Teaching the SHIC Program

The SHIC program can be run by students or teachers in classes, lectures, or student clubs.

By inspiring students to consider the most effective ways to make a difference in their lives, you could have a really huge impact on them and on the world.

Check out the SHIC Student Blog to read the thoughts and experiences of some students that have run the SHIC program in their school. 

Getting started

1. Learn the basics of high-impact charity

Read through an introduction to high-impact charity to learn the fundamental goals of the SHIC program

2. Work out who you are going to run the program with

The SHIC program is designed for students aged 16-21 who are interested in making the world a better place, but it has been run with older adults and students as young as 11.

In school classes and university lectures: 

The SHIC program is a fantastic complement to classes like Social Studies, Global Citizenship, Social Responsibility, Philosophy, and Theory of Knowledge, and the Math version is ideal for Math, Science and Economics. 

Career and guidance counselors may find it useful to introduce students to certain levels of the program—in particular the High-Impact Careers level in the Full SHIC Program—which explores students’ preconceptions about helping careers, and looks at the evidence on how to choose a satisfying, high-impact career.

Student engagement can be enhanced by letting students do the teaching. The SHIC program is straightforward to use, so there are ample opportunities for you to let students run the class. Some SHIC classes have presented the materials to their peers in assemblies and meetings.

In clubs:

SHIC program can be incorporated seamlessly into many school and university clubs. The curriculum can serve as the foundation for a new effective altruism club or can be an interesting addition to existing charity or philosophy oriented student groups. Introducing an analytical approach to charity will help students refine club activities such as fundraising to generate a significantly greater impact. More details on how to do this can be found in our student leader guide.

3. Check out the SHIC Programs

There are four different versions of the SHIC program. Check them out to see which version suits your group. 

4. Get in touch with SHIC staff

Please email us with any questions you might have, or to request a skype call to talk through any aspect of running the programs. We are always happy to help!

Get in touch with Catherine Low by emailing catherine@highimpactstudents.org. 

Testimonials from Student Leaders

SHIC gave me an actionable roadmap of how to use my life to help others. It was amazing to help my friends find that sense of direction through the lively discussions sparked by the SHIC curriculum.
Rebecca Baron
SHIC student leader, US
SHIC has a fantastic curriculum focused on helping others that's totally unique. While other groups focus their efforts with solutions already in mind, SHIC challenges students to think about what coming with solutions in the first place might look like.
Owen Shen
SHIC student leader, US

Testimonials from Teachers

The levels immediately capture the attention and interest of the students. The topics come across as both unusual in a school context and extremely relevant and contemporary. The varied use of teacher exposition, classroom debate and videos makes the levels lively and entertaining as well as informative.
Roland Reichart
SHIC teacher, Austria
The SHIC program worked perfectly as the basis for an after-school club with my sixth-form students (16-18). The topics provoked some interesting discussion and pupils were keen to return session after session. The resources are very comprehensive and self-explanatory, yet still easy to modify to suit your needs!
James Harris
SHIC Teacher, UK