Systems and Reform, and been covered in local media outlets such as the Globe & Mail. A full list of publications is found on the Reach Alliance website.
5. Reach Alliance Global Network
Not only does the Reach Alliance produce world-class research, it also cultivates an alumni network of global problem-solvers and purpose-driven leaders. Through Reach’s interdisciplinary network, researchers and alumni are connected to a global insight community that is committed to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
An ideal candidate will have the following qualities:
Ability to Prioritize: Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and has dedicated time in their schedule to fulfill responsibilities and produce deliverables on time.
Global Citizenship: Desire to build awareness about some of the world’s hardest to reach populations and passionate about playing an active role in building a more equitable and sustainable global community. A genuine interest in sustainable development and desire to contribute to advancing the SDGs in local community and beyond.
Team Player/Collaborator: Possesses strong interpersonal emotional intelligence (empathy, cooperation, negotiation, leadership and social awareness) to be able to build cooperative relationships with team members to achieve goals.
Effective Communicator: Can clearly articulate ideas and thoughts to different audiences and through various mediums of communication.
Creative & Strategic Thinker: Proven ability to handle complex tasks and questions, think creatively and leverage networks and systems of knowledge in search for new ideas and different approaches.
Lifelong Learner: Committed to learning and growing both professionally and personally. Willing and able to learn and acquire new skills quickly and effectively. Open to new experiences.
Action-Oriented: Driven to excel and shows commitment to meet both individual and team level responsibilities. Able to proactively initiate necessary actions, processes and contingencies.
