Programs & Services

Tackle complex, real-world challenges working alongside expert practitioners in the community. Use your skills to make changes for the social and environmental issues that matter most to you.

The PKG Center can help you build a better world while you’re at MIT, with public service programs and projects in Greater Boston, across the US, and around the world.

We offer programs that:

  • Fit your schedule (most take place over IAP, summer, or spring break)
  • Won’t break the bank (all PKG programs are free for MIT students and some even provide stipends or grants)
  • Are meaningful to you and to the community

Check out our programs below, and stop by our office (on the 5th floor of W20) to chat with our friendly PKG staff!

Active Community Engagement (ACE):  Kick off your MIT education with a week-long, social justice-focused introduction to greater Boston. Spend your days exploring your new community and your evenings making friends with fellow first-years.

Get Good Stuff Done: Prepare yourself for success in your service and social change work with this series of practical, skills-based workshops. Participating MIT partners include: MISTI, D-Lab, Sandbox, SAO, Legatum, Trust Center, and more!

IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge: Join or form a team and apply for grants from $1,000 to $20,000 for your social innovation or venture! Fine-tune your idea with targeted feedback and coaching from industry experts.

PKG Connect: Travel with a small group of MIT students to Navajo Nation and spend the week meeting with community members and nonprofit organizations to learn about important social and technical issues on the Reservation.

PKG Fellowships: Spend your summer or IAP doing immersive social change, globally or locally. Funding can support student-developed projects and community-engaged research, non-profit or public sector internships, and more.

PKG IAP: Healthcare: Get real-world experience in the healthcare sector working full-time at Boston Medical Center. Support staff research, create resources for patients and families, and participate in staff meetings and grand rounds.

PKG Spring Break: Join a small team of MIT students to explore important social and environmental problems like climate change. Learn from expert professionals, take fun field trips, and get hands-on experience.

Community-Informed Field Immersion (CIFI): Join a team of MIT interns working full-time, on-site, with community partners like COPE in Gallup, NM, to address issues like healthcare and food access in the Dine community of the Navajo Nation.

Social Impact Internships and Employment: Explore modes of social change, apply your studies to “real-world” challenges, and strengthen your network and resume through jobs and paid internships while working at a nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or social enterprises.

You can also download our one-pager to see all of our programs at a glance:

Photo: PKG Programs and Services