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
follow
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
us
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