From global hunger to climate control issues, there are a myriad of societal issues that plague us as a people. What if practical solutions to these problems could be solved in a matter of months?

“Solving Public Problems” is a 12- week course focused on changing the way we lead and govern people. It’s an extension of a course taught by Beth Simone Noveck at New York University. The course represents a push towards making information more public and accessible to the masses. The course hones in on specific problems that are faced by fragmented populations of people, and gradually zooms out on larger, macro problems we all face. School programs that focus on entrepreneurship often look at analyzing data, leadership and organizational planning. This course offers a chance to learn these skills and apply it in a humanitarian manner. Being able to solve the problems that people of today face is vital to building a sustainable for-profit or non-profit idea.

“It’s not enough to have passion,” she says. “Passion is great and it’s the ultimate driver, but how do I actually get something done? How do I take something from idea to implementation?” The shift is shown from people demanding change to becoming the catalysts to be the change they wish to see.

The course is meant to decommercialize the skills necessary to be a changemaker. And the course is realistic too. Even though you may not solve these large, macro problems, you shouldn’t feel discouraged in the fact that you can make a difference.

The course is meant to help participants narrow down the issues facing the world in the process and hone in on doing their part to help. “By encouraging people and supporting them to be able to figure out something they can do, even if it’s in their own backyard, that can make a real difference,” says Noveck.

You can join the course at solvingpublicproblems.org.