Design with purpose

At the center is a clearly structured curriculum that follows real world design requirements while remaining flexible enough to adapt to different levels of experience, interests and contexts. Instead of offering broad general training, the program builds a strong foundation in design and allows for focused specializations in areas that are relevant to professional work. The content connects theory with hands-on practice, supports independent thinking and leads directly into paid work. The curriculum is continuously developed with input from experienced professionals as well as teachers and students from German universities. It remains open to feedback and new needs from participants who help shape the process themselves.

The program is fully digital. Learning is modular and combines different formats including video lessons, personal conversations, support materials, practical exercises, discussions, group projects and individual mentoring. The campus is not just a course catalog but an active platform where learning, exchange and growth take place continuously. The environment supports both collaboration and focused individual work.

Learning English is also an essential part of the program. Not as an end in itself but as a tool for independence. It helps participants find learning resources on their own, access global work opportunities, work independently and feel confident in international settings.

A key part of the program is financial support during training. Participants receive an income that allows them to fully focus on learning. This income is not symbolic. It is based on real needs. It is provided regardless of background, gender or age. Selection is anonymous and based on motivation, reliability and willingness to learn. The decision to accept someone is made through practical tasks, not resumes or formal degrees.

Some graduates are invited to join the uprella design team and work under fair conditions on a variety of design projects. These projects often come from economically stronger regions and are carried out by people living in regions with lower income levels. The model makes use of differences in cost of living to pay fair wages while generating a surplus. That surplus flows back into the program and is used to create new paid training spots, provide equipment, ensure internet access and supply relevant learning materials and other resources. This creates a cycle that is built to last and grow with each new generation.

The uprella campus is a space built on values. It makes the political, economic and cultural conditions visible under which education happens today. This includes exclusion through language, racism, classism, ableism, bureaucratic barriers and global power structures. The people shaping the campus name these realities but do not get stuck in them. Instead, they create concrete alternatives. They focus on collaboration, clarity and constant development.

The program is structured to run independently. It is not tied to individuals or institutions. It is based on transparent processes, clear communication, stable digital tools and repeatable routines. Everything is built so that others can take over, continue or adapt the program without having to start from scratch.

The uprella campus is not a solution to every problem. But it is a tool that helps people stay capable of action under difficult conditions. It creates spaces where learning, working, reflection and discussion can happen. And it grows with the people who use it.

With uprella and especially with the uprella campus we do not claim to improve the lives of every single person in the world. Instead, we focus on making a real difference in specific lives and creating real opportunities where there were none before. For many we have already succeeded. Our task now is to open that path for more and more people.