Solutionary Synergy
Dom Verwey
Service Learning and Changemaker Leadership for a Just, Regenerative, and Community-Based World
We jumped on a call in early April. The Synergy Building regional group of educational practitioners has been meeting consistently since the changemaker wave began to swell in Europe last year. This time, like many of our online gatherings, we are each met with smiles and excitement – there is something profound about finding your tribe in the wide world. These gatherings are our earthing. This time, like most times, we brought our latest happenings and learnings to the conversation, and vitally at this point of the academic year we are looking ahead at all the possibilities that could take shape.
What I see the function of it all being, is that we get to bring our passions and current endeavours to the think tank that is the group, sharing and ideating for student-driven positive change in our region and, hopefully, even beyond. What this all supports is the? common language and understanding amongst us all, ultimately taking that back to the teams and students with whom we collaborate to widen the collective circle of learning.?
We’d like to share our current topics with you. This piece is dedicated to some of the major projects and ideas around them, that we are moving on collectively. We see multiple entry points for educators, students, and leaders in all of this and invite you to engage in any way you can. Look out for where and how any of this connects with you.
Why synergy, changemaking, and solutionary approaches??
The idea of ‘synergy’ implies systems. We are all part of systems; some small, some large, some isolated, and some connected to others. If you start to look closely, you will spot them everywhere; this thing influencing that thing, one person sparking change in another, or even a system having an impact on another system. The drivers and impacts are endless, some creating causal loops that either can hold consistency or can stimulate runaway impact (both of these can be sometimes good, sometimes not, depending on their intent and influence). In light of this, our conversations in the Synergy Building group often revolve around flipping diminishing returns and amplifying positive impact.?
So why does synergy matter? The term ‘synergy’ has a lot of similarities to that of emergent properties in systems; the combined effect of interconnecting and interdependent parts is greater than the sum of their separate effects – or, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. The Synergy Building group calls for this through the lessons we hope to share with young people, the group’s way of work, and the appeal to our educational institutions to leverage the systems we have for community impact and innovative learning environments.?
But this drive doesn’t stem from an innate reflex for change. Often, we can be quick to change without understanding the system at play and the problems at hand, if any. The language has begun to adapt around this toward a ‘solutionary’ approach, focused in the Synergy Building group through the wonderful work at the Institute for Humane Education . We will dive into the Solutionary Framework a little later as we unpack its potential impact. What is important about this shift is that we apply changemaking thinking strategies and tools only when relevant and needed for solutions to an authentic problem.?
Why would you or your community apply change?
How can changemaking be fostered by educators?
Synergy starts with the individual, outward. The dynamic one-to-one and one-to-many interactions we have can determine how a system takes shape. We have an impact as individuals. We also know that one is not enough in our push for positive systemic and cultural shifts in education.??
This is where the power of coaching can be instrumental in the drive for this positive change. Peggy Titmarsh (MBA, PCC) , Co-Founder and Principal Coach at viviid coaching for good , presented to the group a novel way of Group Coaching for Changemakers in Education (first cohort starting April 24th). I was fortunate enough to be part of the pilot group prior to this upcoming launch, where we each had time in the group setting to present a challenge we are currently having while others used a powerful coaching framework to spark deep thinking and solutionary strategies; essentially, we all developed coaching skills and were coached by those around us, while the facilitators coached us through our development in all of this. Transformative, and not to be missed.?
Being equipped with coaching expertise as we work with young changemakers can be the single-most scalable impact educators can have on the lives of others.?
How do you see coaching skills coming into your changemaking efforts, your professional endeavours, or even your personal life?
Where might changemaking take place?
We have often seen these efforts occur outside of the subject-learning setting, with students extending themselves through clubs, coalitions, and committees to instil and embed changemaking into school culture. And these movements are strong, as seen through the Changemaker Conference in March 2023 at Frankfurt International School and the upcoming Solutionary Summit in May 2024 at Munich International School, and told from the perspectives of students as heard in the Student-Driven Big Think: Amplifying Changemaker Action by What School Could Be (site), Creating a Changemaker Culture in Budapest at AISB by Inspire Citizens, and the Changemaker MiniPod episodes on The Backstory Podcast.
We have also seen impactful work taken on by schools when partnering with innovative educational organisations, fostering a deeper connection to impact in school communities and equipping students with knowledge, skills, and dispositions to take informed and meaningful community action. Schools have taken steps through collaborating with organisations such as MAD (Make A Difference) Courses , Inspire Citizens , JUMP! Foundation , and Compass Education , to name a few, to align their respective school’s mission, vision, and values with the on-the-ground teaching and learning efforts in their own communities.
What we are looking to now are direct entry points into the classroom curriculum. Young people are ready to tackle the challenges the world presents, but where and how can we best prepare them? We have already seen the Systems Transformation Pathway pilot program being implemented at UWC Atlantic as well as the Systems Transformation: Leadership For Change program at UWCSEA, both in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate (IB), which brings students closer to understanding systems more holistically to take appropriate and calculated action true to their in-class subject learning and the global needs in local context. These programs support “balancing the 'why' of systems thinking and the 'now what' of transformative change, inspired to secure a just future for our people and the planet” and allows students to “leverage transdisciplinary expertise to generate innovative and empathetic solutions” ~ Olli-Pekka Heinonen, IB Director General.??
