Design For Change
Hello Changemaker!
Welcome to Design For Change, a worldwide competition that is forming the largest movement of children creating change.
The idea is simple, we ask children to design solutions for problems in their lives, schools, neighborhoods or communities. Children under the guidance of their teachers pick one week to carry out their project, document their results, and submit their entries to Design for Change.
One Idea. One week. One billion lives to Change.
Welcome to Design For Change, a worldwide competition that is forming the largest movement of children creating change.
The idea is simple, we ask children to design solutions for problems in their lives, schools, neighborhoods or communities. Children under the guidance of their teachers pick one week to carry out their project, document their results, and submit their entries to Design for Change.
One Idea. One week. One billion lives to Change.
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.
We started by identifying our class values and strengths. We asked:
- “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 students used Post-it notes, to identify their personal strengths and values. We compiled and sorted them on the board to get a visual of our collective strengths and the values we share as a community. From there, we thought of projects we could do together.
Ultimately the students decided to collect food for Passover baskets to be sent to needy families at Jewish Family Services.
They also decided to target homeless, older pets to help find them homes for adoption. They set out to see if they could get them adopted by writing biographies (CVs) on them and advertising them to the community. These ads are intended for be used to advertise the older pets in need of homes.
This has been a fabulous service opportunity for our fourth graders.
This has been a fabulous service opportunity for our fourth graders.
* This article is taken from the eALON Newsletter of Jewish Day School in Bellevue, Washington.
