Transcript

Re-Imagining Education To Create An Impact In The World | Yumna Hussen | TEDxYouth@Brum

[Music] now i want you to think about the following questions with the intention to answer freely what kind of education do you see as worthwhile to provide and to have what if we fostered unity in inclusive and comfortable environments for young people that allows us to show up as our best selves what if the current schooling and wider education system was a positive vehicle in recognizing your unique contribution to the world now young people and education are at the heart of tackling both local and global issues now the questions are presented are linked to three key pillars that i believe are essential to transforming our approach to young people that can and should be implemented in the education system personal transformation unity and service now i became obsessed with personal transformation a few years ago when i realized that system change starts with one individual with one big idea however to change systems externally we have to change our own mindsets internally and the first key aspect is understanding that we should not define ourselves but based on society's ideals and expectations now not only is this dangerous because it translates into our reality it is harmful because it affects our principles core values habits and choices we make and ultimately the impacts that we can have on the world now what if these false limiting beliefs in our minds were exposed what if we were taught to live beyond society's ideals what if we pursued ideas once labelled as childish impractical and or unrealistic now amidst the uncertainty and unrest this past year our limiting beliefs have indeed been exposed when so many things are changing and challenging around us we naturally tend to gravitate towards our limiting beliefs because they present that false sense of safety and security i don't have the ability i don't have the experience i'm just not good enough by identifying the limiting beliefs we hold and reflecting on how that belief has revealed itself in decisions we make and connections we pursue you can then change your own beliefs to align with what you truly want now the second aspect is not being afraid to selectively choose certain rules to follow and also not using somebody else's blueprint as a measure for your success now success is relative to each and every one of us success is not quantifiable only by an individual's distinct set of values ambitions and dreams now rules are designed to keep both you and i safe but isn't that what our brains keep score off now let me give you an example if i accidentally touch a hot pan my hand will retract its stimulus and response if i now stand on the edge of this stage i will move back why because i might hurt myself because i might fall now your brain is designed to keep you safe and not necessarily rules and oftentimes what we'll find is the thing that we are scared of is the thing we really really want to pursue but take no action in doing so because we allow our fear to overtake our courage and faith now faith is a living and daring confidence that exercises our resilience and our imagination pushing us towards our discomfort zone because it enables us to thrive and the third key aspect is shifting the focus from outcome to identity now the education system usually only focuses on the final final outcome and disregards our own shifting on complex identities in atomic habits by james clear he says you do not rise to the level of your goals you fall to the level of your systems now this really really struck me because all this time as students we are expected to achieve a certain benchmark teachers are expected to hit certain targets and so this great deal of pressure and toxic competition is unhealthy for everybody involved and we start to look for external sources of affirmation instead of starting with the most powerful source ourselves now most mornings i will wake up just like everyone else and write a to-do list and a to b list i'll affirm who i want to be shifting the focus from outcome to identity i want to be complete the sentence with me i want to be confident i want to be connected i want to be healthy it keeps you grounded in your core values gift and personal mission because if we are grounded we can grow now the second pillar is unity unity is thinking and acting in ways that unites to ourselves to others and to all of life itself is collectively operating from a place of care in an increasingly polarized world and the first aspect is that we need effective collaboration in schools institutions organizations and services in which our ideas are not taken as tokenistic but rather directly embedded within policy making because please don't claim to be collaborative if only one side truly benefits now we need to be consulted on what to learn how to learn what is important to us and then have the space in order to do this whether that's young people leading classes and lessons doing project-based learning instead of studying subjects with a weak link to a distance subject every now and then to check off a box a multi-disciplinary approach to learning is not a want it is a need it is a must in today's society so that we are equipped to tackle issues in a multi-layered and structural way but young people educators policy makers visionaries artists leaders and everybody else we need to be united to achieve this now the second aspect is that a sharp decline in our cultural art spaces youth organizations libraries open parks green areas and leisure centres directly correlates to a sharp decline in social and civic imagination now we need to cultivate the public spaces that bridge people from all walks of life because no two experiences are ever the same no matter how alike they may seem is appreciating the nuances in people's stories ideas cultures and histories in a safe inclusive and comfortable environment there is so much work being done about this already especially in this diverse and multicultural young city in birmingham but we also need to engage young people in this too by listening to them not by listening to each other to respond but deeply listening to understand before formulating our responses now storytelling and poetry is a way that i do this that fosters the human connection whilst also being an inviting and powerful source for discussion and direct change and yet we push this to a side instead of focusing on the skills of oracy and performance now the third aspect within unity is that authentic communities can only be cultivated with accountability real long-term commitment and a sincere desire to act build and create change now this means acknowledging how power and privilege plays a crucial role in sidelining marginalized and underrepresented communities especially family families that live in low socioeconomic areas and communities of color especially when talking about decolonizing the education system now funding and resources are disproportionately distributed and oftentimes government and organizations and services that are intended to serve and protect us often propagate the structures that indicate certain voices in certain lives are valued more than others now unity is to elevate human consciousness is to work and change the environment that has imposed the silence in the first place for us to then all live in a society in which all voices no matter what medium they are presented in are valued and respected now the third and final pillar is service as a youth advocate i often get asked the question why why go through the effort and i admit i admit that is long hard and sometimes stressful but through personal growth which is life changing and is lifelong work and uniting with other people aligned with the same principles and core values as i am i really understand that it is not enough to hope for a better society and a better world we need to be committed to working towards one by setting up alternative and sustainable small scale models of education we can imagine explore experiment innovate and actually work towards quantifiable and tangible change structural change without human connection and image imagination will not be enforced and effective but vice versa human connection without legislation and a clear focus on implementation does little to contribute to the reality of everybody's daily lives now i've increased in confidence and i've had the opportunity to gain a different perspective and shift the way of my thinking creating a greater sense of community now it's not that young people don't want to become involved in taking action but because we don't believe in our unique contribution to the world and are unsure of ways to get involved thus limiting our possibilities and narrowing our world view now we all exist and live within these intricate fabrics of our society so neutrality is not often afforded to people who look like me now in a resurgence of student-led movements across the city the country and indeed the world it occurred to me that most problems say the world's largest humanitarian crisis in yemen right now that places profit over the lives of yemeni people a whole genocide in china with the ethnic cleansing of the oiko muslims the racial inequality systemic racism islamophobia and much more are all issues that have stemmed from the decisions that adults have made and are being upheld by the structures that they govern so i think it's time for young people to rightfully step up and dare to dream and act in creating a better world starting off with a transformative education system now let's imagine if this was implemented we would be confident at one with ourselves and others and with all of life we'd be taught political literacy how to critically think because in the words of martin luther king jr we can derive fact from fiction with education we would understand the power of storytelling to shape our narratives climate education to create a sustainable world and hold and have rich and meaningful discussions and conversations we would possess the project management skills to take an idea and then execute it we would be financially competent and abundance mentality would would envelope that there is plenty enough for everyone else we would understand how to look after our mental well-being so much more our local areas would be places of refuge and not just of residents so i urge you to join me today because now is the time to grow resilience now is the time to re-evaluate now is the time to redesign re-imagine re-envision reorganize repurpose reflect reclaim and remember that we as individuals are far far more impactful when we give ourselves the permission to seek and imagine a renewed sense of possibility for our communities in which we develop into active citizens instead of onlookers with a limitless potential to redefine our lives on our terms thank you you