Youth skills in focus – changing the world, one Hub at a time

The World Savvy Changemaker Hubs
By Christina Kirby, Programme Manager, Porticus 

 

Community cohesion in many parts of the world is at risk, including in pockets across the USA where divisions continue to grow. This breakdown of trust in our communities is eroding democratic norms, perpetuating the cycle of polarisation, inaction and civic disengagement. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for communities to come together to solve the most pressing issues.

And the people who will suffer the long-term effects are our youth.

Preparing young people for the workforce of the future, keeping communities safe, addressing climate change and ensuring equitable access to housing, healthcare, and basic necessities are serious issues that communities struggle with, particularly in light of public health crises, inflation, systemic discrimination, natural disasters and so much more.

Communities who could be working together to find solutions – and who in fact may fundamentally agree on some of the solutions – are not doing so because of toxic polarisation.

This is why World Savvy is on a mission to leverage education to foment social cohesion and empower communities to work together to find solutions to their most pressing social challenges.  We share their belief that education is a powerful platform to reach a cross-section of young people and their families, across communities, to help bridge perceived divides. When designed effectively, learning environments can build foundations for critical thinking, collaboration and inclusive and welcoming communities where healthy civic engagement is the norm.

Many traditionally under-resourced smaller cities and surrounding rural areas across the USA are experiencing unprecedented demographic changes while struggling to adapt to new economic realities, conditions that can deepen polarisation and lead to division within communities.

To bridge differences and increase civic engagement and dialogue, our partner World Savvy has created ‘Changemaker Hubs’ to deepen connections to community partners and K-12 (public) schools and districts in the USA. By collaborating with an intergenerational cross-section of community members from different backgrounds, they are pioneering student-led listening, ideation and action on issues that matter most to local communities.

The Hubs engage with students and community members to communicate, collaborate and find solutions - together. We have funded Hubs in Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina in localities experiencing demographic changes.

Their youth-led design challenges focus on various issues they’re experiencing first-hand, such as clean water, poverty and economic development and education equity. The goal is for the next generation of leaders – the youth of today – to prototype and implement community-based solutions by connecting with people across ideological lines to improve living conditions and deepen civic engagement. This approach connects and empowers youth during a time when lifelong habits and opinions are shaped.

We have big ambitions for the Hubs as platforms to model healthy and thriving civic engagement in a multi-ethnic democracy. Where public school educators can gain the knowledge, skills and strategies to create more inclusive, student-centred learning environments where diverse learners can collaborate to find solutions and build stronger communities. 

Through World Savvy, as our Porticus partner in North America, we’re helping to enable changemakers to create societies and systems that allow all to thrive by working at the intersection of democratic governance and education.