ReImagining Education To Create An Impact In The World

[Music]

now i want you to think about the

following questions with the intention

to answer

freely what kind of education

do you see as worthwhile to provide and

to have

what if we fostered unity in inclusive

and comfortable environments for young

people that allows us

to show up as our best selves

what if the current schooling and wider

education system was a positive vehicle

in recognizing your unique contribution

to the world

now young people and education are at

the heart of tackling both local and

global issues now the questions are

presented are linked to three

key pillars that i believe are essential

to transforming our approach to young

people

that can and should be implemented in

the education system

personal transformation unity and

service

now i became obsessed with personal

transformation a few years ago when i

realized that system change starts with

one individual with one big idea however

to change systems externally we have to

change our own

mindsets internally and the first

key aspect is understanding that we

should not define ourselves but based on

society’s ideals

and expectations now not only is this

dangerous because it translates into our

reality

it is harmful because it affects our

principles core values

habits and choices we make and

ultimately the impacts that we can have

on the world now what if these false

limiting beliefs

in our minds were exposed what if we

were taught to live beyond society’s

ideals

what if we pursued ideas once labelled

as childish

impractical and or unrealistic now

amidst the uncertainty and unrest this

past year

our limiting beliefs have indeed been

exposed

when so many things are changing and

challenging around us we naturally tend

to gravitate

towards our limiting beliefs because

they present that false sense of safety

and security

i don’t have the ability i don’t have

the experience

i’m just not good enough by identifying

the limiting beliefs we hold and

reflecting on how that belief

has revealed itself in decisions we make

and connections we pursue you can then

change

your own beliefs to align with what you

truly

want now the second aspect is not being

afraid

to selectively choose certain rules to

and also not using somebody else’s

blueprint as a measure for your success

now success is relative to each and

every one of us

success is not quantifiable only by an

individual’s distinct set of values

ambitions and dreams now rules are

designed to keep both you and i

safe but isn’t that what our brains keep

score off

now let me give you an example if i

accidentally touch a hot pan my hand

will retract its stimulus and response

if i now stand on the edge of this stage

i will move back

why because i might hurt myself because

i might

fall now your brain is designed to keep

you safe and not necessarily rules

and oftentimes what we’ll find is the

thing that we are scared of is the thing

we really really want to pursue

but take no action in doing so because

we allow our fear

to overtake our courage and faith now

faith is a living

and daring confidence that exercises our

resilience

and our imagination pushing us towards

our discomfort zone

because it enables us to thrive

and the third key aspect is shifting the

focus from outcome

to identity now the education system

usually only focuses on the final final

outcome and disregards our own shifting

on complex identities

in atomic habits by james clear he says

you do not rise to the level of your

goals

you fall to the level of your systems

now this really really struck me

because all this time as students we are

expected to achieve

a certain benchmark teachers are

expected to hit certain targets and so

this great

deal of pressure and toxic competition

is unhealthy for everybody involved and

we start to look

for external sources of affirmation

instead

of starting with the most powerful

source ourselves

now most mornings i will wake up just

like everyone else

and write a to-do list and a to b list

i’ll affirm who i want to be shifting

the focus from outcome to identity

i want to be complete the sentence with

me i want to be

confident i want to be connected

i want to be healthy it keeps you

grounded in your core values gift and

personal mission

because if we are grounded we can grow

now the second pillar is unity unity is

thinking and acting in ways that unites

to ourselves

to others and to all of life itself

is collectively operating from a place

of care in an increasingly polarized

world

and the first aspect is that we need

effective collaboration in schools

institutions organizations and services

in which our ideas

are not taken as tokenistic but rather

directly embedded

within policy making because please

don’t claim to be collaborative

if only one side truly benefits

now we need to be consulted on what to

learn how to learn what is important to

and then have the space in order to do

this whether that’s young people

leading classes and lessons doing

project-based learning instead of

studying subjects with a weak link to a

distance subject every now

and then to check off a box

a multi-disciplinary approach to

learning is not a want

it is a need it is a must in today’s

society

so that we are equipped to tackle issues

in a multi-layered and structural way

but young people educators policy makers

visionaries

artists leaders and everybody else we

need to be united

to achieve this now the second aspect

is that a sharp decline in our cultural

