Design For Change

It was through a University of Phoenix advertisement on television that I first learned of the great work Dr. Buck is doing in education. Her story was so inspiring that I immediately began looking for a way to contact her.  In the process, I learned that she is a Milken Award winning Educator. When I wrote her a brief note about Design for Change I thought I was taking a long shot, but remained hopeful. Within a few days I received an email from her expressing interest in Design for Change.   I remember being extremely ecstatic and calling all my colleagues to share the news!

Dr. Carrie Buck is the Principal of C.T. Sewell Elementary School in Nevada. She isknown for transforming a “floundering” school to a role model for change. She worked tirelessly to build a culture of professional collaboration, community involvement and strong academic growth. She also implemented a number of effective research based strategies including a 90-minute literacy block, before and after-school interventions, student incentive programs, health fairs and a school uniform policy. Under Dr. Buck’s innovative and forward-thinking leadership, Sewelladvanced from a “Needs Improvement” status to “High-Achieving” on Nevada’s Adequate Yearly Progress assessment, making C.T. Sewell one of only eight schools in the district designated as Empowerment Schools!

Dr. Buck spoke with us about her thoughts on Design for Change. 

DFC: How did you get involved with Design for Change?

Dr. Buck: I was contacted by Ms. Kolluri from the Design for Change organization through the Milken website.  After researching the DFC website, we were inspired by all the wonderful ideas and projects that DFC were capturing, inspiring child-driven international change.  We immediately wanted to get involved highlighting a few projects already in the works.

DFC: What caught your attention?

Dr. Buck: After reviewing the website, we were excited about the child-centered leadership embedded within each project.  It is amazing how synergistic students with ideas for making a difference can impact their community and their world.  When students realize how their ideas can inspire change, the opportunities are limitless.

DFC: How did your faculty/students react when you first introduced DFC to them?

Dr. Buck: When our faculty team researched the DFC website, they were truly touched by the international call for students to think of solutions.  We had several after-school clubs working on various proposals and we narrowed our site-based projects to two.  The students were the inspiration behind both of these projects:  Environmental Scholars and Operation Gratitude.

DFC:  According to you, how do you think this program will change the children and the world?

Dr. Buck: Children are our future.  Their critical thinking skills for helping make change happen are infinite.  We, as adults, just need to sit back and listen to all of their fantastic ideas, empowering them to make the world a better place.

DFC:  Your message to DFC…

Dr. Buck: What a wonderful forum for students to take on worthwhile projects that make a difference in their schools, communities, country, and world.  Thank you for the opportunity!

Swetha Kolluri  
swetha@designforchange.us
Swetha Kolluri is an engineer working as a consultant in the healthcare IT sector. In her role as the Director for Recruiting for Design for Change she coordinates volunteer activities including helping volunteers encourage kids and teachers to take part in this contest. She has been involved with DFC for over a year now and absolutely enjoys working with the team for a common goal of empowering children through this unique challenge!

JDS 4th graders have been studying citizenship and part of the culmination of our unit was to think of an action project to make a difference in the community. 

The idea came from a global movement called Design for Change where students around the world are challenged to initiate change in their own communities.



 

• “What really bothers you in your world? 
• What change would you like to see?” 

Personal statements were optional but all the students worked in groups to brainstorm and evaluate a change they might like to see by knowing more about who they are and what they value as a group.

We asked, “Why do people take action, what kinds of action do they take and what are the values and character of those who do?”

The call to bring community service to the schools isn’t new.  From the beginning, it has been a mission of the public school system to turn students into citizens who are ready for democracy and self-government.  While citizen development is still a public school mission, a lot has changed and there are questions. 

What happens when community service looking to be “done” walks through the front door of a school?  As a teacher, when it walks into your classroom looking for time and attention, how do you reconcile that need with the already overwhelming critical academics as you “rush” to prepare students to meet and achieve the “standards?”

These questions are answered by something called “Service Learning.”  As with most great things, Service Learning is only an idea or concept until its potential is realized through action.  As a highly effective education strategy, it is a framework within which it is possible to integrate academics, student personal development, and community service so that they reinforce rather than oppose each other. 

For example, a class of fifth grade students, using the FEEL-IMAGINE-DO-SHARE Design for Change curriculum, might combine the Toys-for-Tots (City Fire Department) and Coats-for-Cold (WXYZ TV) efforts into one that serves the immediate and adjacent neighborhoods around the school.  During the project, and using the Service Learning approach, the students will learn across a number of academic subjects, including Reading Geography, Civics, Writing, Science and Engineering, Mathematics, The Arts and Foreign Languages, and they will grow personally.   

 During the planning, and along the way, teachers/mentors can monitor progress in the academic content areas using the Academic Standards Audit Form.  Note that the fifth grade example above is part of the Audit Form.  Student development can further be tracked and measured using the Youth Development Impact list.   

