We live in a time of unprecedented change and challenges. Resolving these challenges will require new ways of understanding and thinking, and enormous human resilience. In terms of how these challenges are resolved, the stakes are highest for the children and young people of today, as they will inherit tomorrow’s problems. But their voice is often absent from the decision-making processes that will affect their future. It is critical that children and young people have a voice that is heard and included when it comes to issues that impact their future, such as climate change, geopolitics, technology development, violence, mental health and gender inequality, especially as we rebuild coming out of the pandemic.
In the face of such significant challenges, it is easy to become overwhelmed, to lose hope, and to lose a sense of personal agency (a sense of empowerment and self-belief). For many of us, including children and young people, this has been exacerbated by the impacts of the pandemic. According to recent research, “social isolation, disruption to education and constant exposure to news and social media about the pandemic left many children and young people feeling fearful and uncertain for their future”.
Schools must make a concerted effort to change this. Children and young people need the ability to be resilient in the face of change and uncertainty. They need to be supported to find hope for a better future, and to be empowered to make a difference.
Schools can build hope by helping children and young people to:
imagine a future that is better than today, creating a positive image of the future
set goals about what they want to change
identify multiple pathways to get there
build personal agency – empowerment and self-belief. Schools can develop student voice so that students have the power to influence change and to create the future they want. Their voice needs to be meaningfully included in decision-making processes
take action today to create the future they want – schools can support students to understand how they can take action today to effect the change they want to see in the world. They can create compelling opportunities to act on student voice or agency.
schoolED can help your school to build hope and agency in your students and school community through a range of webinars, professional development days, and consulting services.
Formats
1-hour webinars – content driven but with focus on group conversation. Possible topics include:
Building hope and agency in your students
What is futures thinking
Including young voices in decision-making processes
Half-day in-person workshops – content driven but with focus on group conversation. Possible topics include:
Building hope and agency in your students
What is futures thinking
Including young voices in decision-making processes
Professional development days
Explore futures thinking
Explore the 5 steps to building hope (positive images of the future, goals, pathways, agency, and action) and learn practical strategeis
Teaching futures thinking skills to students
2 x 1-hour online follow-up sessions to check in on progress, problem-solve, refocus (as life gets busy when you get back to work!)
Coaching
For principals and assistant principals
Embedding futures thinking in daily practice and teaching
Consulting
Introducing futures thinking in your school
Running futures processes with students to help them think about future possibilities
Collaborating with local government to include meaningful student voice in council strategic plans