New developments are happening through the efforts of Julie Meltzer (Director of K-12 and teacher Education at the Institute for Humane Education) who, alongside Bart Dankaerts (CAS & Service Learning Coordinator at The American School of The Hague) and Rebecca Greenway, presented their latest ideation efforts to the Synergy Building group related to integrating the Solutionary Framework into the IB Diploma Program (DP) Core (which comprises of: CAS – Creativity, Activity, Service; EE – Extended Essay; and TOK – Theory of Knowledge). Together, we engaged in discussion surrounding the ‘fit’ of the framework to the IB DP Core, with a call for the latter to shift its approach in schools away from stand-alone CAS, EE, and TOK components, and toward truly being a ‘core’ program that is foundational and transformative for learners no matter the remaining IB subjects they pursue.?
Two metaphors come to mind when we look at adopting new frameworks, such as this one, into already-established programs like the IB DP Core. We could look at the “smoothie” approach, mixing all the ingredients of CAS, EE, TOK, and the Solutionary Framework, into the proverbial educational blender, and hoping for an outcome that is digestible and meaningful for students and becomes core to their IB DP experience. However, it can be argued that this does not support the much-needed paradigm shift toward intentional learning of a truly foundational, integrated, and transformative educational program that the IB DP Core could be in schools. The “regenerative” metaphor, however, encompasses the two years of the DP as a stepwise program of growth and asks for a ‘root to trunk to fruit’ approach whereby students (guided by Solutionary mentors) would:
领英推荐
Where do you see solutionary changemaking efforts, or a potential for solutionary changemaking, in your context??
What platforms are there for changemaking?
So what is out there for you to get involved??
Let’s start with the power of storytelling, harnessed by MAD (Make A Difference) Courses to make short documentaries for impact through their recent Docathon opportunity; an international competition challenging students to create impactful films featuring local changemakers. This unique platform means students can connect their efforts to a broader audience, get key upskilling from filmmakers in the mini-course modules, and get the opportunity to tell their story for change. It has been wonderful to bring this opportunity to students in my own context and I highly encourage anyone out there to do the same. You can join even though the registration window already opened in mid-March, as the modules are asynchronous while MAD Courses provides wonderful support to students as needed throughout the filmmaking journey.?
Speaking of storytelling, the Global Co Lab Network has created a short docudrama for teens titled “Youth Voices on the UN Goals: Changing The World Together”, empowering the next generation of global changemakers with a focus on the UN SDGs. The documentary premiered at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point and will be screening in cities across the world. Getting your students engaged with the voices of other students is a great way to spark changemaking!
Further, the Solutionary Summit, being the second iteration of the Changemaker Conference, is being held at Munich International School from May 23-25, 2024. There is still room for more guests and schools – sign up here! Having attended the Changemaker Conference at Frankfurt International School in March 2023, and mentored multiple groups of students since then as they carried out their passions for solutionary change at our own school, I have been able to witness first-hand the power of a collaborative network of inspired individuals and what that can do to activate students. We have a group of students from the American International School of Budapest attending the Solutionary Summit and we are looking forward to seeing others from around the region there too, so come join us! Our students have been close to the action as the Solutionary Summit has gone through its planning phases and so if you would like more insight into what these types of conferences can do for your students and what they could bring to your school, please reach out to me and I would be happy to share further. I am proud that we will be attending, with the confirmation that our school will host the third iteration of the conference on our campus in March 2025.?
What platforms are you using to empower changemakers and drive solutionary approaches to education?
Who is involved in helping others level up their changemaking practices?
There are so many to name, but I would like to point toward a few people and organisations doing fantastic work in this area!?
AND YOU! If you feel your work aligns with any of this, please do reach out! I can support you by helping you get involved in our Synergy Building calls, connect you with whoever can elevate your impact, or even collaborate with you on some future articles to highlight your work and the work of others! Thank you for your energy and please do share and comment to keep this conversation flowing.?
Our growing changemaker and solutionary book list - what would you add?
Global Citizenship consulting for K12 schools + Social Entrepreneurship University teacher
11 个月Book list ---> EARTHWARDS from Katharine Burke <3
Global Citizenship consulting for K12 schools + Social Entrepreneurship University teacher
11 个月This is SUCH a good recap of the work amazing changemakers do throughout the world. Thank you for this informative and hopeful article, Dom. Your newsletter really makes me believe that Education for Sustainability is growing and getting the priority it deserves. ?? Fabien M. this is the group I was telling you about in Luxembourg.
Chief Executive Officer at St. Joseph's Institution International
11 个月Thanks for this comprehensive, systemic, and inspiring post. Your passion and skills to be a ChangeMaker come through so clearly! Thanks for all you are doing!
Storytelling, Service Learning & Community Engagement: Coach and Facilitator
11 个月Dom, what a thoughtful and thorough post! There is so much wisdom in here!
I partner with impact driven leaders to raise their game Corporate Veteran | Leadership Coach & Mentor | Advisor | Coaching Faculty | B-Corp Leader
11 个月Thanks Dom Verwey for your thorough reflection and recommendation. I’m always happy to support.