Combining design and technology with social action projects
By Jess Talbot; Programmes Director of Future Foundations and Jon Harper; CEO of Future Foundations and Co-Founder of Global Social Leaders (GSL)
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Today's young people are grappling with a rapidly changing world, confronting complex issues that range from climate change and conflict to the impact of changes in technology with the evolution of AI.
Many young people are not just questioning if the education they are getting will prepare them for future careers in such a world. With the World Health Organization reporting that depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents, the call to equip young people with effective tools and supportive strategies is urgent.
At Future Foundations, we have witnessed the power of combining design and technology with social action projects to nurture well-rounded, resilient individuals ready to take on future challenges.
Ten years ago, we launched Global Social Leaders to equip young people to tackle the issues they care about in their communities. Since then over 10,000 young people in 105 countries have implemented 3500+ projects.
Global Social Leaders (GSL) programmes are designed using the principles of research-backed learning frameworks such as Project Based Learning and Design Thinking. They are also designed to support schools both with their service learning programmes as well as within the curriculum.
Take, for example, the Swiss International School in Qatar, which is a GSL Member School. Teachers use our framework of supported social action to enhance learning across the curriculum in art, design & technology, geography and Islamic studies. Their GSL Lead Teacher, Claire Olivier, has shared the impact this has had not just on achievement but also on student empathy skills and with inclusion throughout the school at TedX in Qatar last year.
The projects that students create through GSL give hope for the future as they show how much young people are willing to engage with difficult challenges and how creative they are with their solutions. They also demonstrate how students can design to solve problems in ways that stimulate learning and personal growth.
At Neerja Modi School in India, students developed 'Khet Mitra', a device that helps desert farmers diagnose the quality of their soil. The students developed skills and knowledge through their research, design and piloting, and engaged with farmers who benefited from the expertise shared. ‘Khet Mitra’ is being used by 50 farmers covering 150 acres of land. Closer to home the students are using it in their own school community garden which has led to an 8% month-on-month increase in microgreens production.
At the British International School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, students created the Precious Plastics Project to reduce plastic waste within their school community by recycling used items into 3D printer filament.
Similarly, the Green Team at Furze Platt Senior School in the United Kingdom crafted a 'Live Wall' with a dual purpose, to enhance biodiversity and positively impact mental health. This creative solution serves as an outdoor learning space, fostering a deeper connection with nature and its therapeutic benefits.
The young people shared, “This project has not only been helping our environment, but we also have had lots of fun. We are all learning new skills along the way; things that we would have otherwise not known how to do. These include being able to identify more new plants and discovering their properties and ways to care for them, having the ability to prepare the soil well and understand the correct timings to plant.”
The attributes fostered through these experiences -including empathy, resilience, and a passion for making a difference - are fundamental to success and wellbeing in our increasingly complex world. These are also the aspects of humanity that technology and AI lacks and we must foster. By creating ways for our young people to learn how to design and use technology with purpose, they can develop the crucial attributes they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
We have witnessed the transformative impact that initiatives like these can have on young people, as well as communities. However, not every student will have the opportunity to participate in such projects during their education. UCL research shows that schools intentionally striving to adapt for the future tend to operate outside of publicly funded systems.
It is therefore imperative that those in education and industry collaborate to advocate and support schools to implement and embed these types of activities, so that both young people and educators can reap the benefits, both within the classroom and beyond.
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