Where ambitious African diaspora youth become global leaders.
Twelve is a six-week experience where ambitious high-school students explore identity and ideas, learn from extraordinary people, build with ambitious peers, and turn what they discover into something real.
- 6 weeks
- 2x a week
- Live online
- Optional Washington, D.C. Experience
01 / 12
A global community where the African diaspora’s most ambitious young minds find each other, grow together, and go on to shape the world.
Know more of who you are.
Go deeper into the histories, ideas, achievements and forces that shaped Africa and its diaspora.
See what they can teach you about how you move through the world today.
Know more of who you are. Go further because of it.
See the world with a wider lens.
Explore how history, culture, economics and power shape the world around you.
Ask better questions about what comes next.
See what’s possible through people who have already done it.
Go beyond polished success stories. Ask how people made decisions, what they got wrong, what changed their thinking, and what it actually took to get where they are.
Fireside conversations, small groups and candid Q&A with founders, executives, investors, creatives, university professionals, and African leaders and thinkers.
From the people behind organizations like these.
- Netflix
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- JPMorgan Chase
Organizations shown indicate individual speaker, mentor or guest affiliations and do not imply institutional sponsorship or endorsement.
Hear it from the inside.
Meet people from leading universities and hear directly how they think about students, opportunities, and the paths that can take you there.
- Harvard
- Stanford
- Penn
- Columbia
Admissions professionals, university leaders, faculty, students and alumni. Twelve does not offer or imply admission advantages.
Organizations shown indicate individual speaker, mentor or guest affiliations and do not imply institutional sponsorship or endorsement.
- Founders
- Executives
- Investors
- Creatives
- Top Universities
- African leaders & thinkers
- And ambitious young people like you.
See what’s possible through people who have already done it.
Find people who understand both where you come from and where you want to go.
You’ll debate big ideas, build something together, meet amazing leaders. And you'll probably leave with a group chat that keeps going long after Twelve.
The six weeks end. The relationships don’t have to.
SIX ACTIVE WEEKS.
- Debate something.
- ASK DIFFICULT QUESTIONS
- Interview someone you admire.
- BUILD WITH AMAZING PEOPLE.
- Change your mind.
- Take the mic.
- Present your idea.
- Defend it.
- Laugh.
- Make friends.
Big ideas. Smart people. High energy.
What can you begin changing today?
Choose something about the world you care about. Go beyond the surface. Talk to people. Form a point of view. Then build a response.
- Your school
- Your city
- Technology
- Education
- Culture
- Media
- Health
- Finance
- Policy
- Africa
- The diaspora
- Community
- Design
- Science
- Something else you care about
It doesn’t have to be a startup, a nonprofit or a business.
- 01
Question it
Choose something you think should work differently.
- 02
Investigate it
Research what is really happening. Go beyond assumptions.
- 03
Talk to people
Interview people affected by the issue and people who understand it.
- 04
Take a position
Decide what you believe should change.
- 05
Make something
Create a meaningful response: a prototype, policy proposal, short documentary, research brief, campaign, service concept, data story, design, community experiment, event, media project, technology concept, or another thoughtful artifact.
- 06
Present it
Share the work. Take questions. Defend your thinking.
Put your work in front of people who have built, led and changed things themselves.
At the end of Twelve, students present their work to executives, founders, mentors and leaders connected to organizations such as Netflix, Google, OpenAI and Anthropic.
- You make something.
- You stand behind it.
- You present it.
- Impressive people ask you questions.
- Netflix
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- JPMorgan Chase
Organizations shown indicate individual speaker, mentor or guest affiliations and do not imply institutional sponsorship or endorsement.
Leave with proof of what you can do.
A project.
A presentation.
A point of view that’s yours.
Not a résumé. A polished record of what you thought and made during Twelve.
- 01 · The Twelve Project
- 02 · The question you investigated
- 03 · Key research & insights
- 04 · What you built
- 05 · Your role
- 06 · Final artifact
- 07 · Final presentation
- 08 · Personal reflection
- 09 · Selected feedback
Two in-person days. A different kind of access.
Students choosing the Washington, D.C. Experience can begin and end Twelve together in person, with additional conversations, mentorship and opportunities built into both days.
Meet mentors face-to-face
More time in small-group conversations with the people you’ve been learning from.
Meet founders + executives
Go beyond the stage into smaller conversations.
Meet university admissions professionals
Ask candid questions in person.
The Executive Interview
Prepare for and conduct an interview with a senior executive from a major company. You ask the questions.
Live Twelve Project showcase
Present your project in person to executives, founders, mentors, other accomplished guests and your cohort.
Cohort time
Meals, informal conversations, reflection and celebration. Time actually spent together.
Opening day
Morning → early evening- 01Cohort introductions
- 02Interactive identity + perspective experience
- 03Mentor circles
- 04Founder conversation
- 05University conversation
- 06Executive Interview preparation
- 07Lunch
- 08Small-group conversation
- 09Community time
Closing day
Morning → early evening- 01Final Twelve Project showcase
- 02Presentations to executives, founders + mentors
- 03Direct feedback
- 04The Executive Interview
- 05University or industry conversation
- 06Reflection
- 07Cohort celebration
- 08Shared meal
- 09Closing experience
Same cohort, same program. The virtual experience is complete on its own; D.C. adds two in-person days. Travel and accommodation are not included. Guests vary by cohort.
Long before Stanford, EY or the London Stock Exchange, we were shaped by Togo and Nigeria.
Those roots shaped how we learned, worked, led and contributed in demanding spaces around the world.
We built Twelve so the next generation can go even further, and use who they are as a source of strength in every room they enter.
- STANFORD
- UCLA
- EY
- LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE
- GATES FOUNDATION
- Stanford
- UCLA
- Ernst & Young
- London Stock Exchange
- Gates Foundation
Is Twelve for you?
You do not need to have been born in Africa or have African parents to apply. Twelve welcomes high-school students who are genuinely interested in Africa and the African diaspora.
- You’re curious.
- You care about more than grades.
- You ask questions.
- You want to understand Africa and its diaspora more deeply.
- You want ambitious people around you.
- You want to see more of what is possible.
- You’re willing to contribute.
- You want to make something, not just take notes.
You don’t need a perfect résumé.
You do need curiosity, initiative and openness.
Who’s in the room matters.
We bring together students who are curious, driven, generous with ideas, and serious about what they want to do in the world.
Because this isn’t only about the six weeks. It’s about who you’ll still know years from now.
One program. One cohort.
- Six weeks, two sessions a week
- Identity + perspective sessions
- Mentorship and guest conversations
- Top university conversations
- Community
- The Twelve Project
- Final presentation
- The Twelve Portfolio
- In-person opening day
- In-person closing day
- Additional mentor conversations
- Founder + executive access
- University conversations
- The Executive Interview
- Live project showcase
- Cohort time
Travel and accommodation are not included.
- 01Apply
- 02Review
- 03Interview
- 04Decision
- 05Join your cohort
Know more of who you are.
Enter any room.
Change what happens inside it.