So, after the dust settles and in the amount of time that more formal academics were going to take place, the result is that a service was performed, students progressed in their academic content areas, and they grew personally.  At a number of different levels both critical thinking and student enthusiasm for learning improves and increases.  Service Learning brings academics into real life allowing theory and application to meet, and students take ownership of their own education.

David W. Wygant, Director of Communications, DFC USA 

Dave believes that we are all unlimited beings. That if we believe in ourselves our accomplishments will be boundless. Dave has a deep and varied experience working with youth of all ages. He brings patient enthusiasm as he guides them through projects that affect positive change in themselves and their communities. He helps them earn the right to say, “I CAN” because of what they have done. Dave has undergraduate degrees in physics and math, and a Juris Doctor.

I was recently watching TV and came across an ad for a major retail outlet… “… 50% off everything on Martin Luther King Day!”

Who would’ve thought that the memory of such a great leader could be relegated to a retail sale? We can do better than that, can’t we?

Today marks a very special day, a day of celebration. Today celebrates the legacy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As most of us know, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an activist for nonviolence during the civil rights movement, inspiration he drew from life of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King worked tirelessly to end racial segregation and discrimination so African Americans could enjoy the civil liberties that many of us take for granted today.

While we may honor Dr. King with memorials and plaques to remember his cause, we must fight to keep his teachings alive. As a man from humble beginnings, Dr. King made his mark by never giving up. He taught us that change can be ignited and created at any level, regardless of age, status, color, sex or ethnicity. These principles still hold true today. As Design for Change embarks on its second year in the USA, we ask everyone to pause and think of the difference they too can make with a single gesture, a letter, an act of kindness and a willingness to fight for the way things are supposed to be. Let’s honor Dr. King’s memory by following in his large footsteps and making a difference in our own way.

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is,

                           ‘What are you doing for others?’ Martin Luther King, Jr.

By 

Sanjli Gidwaney - Lead Director, DFC USA 

Sanjli Gidwaney is a curriculum consultant who develops, disseminates and conducts hands on creativity workshops for children around the world including: India, Kenya and Dominican Republic. She began an initiative called the Kando Project with the goal of helping a new generation of children further develop innate life skills such as confidence, creativity and critical thinking. Sanjli has partnered with Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, IDEO, and several NGO’s and is excited to pursue her Masters in Education at Harvard School of Education in 2012.

sanjli@designforchange.us

DFC Laos Update

1. Our team has grown from 1 person (me) when I met you guys in India to 7!

2. Major strategic partnership with a non-profit organisation that has a good relationship with Ministry of Education. So we’re going to run a pilot, aiming for 10 schools, and then develop a package to share with the MOE. 

3. We are applying for a grant that will help us scale DFC impact to 30+ schools. I think you partners should look to see if you can apply also: http://allchildrenreading.org/apply

DFC SWEDEN

Our approach in Sweden – Start up.

1. Getting stories and experience.  Beginning of fall: Ran 100 kids in DFC Challenge. Around 20 projects where some got local press interested.

2. Getting publicity. They put the articles on the net which was important.

3. Getting status. I could refer to articles when I contacted Universities. Got som leading key people infected! They have been useful as well as my own contacts. DFC got into the Special Edition of a national Teachers Magazine where DFC became an acknowledged concept for entrepreneurial learning. Then it started to happen.

4. Request from a local Municipality- Invitation to 30 schools. Hope to get 10 enrolled for 2012.

5. Question: How to get this going? Started a Social Enterprise – Non Profit not necessary! A thing of importance because it gives you more freedom and flexibility.

6. The National Museum of Technology are excited to use DFC and make it part of the exhibition. It seems uncontrollable! 

7. Hope for sponsoring! It looks as the local support can be charged but to scale it up national – why not all Scandinavia we need a team, sponsoring and a national programme, competition etc.

DFC USA

1. We’ve been working really hard to partner with notable organizations like the TED community to increase awareness about DFC in the USA. Rright now we’re working with TED Youth and Adora Svitak to build TED into the their youth conferences.
2. We’ve also received great submissions from teachers and mentors from schools and churches around the country.
3. In addition we have a great speaking engagement at MIT in the coming weeks.
4. We’re applying for funding and ngo status in the coming months which will help increase our reach and grow our team
5. Our newsletter is really coming together and we have great educators signed up! We’re also working with a pretty famous teacher by the name of Dr.Buck who has wide reach in terms of media and funding - so stay tune

DFC Vietnam

1. we have already got a yes from a publisher here for the ICAN book, only awaiting the copyright waiver. 
2. There’s a big book fair coming this Mar and the publisher wants to present the book in the book fair.
3. The presitdent & editor has offered to help endorse DfC & help with fundraisng. We figure this would be a very good opportunity to launch DfC for the first time here.

