by Sayali Suppaya
Have you ever heard of the term Gen-Z? How does Gen-Z have the potential to make a massive and viral positive impact on their communities collectively? Will reshaping this generation's global mindset solve the world's most pressing issues?
Gen-Z is born between 1996 to 2010 and, in terms of technology and modernization, is moving faster than it is expected to, facing multiple global challenges on their path towards development.
Gen-Z's impact on the world can be described through the butterfly effect. The simple act of a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world can cause an entire storm to rile up somewhere else. Just like that, using small-simple approaches can have a massive influence on the generations to come.
'People Place Project,' recently interviewed WorldView, an educational enterprise, that focuses on experiential learning for Gen-Z, in an attempt to help the generation, build what they call, the 'Adaptive Capacity' of an individual. It refers to their ability to adapt to positively leverage opportunities in an ever-changing environment. Worldview envisions co-creating a knowledge society – one that constructs, shares, and uses knowledge for its people's prosperity and well-being. They firmly believe that such utopia can be achieved through mobilization of the Gen-Z, as these Gen-Z individuals have extensive potential to bring tangible change.
Over the past ten years, Worldview has delivered over 35,000 learning experiences across various programs in India, USA, Singapore, China, London, Korea, Spain, and Australia.
In todays time where most of us had or you can say are studying in four walled classrooms-Did you ever thought of outdoor learning experience. Here’s Worldview that came up with an approach of 'Destination Classrooms' to re-imagine cities as Classrooms for personal capacity development and for understanding real-world challenges. Worldview has been using this approach under its FutureSake Urban Sustainability program with modules in Singapore, Hyderabad, Bangalore and an upcoming module in Vienna. A suite of programs and initiatives leaning on this approach are currently in the world- including a challenge called the Cities of Tomorrow Challenge and the Destination Classrooms app.
NatureTurks is one such Environment Conservation focussed on learning initiative taken by WorldView. The programs of NatureTurks sensitize students about the adverse human impact on the environment as they equip them with relevant knowledge, skills & capacities to positively impact their immediate communities. All the learning programs of NatureTurks are practiced in Golden Boulder.
Set amidst the hills and boulders at Shapur village in Khilla Ghanpur Mandal, Worldview Institute of Learning & Leadership (WILL) at The Golden Boulder (TGB) campus offers a vibrant opportunity to explore several outdoor elements. This 60-acre outdoor learning campus is skirted with farms, nature trails, Khilla Ghanpur (a 13th-century fort), and is close to the Nallamala forest Koilsagar Dam and the Koilkumda Fort.
The Campus design itself allows students to connect with soil and the place. The campus is designed on a contour; it involves open, semi-open spaces such as a gathering space under a tree, Bell Cafe, Taxila Nalanda, Darbar, Outdoor classrooms, Bawadi (wells), Tents and lot of open spaces which include adventures activities such as Hiking, Scrambling, Caving, and Rappeling/Ziplining. There are specific names given to the spaces, as explained by the CEO Sampreeth Reddy- the reason behind this is to drive students' curiosity towards the ancient spaces. In the campus library, they have provided books that could help students to know about Taxila Nalanda and many more.
Other than adventure activities, they allow students to learn survival skills through a hands-on learning experience in which students learn to cook food as people did in the old age. They also allow local artisans in their program; for example, the activity of pottery making allows local artisans from a Kumbhar Community to teach students traditionally. The artisans converse in the local language, which might bring in the language barrier, but it doesn't occur here as students and the artisans understand each other through actions. In our Indian terms 'Bhavnaye Samajna' said Arun Raj CPO of worldView.
On being asked about the source of inspiration that led to the creation of such a learning experience, WorldView explained it by adding an anecdote- The Indian subcontinent has been among the most progressive places since the days of early civilization. The Indus-Valley settlements were the largest and most developed among ancient civilizations. It was the first school of knowledge. They lived in large and well-planned cities with bustling markets, essential ports, Institutions of arts & culture, and health centres. Their cities also had a fully developed underground sewage management system. Local Governance was encouraged by well-defined municipalities and civic bodies in the cities. Agriculture, Mining, and Trade were among the major activities at the Valley, which flourished even before the ancient empires of Mesopotamia and Tigris.
It is intriguing that over 5000 years ago, there was such a high degree of sophistication and reasoning. A little investigation reveals the backbone of such advancement in thought and culture – an evolved and dynamic approach to learning. The system then employed a far more sensible approach to the potential of the human mind. Learning was seen as a soul in progression. The focus was on making one more aware, conscious, and productive by working on various skills, knowledge, and the ability to think. The system valued each human being's uniqueness and sought to realise the full creative power and potential within. The Infrastructure, Teaching Methods, and other aspects of Learning delivery evolved in tandem with the progress. This glorious period in history is our inspiration to approach Learning on new lines, or maybe, not so new ones.
Problem that they address: The heavy academic & the recent technology revolution of the educational system are tuned to develop knowledge absorption & retention in a world in which Knowledge itself has become obsolete. There is a wide and deep chasm in between educational systems - (infrastructure, thought and tech) and the real-world - (Market & the Society). The former is not at pace or in sync with the latter in many areas, which is making this approach less effective. This dichotomy that exists in our society today of having a high number of educated people but a terribly insufficient number of inspired individuals, institutions and organization that are capable and equipped to solve the various issues that exist needed to be bridged. This in a big way inspired the founding of Worldview.
Other than Natureturk program WorldView, has also collaborated with Coca-Cola, and hosted a Water Stewardship Program where 280 water stewards from 13 schools came together to influence 22800+ Students to champion the cause of water. The program has the potential to conserve and recycle 4.5 million+ litres of water across these schools. The program was designed to actively engage the students in finding solutions to the challenge’s humanity faces in global communities. By the end of the program, students understood the problem of water scarcity. They came up with different solutions after a lot of brainstorming, which they plan to execute in their daily lives, starting from their schools.
Further talking about Sustainability, the students were inspired to take up the initiative post participation in Worldview Education's FutureSake program.
On18th September 2019, in an attempt to raise awareness about plastic pollution, especially among marine life and take a sustainable approach towards resolving it, students from Sri Sri Academy in Kolkata have made the best of plastic waste accumulated in their school axioms. As part of their 'Trash Installation' initiative, the students have installed a dolphin statue made entirely of plastic and a vertical garden within the school premises. The installation titled 'Dolphin in Peril.' It took them almost a month to complete the installation. The installation became an ironic reminder that the material used to depict marine life is the very thing that is snuffing the life out of the oceans.
Having created the installation to raise awareness, the students also wanted to demonstrate a unique idea for solving the used plastic problem. Over 400 middle-school students participated in an activity involving old plastic bottles to build a vertical garden in the school corridors. As part of the FutureSake program, some of the students also visited an urban-farming centre in Singapore, and that brief immersion was enough to pique their curiosity to come back and implement this project !!
Mr. Sampreeth Reddy Samala, the CEO of WorldView, says, "It was heart-warming to witness the students at Sri Sri Academy take an enthusiastic stance and initiative post participation in our program. Through our program, we want to trigger curiosity and a creative thought process among Gen-Z to solve the challenges of building Sustainable Habitats, and these are great examples of students using their learning to create awareness and take action. This is only the first step, and we hope these young students take on bigger challenges and solve them. We believe Gen-Z can influence large scale change by participating in global issues and transforming their schools, homes & communities into Primary Engines of Societal Change." He said in his interview with 'Startup success stories.'
#changemakers in place-making series
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