THIRD SPACE ACADEMY
What does ‘Third Space’ mean?
The first space is where we begin: home.
The second is where formal learning happens: school, university or professional education.
We use third space to describe what comes between learning and real life, namely informal learning. It is a space to experiment, make decisions, receive feedback and practice becoming the person a new situation requires.
The Third Space is where knowledge becomes behavior.
About Third Space Academy
Third Space Academy is an experiential learning academy for young people, professionals and institutions.
We design structured environments where participants can practice important human capabilities before they need to perform them in the real world.
Our programs explore the transitions that formal education does not always prepare us for: entering work, stepping into leadership, communicating under pressure and adapting when familiar approaches no longer work.
We combine rigorous learning design with human development, creating experiences that are challenging, thoughtful and genuinely enjoyable.
Our Approach
People rarely change because they received more information. Change becomes possible when they experience something, recognize their patterns and practice a different response.
Our approach is informed by learning science and principles of neuroplasticity: the brain continues to adapt through focused attention, experience and repeated practice.
We translate those principles into four stages:
EXPERIENCE
Participants enter a simulation, challenge or unfamiliar situation before receiving all the answers.
1
NOTICE
Reflection and feedback help them recognize how they think, communicate and respond, especially under pressure or uncertainty.
2
REHEARSE
Participants try different behaviors through repetition, improv, role play and guided practice.
3
APPLY
Each experience connects to a real decision, conversation, professional challenge or next step beyond the program.
4
Our methods include simulations, improv, personal narrative, peer feedback, reflection and practical experimentation.
The result is learning that participants can use, not simply remember.
Our Offerings
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From education to real-world readiness
An experiential employability program for university students and recent graduates.
Participants strengthen their professional communication, career judgment and confidence through simulations, practice and exposure to the realities of work.
Areas of focus may include:
Self-awareness and professional identity
Communication and presence
Structured problem-solving
AI and human judgment
CVs, interviews and strategic outreach
Career exposure and workplace expectations
Available as an intensive bootcamp, semester program or customized university experience.
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Leadership cannot be learned from the sidelines
An active leadership lab for emerging leaders, professionals and teams.
Participants explore how they listen, influence, make decisions and respond when the situation becomes uncertain. Simulations and improv create a serious learning experience without making it stiff or predictable.
Areas of focus may include:
• Leadership presence
• Strategic empathy
• Listening and difficult conversations
• Decision-making under pressure
• Personal narrative
• Adaptability and collaborationAvailable as workshops, leadership labs or multi-session programs..
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Designed around a real human challenge
We work with schools, universities, companies and public organisations to design experiential programs around the capabilities their people need.
A learning lab may address student transition, communication, leadership, AI readiness, collaboration or another defined challenge.
Each lab combines relevant concepts with simulations, practice, reflection and feedback. The experience is built for the participants and their context rather than selected from a generic training catalogue.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS LEAVE WITH
Depending on the program, participants leave with:
Greater awareness of how they communicate and respond
More confidence navigating unfamiliar situations
Practical experience through simulations and rehearsal
Stronger judgment under pressure
Useful feedback and clear areas for development
Specific actions they can apply beyond the program
Who We Work With
We partner with:
Schools preparing students for life beyond the classroom
Universities strengthening employability and student development
Organizations developing emerging leaders and teams
Public and development partners investing in youth capabilities
Programs can be delivered as focused workshops, intensive labs, bootcamps or longer learning journeys.
Meet the Founder and Learning Designer
Haneen Abdo
Third Space Academy was founded by Haneen Abdo, an education strategist, facilitator and learning designer with more than a decade of experience across higher education, government and international organizations.
Haneen holds an Ed.M. from Harvard University. Her work spans employability, leadership development, education strategy and AI-enabled learning across the Middle East and Africa.
Haneen worked as a leadership workshop facilitator and coach for students from the government and various private sector industries at Harvard University. She also worked with out on “Unlearning” and led workshops on empathy and narrative building.
Haneen took part of various improv and experiential learning programs with Harvard Crimson, Podcast School in Berlin and The University of Amsterdam,
Third Space Academy brings these fields together around one conviction: people need spaces where they can practice for the moments that matter.
LET’S CREATE A THIRD SPACE
For your students, emerging leaders or organization.
Experience behind the Academy
Haneen’s previous professional and project experience includes:
Our Team
Rana El Kahwagy
Rana El Kahwagy is holds a J.D./Ph.D. from Harvard Law School. She is an improv instructor and facilitator who has studied and taught improvisation in Switzerland, the United States, Egypt and Jordan. She brings improv into learning environments to strengthen presence, adaptability, communication and confidence. Alongside her facilitation work, Rana is an international lawyer and educator.
She speaks Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.
Facilitator 
Youth Development and Wellbeing AdvisorLaila Soudi
Laila Soudi, MS, is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the MENA Health Program at Stanford Medicine, where her work focuses on refugee health, mental health and underserved communities across the region.
She previously worked as a US Strategy Consultant with Crimson Education, advising students on competitive university admissions. Laila holds a BA in Psychology with a neuroscience emphasis from UC Berkeley and an MS in Global Health Sciences from UC San Francisco.
Visiting Faculty & Guest Voices
We collaborate with practitioners and guest experts across leadership, career development, wellbeing, consulting, entrepreneurship and learning science. Contributors are selected for each program according to its participants and purpose.