DFC Pakistan

1. we announced our winners in november (you can see them at bit.ly/pkchange) 
2. we are getting to launch a traveling exhibition of the winning stories for the first time end of this month.
3. It’ll go to 3 major cities in pakistan starting with karachi for 2 days and then going on to lahore and islamabad for 1 day each 
4.  we will be inviting the winners proximal to each of those areas to come and receive their prizes in person at one of these three venues

DFC TAIWAN

1. we are currently interviewing all the kids around Taiwan who participated last year and getting feedback from them. 

2. 3 books are being written now and will be published this year 

3. looking for sponsors this year and funding for different projects — also fundings for Global Meet of course!

4. We went for a very famous educational Expo last month called TERA and received great feedback! 

5. Kate is going to Riverside soon (in 11 days) and try to invite Dr. Howard Gardner to Taiwan for the coming National Educational conference.  

6. also, we are an association now!!! ) just formed and ready to go!! 

DFC Macau:

1. We are doing the test run in Macau. We received 5 stories from a school and waiting for another 5 stories from a non-profit organization

2. We plan to have the ceremony for the test run at the end of February

3. We are discussing with a reporter from a local newspaper to have an interview with  the students and teacher from the test run to promote DFC

4. We will launch DFC and promote DFC among the schools in Macau in March

5. We are now finding the sponsors and juries

I had the unique opportunity to participate in a conference that is changing the lives of millions of people around the world and is in fact changing my life in particular.

I am a devout believer in the empowerment of youth and in the reach and relevance of “Open Architecture” – programs that are free and accessible for all. The concept of open architecture reflected in the program of Design for Change is manifest in the open architecture of the school itself. Programs that are designed with the user in mind excel in reach and relevance. The fact that the Design for Change program is so brilliantly designed and open for the world to adopt is making it sweep across the globe.

I learned that true learning begins with the student who has been fortunate enough to be given the environment that values just that! The Riverside school is the living example of what happens to kids who “Stop Resisting, Start Submitting and Continue Learning”- the Ghandi  words that appear above each and every white board in each and every classroom. They don’t get homework.  They have what’s called “take aways” –bridge work that connects what they experienced at school with home.

27 people from 13 countries gathered in Ahmadabad to share experiences and observe the Design for Change process at the Riverside School where it all began and at the awards ceremony for the 20 stories chosen as the winners of the 2011 challenge. We were fed and fetched, carried and cared for with great care and love by Nilu and the wonderful staff at the Riverside school.

 While visiting the classes we were able to see the effect of this philosophy when it’s executed in full force from kindergarten on up, in every class- from math to economics, poli-sci and Hindu Literature. Design thinking is a process that involves introspection and research through involvement. We observed a class who held a simulation game testing the limits of rapprochement between North and South Korea, a Math Challenge where the kids made up the quizzes and games of the stations that the participants had to solve, a movie trailer competition where the kids entered their clips and posters and Vinu, their inspired and inspiring teacher and headmaster questioned them on how it feels when you are not chosen and challenged them on the question if kids should have voted for their creations just to make them feel good.

The constant reflection on the ongoing processes keeps the students in touch with themselves and with the subject matter so that it is fully integrated and internalized.

There is no office of the Principle because she is out there teaching, questioning, searching and involved with the kids- closing the loop on end of the day reflections, analyzing challenges undertaken by the students with them and providing guidance and cooperation to keep the many processes going on vital.

We watched plays, pantomimes, dances and performances prepared by the kids of all ages on the open stage, a central arena for learning of the school.

WE met leading celebrities, actors, Guinness world record Billiards champ Jeet Sethi, Parliament member Sashi Tharoor whose words of wisdom and presence graced us at several events. WE met Mr. Venkat-  who started Groonj, an NGO that has a collection drive and provides clothes, utensils etc. to villages and has mobilized 2 ½ million Indians on Joy of Giving Week to give themselves in whatever way they can to make their mark on their worlds. We met Rahul Bose and Aabijiate Joshi, actors and screenwriters who lend their celebrity status to the cause as they sat in on activities the school held for winning DFC story sharing and in a session assessing the “balloon challenge” held by the 10^th graders who planned and executed their models for selling balloons at the Street Smart event held during this week in Ahmadabad, where Ahmadabad’s main thoroughfare near Law Gardens is shut down and taken over by the kids of the city with games and fun.

WE had a “Design Thinking “workshop with Poonam Kasturi, Kiran’s sister and Design Thinker in her own right, on the meaning of true exploration and problem solving from a “clean slate” and open mind.

