Students engage in various activities to discover their purpose and pursue a purpose-driven life. They begin by first developing an understanding of what purpose is, which nXu defines as the guiding intention at the intersection of their strengths, interests, and what the world needs. Students also explore the positive outcomes associated with a strong sense of purpose, like engagement in school and more satisfying relationships. Understanding these benefits supports students in internalizing the importance of purpose and committing to the work. Students set goals around their purpose work and reflect on where they are on their individual journey. 

Example Activity: To begin to uncover their purpose, students engage in peer interviews and then search for common themes across those interviews. They then use their findings to write an initial draft of their purpose statement, using a template.

In order to discover their purpose, students must uncover their identity. Students learn about and reflect on different aspects of their identity to emerge with a strong sense of self. Students reflect on memorable life experiences and how they impacted who they are today. They also learn about the intersections of identity and engage in discussions around how their intersecting identity shapes their experiences in the world. With each exploration, students learn to own and celebrate their identity. 

Example Activity: Students begin to uncover their identity by crafting their life story. They learn the power of storytelling in sharing one’s identity and how narratives also shape how they see themselves and their future. Students complete a life timeline with memorable moments and their impact to craft their story. They then share (parts) of their life story with their peers; by so doing, they practice supportive listening, vulnerability, and empathy. Sample Lesson

Opportunities for social-emotional development are integrated throughout the model. Every nXu lesson ends with Celebrate—an activity defined by gratitude and affirmation that builds an asset-based mindset. Students also often work together with a partner or in groups, giving them opportunities to build critical skills like collaboration. nXu also explicitly teaches social-emotional competencies like self-awareness (see example below). Additionally, students learn practices to support their well-being, like mindfulness and meditation, which helps them understand that self-care is critical in order to live one’s purpose and change the world. 

Example Activity: Students build self-awareness by learning to identify their emotions and recognizing how different experiences shape their feelings and behaviors. Students learn to break down their emotions by identifying the physiological responses to certain experiences and learning to self-regulate.

Students explore different careers to build awareness of the postsecondary landscape. Students engage in in-depth research to learn about fields and professions that interest them. Students also leverage visualization as a way to gain clarity about what their future in a particular field will look like. They practice setting goals around future careers and taking action toward short- and long-term goals.

Example Activity: Students begin to map out a vision for the different stages of their life, understanding that having a vision and purpose can help anchor them to navigate whatever uncertainty comes their way. Students create a Seasons of Life Map and prioritize where they will focus their energies at different periods of their life. They also create a Future Timeline that reflects key milestones they aim to achieve to live out their vision in the next two seasons of their life, creating specific actions for the next month to 10 years.

Opportunities for relationship building and social capital development are embedded throughout the model. To build relationships, every nXu lesson begins with Connect—a ritual where students respond to a series of prompts that allow students to form and sustain relationships and practice vulnerability. nXu also has lessons that aim to explore what social capital is and support students in both recognizing the network they have and building the skills and knowledge needed to continue to expand their network. 

Example Activity: Through a network mapping project focused on social capital development, students take stock of their personal and professional connections and organize them into relationship groups using categories like family/family acquaintances, peers/near peers, employment/service/internships, and more. Students create a networking map by placing themselves in the center of the map and then drawing lines of connection to community members, taking note of those with whom they have strong ties. They then examine their network through different lenses like size, structure, diversity, and strength, to help them understand that while there is no “right” community, the best network is the one that will support them in meeting their life goals and adds value to their community.