art spaces

youth organizations libraries open parks

green areas and leisure

centres directly correlates to a sharp

decline in social and civic imagination

now we need to cultivate the public

spaces that bridge

people from all walks of life because no

two experiences

are ever the same no matter how alike

they may seem

is appreciating the nuances in people’s

stories ideas

cultures and histories in a safe

inclusive and comfortable environment

there is so much work being done about

this already especially

in this diverse and multicultural young

city in birmingham but we also need to

engage young people in this too

by listening to them not by listening to

each other to respond but deeply

listening

to understand before formulating our

responses now storytelling and poetry is

a way

that i do this that fosters the human

connection

whilst also being an inviting and

powerful source for discussion

and direct change and yet we push this

to a side instead of focusing on the

skills of oracy

and performance now the third aspect

within unity

is that authentic communities can only

be cultivated

with accountability real long-term

commitment

and a sincere desire to act build and

create change

now this means acknowledging how power

and privilege plays a

crucial role in sidelining marginalized

and underrepresented communities

especially

family families that live in low

socioeconomic areas

and communities of color especially when

talking about decolonizing the education

system

now funding and resources are

disproportionately distributed

and oftentimes government and

organizations and services that are

intended to serve and protect us

often propagate the structures that

indicate certain voices in certain lives

are valued more than others now unity

is to elevate human consciousness is to

work and change the environment that has

imposed the silence in the first place

for us to then all live in a society in

which all voices

no matter what medium they are presented

in are valued

and respected now the third and final

pillar

is service as a youth advocate i often

get asked the question why

why go through the effort and i admit i

admit

that is long hard and sometimes

stressful but through personal growth

which is life changing

and is lifelong work and uniting with

other

people aligned with the same principles

and core values as i am

i really understand that it is not

enough to hope for a better society and

a better world

we need to be committed to working

towards one

by setting up alternative and

sustainable small scale models of

education

we can imagine explore experiment

innovate and actually work towards

quantifiable and tangible

change structural change without human

connection and image

imagination will not be enforced and

effective

but vice versa human connection without

legislation and a clear

focus on implementation does little to

contribute to the reality

of everybody’s daily lives now i’ve

increased in confidence and i’ve had the

opportunity to gain a different

perspective

and shift the way of my thinking

creating a greater sense of community

now it’s not that young people don’t

want to become involved in taking action

but because we don’t believe in our

unique contribution to the world and are

unsure of ways to get involved

thus limiting our possibilities and

narrowing our world

view now we all exist and live within

these intricate

fabrics of our society so neutrality is

not often afforded

to people who look like me now in a

resurgence of student-led movements

across the city the country and

indeed the world it occurred to me that

most problems

say the world’s largest humanitarian

crisis in yemen right now

that places profit over the lives of

yemeni people a whole genocide in china

with the ethnic cleansing

of the oiko muslims the racial

inequality systemic racism islamophobia

and much more are all issues that have

stemmed from the decisions that adults

have made

and are being upheld by the structures

that they govern

so i think it’s time for young people to

rightfully step up

and dare to dream and act in creating a

better world starting off with a

transformative

education system now let’s imagine if

this was implemented

we would be confident at one with

ourselves and others

and with all of life we’d be taught

political literacy

how to critically think because in the

words of martin luther king jr

we can derive fact from fiction with

education

we would understand the power of

storytelling to shape our narratives

climate education to create a

sustainable world and

hold and have rich and meaningful

discussions and conversations

we would possess the project management

skills to take an idea

and then execute it we would be

financially competent

and abundance mentality would would

envelope that there is plenty

enough for everyone else we would

understand how to look after

our mental well-being so much more our

local areas would be places of refuge

and not

just of residents so i urge you to join

me today

because now is the time to grow

resilience

now is the time to re-evaluate now is

the time to redesign

re-imagine re-envision reorganize

repurpose

reflect reclaim and remember that we as

individuals are far

far more impactful when we give

ourselves the permission to seek and

imagine a renewed sense of possibility

for our communities in which we develop

into active

citizens instead of onlookers with a

limitless potential

to redefine our lives on our terms

thank you

you