Leading Societal Transformation in Education and Learning
Five u.lab-S teams build ecosystems of learning in England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Venezuela
In June, the Presencing Institute concluded its first annual delivery of u.lab-S: Societal Transformation, a global initiative in which 300 teams from 35 countries are simultaneously tackling social challenges using collective systems mapping and design processes.
In July, we shared headlines from five teams leading transformative work. In October, we’re featuring clusters of stories about teams working on the acupuncture points of climate and nature and leadership and governance. This week, we explore the acupuncture point of education and learning, and spotlight teams that are working to transform education systems worldwide.
Hawkwood Center for Future Thinking
England
Hawkwood Center for Future Thinking is an educational charity providing courses and trainings for farmers and community members in the Cotswolds. Hawkwood also rents out its space to organizations and green businesses in the local town of Stroud (home of Extinction Rebellion) and beyond. The organization offers a range of creative and inspiring courses that focus on movement and creativity through yoga, poetry, storytelling, classical music, woodwork, blacksmithing and embroidery.
Through participating in u.lab-S, Hawkwood conducted interviews with a variety of stakeholders, including values-based bankers and youth working to combat climate change. The interviews yielded prototypes for building more inclusive spaces.
Burren College of Art
Ireland
A committed team of three working through the Burren College of Art on Ireland’s Atlantic coast convened a microcosm of the Irish education system for a three-day symposium. The symposium catalyzed a process of collectively building a creative education system in Ireland: the Teaching Council launched a prototype event that will convene parents, teachers, and students to discuss the education system they want. The team is also working to win a political commitment from the Government for a Citizens Assembly around designing an education system for the 21st Century.
Project Híkola
Venezuela
Since 2017, Project Híkola has used Theory U to promote U change agents in Venezuela, contributing to the transformation of conscience, entrepreneurship, innovation and the reconstruction of the social field. Over 70 prototypes have emerged from this training. One of them began in May 2019, in which Professors María Antonieta Angarita of the Híkola team, and Nancy Gutiérrez, member of the Híkola community, with the support of Professor María Natalia Ochoa, coordinator of the English Department of Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela, facilitated a conversation workshop for English learners, “Powerful Conversations.” The workshop encouraged reflective dialogues through Theory U. In a country facing political, social and economic disruption, Híkola Village is growing day by day as a part of a global community of change agents around the world.
Zurich Retreat
Switzerland
The Zurich Retreat brings together practitioners of holistic health, organizational development, conscious leadership, social innovation, and sustainable living. The retreat is an incubator and testing site for co-created solutions, new knowledge, and transformative experiences. Through u.lab-2x, a team of volunteers made substantial progress on a three-year project to launch a “Transformative Learning Center for Societal Transformation.” The initiative will go live in 2020 and create a vibrant educational ecosystem that will support people to understand societal challenges and take action. The experiential center also serves as a model where new societal approaches can be prototyped.
University of Applied Sciences of Bochum
Germany
Through their participation in u.lab-2x, a diverse team of 13 students and teachers from various universities supported the transformation and digitization of a bachelor-level class, Education for Sustainable Development, at the University of Applied Sciences of Bochum, Germany. The team’s main goal was to prototype an educational space where deeper-level learning is possible. They walked with about 80 students face-to-face through a U-journey using journaling methods, listening tools, and mindfulness exercises.
We invite you to join us for u.lab-2x, a capacity-building program that runs from February to May 2020 and is part of the larger annual cycle called Societal Transformation Lab. Together, we’re designing and building a global eco-system for profound societal and civilizational transformation.
As a first step, consider joining u.lab-1x, a massive open online course (MOOC) that runs from September to December 2019 and takes participants on a journey from sensing and connecting to deeper sources of knowing to generate powerful prototype ideas.