We had the unique opportunity of meeting the children who are making their mark on the world- and witnessing the pride and joy of India’s Design for Change winners who shared their stories of change with the world. Each and every story  that won from ending the use of chewing tobacco, organizing buses after school, designing cylinder devise for burning small twigs and dung which saves trees, raising money for hearing aids and educating woman for Rubella vaccinations by hearing and sight impaired youth who suffered the ignorance of parents who didn’t get vaccinated, stopping the use of plastic bags, Don’t be a goat-VOTE  campaign to educate for social responsibility, Just for Kicks- an initiative run by kids for kids to play ball, eradicating illiteracy, educating to stop hospital crowd visits, getting  girls to go to school, Keep the cool in School – don’t fight play, teaching parents to write and read, stopping desertification by planting trees, initiatives to provide two years of food for poor children and getting adults to embrace Untouchables even if it meant holding a hunger strike.

All of this would not have happened had it not been for the “little brown woman”, Kiran Sethi, who is indeed larger than life. The vision of this design student turned education philosopher is changing the face of citizenship in India and around the world.

However, for me, the most extraordinary part of this week in wonderland was meeting like minded people from around the world who couldn’t resist getting involved with the Design for Change program and bringing the message to their countries. People from all walks of life, students, parents, teachers and NGO’s who , upon seeing the Kiran’s TED talk were swept away and compelled to find a way to bring home the DFC message.

From each and every one of the people who shared this week with me, I had much to learn. Kola and Jitherin from M.A.D. , the young radical and brilliant kids in their 20^s who are helping thousands of children in orphanages, Madu in Singapore who has exposed the need for taking responsibility in a society whose government “fixes” everything for them, Suneina, a parent from Dubai who wanted to make her wealthy society better by givnig kids meaningful social involvement and values, to Anjana in Bangeladesh , a country where the disparity between wealth and abject poverty and suffering demands attention, to Kate, Vanessa, Fox, Jasper and Jeff from Taiwan , 20 year olds ,who gave up their jobs to devote themselves to the DFC and have already gotten kids to  rock their worlds with projects like reviving ancient folk tunes and enabling blind kids to feel their friends faces so they’d feel more a part of their groups, Sandra of Mexico who blew us away with the extensive involvement of thousands and thousands of kids who are taking on the grave troubles of their country, Pedro of Spain who is working to formalize and institutionalize Design Thinking in his country, Richard of the UK who showed us not only that as headmaster his school has internalized the language of giving and volunteering but we could understand through his delightful bright son Sebastian who came on tour, how he himself  is a product of child centered education with heart and sensitivity not usually found in someone so young. I found a strong commonality with the woman from Helena of Sweden and her mates who are interning at Riverside to bring the full power of the system to their schools at home, Nandani of India – a sensitive, bright delightful educator, Anfernee of Laos and citizen of the world who carries the message with him around the world –not just as a couch surfer but being fully involved in any country where he settles, and Kelsy and Tram Le of Vietnam, two incredibly young entrepreneurs who are getting kids to think out of the box in a socialistic society that encourages block thinking, Nithen of India/USA who has created a significant base of activity in the United States and Carolina of Brazil , juggling her life to made the world for her toddler better than the one she grew up in, and Sylvia of Columbia who’s beginning to challenge the corruption of a country through the sincere involvement of kids in their communities.

Coming from Israel, a country very open to volunteerism and very keen on start up initiatives I felt honored to be in the company of all these young hearts and great minds. Our little country is filled with people who care. That is why DFC is so critical for us at this time. Volunteering is the buzz word yet the impact can be magnified if we adopt this simple and brilliant model for design thinking. Instead of telling kids what they need to do to make this a better world, we need to provide a model that connects them with what they care about, encourages them to research and understand those problems and then give them the tools to  execute the solutions they have imagined. Through this process, sustainability will be achieved.

When all of us go out on our Joy of Giving Week, or as we call it Good Deeds Day, in March, the buzz will resound. We will celebrate the change and change makers in June and hopefully revel in the accomplishments of kids who believe in themselves, and of whom we are proud and to who we are forever grateful.

It was Rabbi Hillel who said: If not now, then when, if not me then who.

This universal message is alive and kicking in us all and I join hands and hearts with all of you who have taught me that as citizens of the world we have more in common than I knew before I embarked on this fascinating and hopeful endeavor. I look forward to seeing faces light up when we present Design for Change to the scores of educators who have signed up for our workshop on December 15^th and am hopeful that our little country will be graced with the good will of kids pursuing their visions of a better world out of the belief that THEY CAN.

Mr. Venkat- Creator of Joy of India Week

Riverside School

Kiran Bir Sethi and Rahul Bose

Global Partners at the Awards Ceremony

Sashi Tharoor

Abhijat Joshi/Screenwriter of The Three Idiots

Kids and teachers at the Street Smart fair

Poonam Bir Kasturi

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Ruthie Sobel Luttenberg, DFC Israel partner, is founder and director of Birthday Angels, a non-profit organization that delivers birthday parties to children living on the social and economic margins.  You can reach her on birthdayangelsproject@gmail.com

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