Students Leading Change

So we are about 6 weeks away from hosting a regional GIN conference here at Academia Cotopaxi, and it’s exciting to think about the opportunity that we have to inspire our students around the planet’s most important issues. We’ve been trying hard of late to build and grow a culture around the idea of service, and to empower our students to think of themselves as true agents of change for our local and global community. In an effort to dig deep into this, we’ve created a specific GIN elective class this year for Middle School kids, who are excited to lead some powerful initiatives around several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which we’ve been breaking down over the past couple of weeks in class. The best part about this class for me personally is that I get to co-teach it, and watching the students think critically about their ideas, their projects, and their passions each day leaves me incredibly inspired and hopeful.

The students have already identified a few specific areas of need for our local community, and now they are ready to bring their projects to life. By working through the design thinking process, and by coming up with their own authentic and complex driving questions, and by following their specific passions, each group is truly leading their own learning…and the absolute engagement that I see each and every day is a beautiful thing to be a part of. We have groups that are tackling issues around gender equality, hunger, health and well-being, clean water and sanitation, reduced inequalities, and quality education, and the ideas are coming fast and furious. These groups are a multi-grade level mix, which provides so many opportunities for collaboration around student passions, and mentorship/leadership opportunities for all of the kids regardless of age.

Last week we had our students prioritize the 17 UN goals, and the conversations and debates around which goal should be the world’s top priority was fascinating…kids lobbying to end poverty and hunger as the best first step, only to be challenged by other kids who were adamant that climate action and reduced inequalities were the way to go. I just sat back and listened to the rich and thoughtful conversations, and marveled at the level of maturity and higher level thinking that our middle school kids were producing…it felt like a high school theory of knowledge class honestly, and I just kept thinking that this is student learning at it’s finest.

The kids are now in the beginning stages of identifying teacher mentors, and community experts, and field trips, and solutions to their driving questions. One group has already begun work with our language center to bring Quito’s first true lending library to life, and the incredible change that these kids will help inspire with regards to literacy in our local community will be immeasurable…and that’s just one of the projects! Anyway, as we draw closer to the conference date, I want to ask you all to think of ways to help build a culture of service and action in all of our students. How can your individual classes contribute to this cause, and how can you help lead? Our student leaders will be coming around shortly looking for ways to bring you all authentically into the conference conversation in one way or another, so start thinking about how you can use this opportunity to empower your beautiful kids. Have a fantastic week everyone and remember to be great for our students and good to each other.

Quote of the Week…

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children – Native American Proverb

Articles/Websites –

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160327-wilson-half-planet-conservation-climate-change-extinction-ngbooktalk/

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/green-living/planet-friendly-tips/home-1

http://wwf.panda.org/how_you_can_help/campaign/plant_seed/

http://www.savingtheplanet.tv/

http://www.exploringabroad.com/travel-resources/environmental-organizations

The Lorax – The Last Tree Falls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh31x2VICgc

Interesting Videos –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHnIJeE3LAI