Welcome to our special series about shifting to a more student-lead ecosystem! Usually we take the month of July off, but this year we’re going to re-examine episodes with the theme of empowering students and communities to determine their own needs and successes.

In today’s episode, Kavita Tanna, founder of Global Reconnect, speaks about our interconnectedness, not just as human beings, but as creatures on this planet. She weaves together strength-based approaches, sustainable ownership, and care for the environment.

The more we understand our interconnectedness, the more we can make decisions as a community of individuals.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• Why strength-based conversations are critical
• How students can learn with empowered dignity, sustained ownership, and cultivated relationships
• The power of connecting with each other around the question of what it means to be a human being

Resources:

• Learn more at globallyreconnect.org
• Connect with Kavita on LinkedIn
• "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling
• "Start with Joy" by Katie Cunningham

Produced by NOVA Media

Humans think in story. Story is not just a way to connect with others, it’s how we connect to ourselves and how we navigate our world. At Just Bloom School, adults and children learn how to tap into their innate story-telling abilities to develop creativity and resilience. Head educator Sarah Lagrotteria joins us today to tell us more.

Sarah has trained Special Ops members, business leaders, and third graders in how to think in story to come up with creative problem-solving solutions. She gives us an example of how she has kids come up with a kind of “Pokemon card” for someone who thinks differently than them, and then asks the kids to solve problems thinking like that person.

Sarah explains that the ongoing practice of story-based creativity leads to significant results in individuals’ self-efficacy and resilience. Individuals feel confident that they can come up with several different solutions to fix a problem rather than giving up after one.

We discuss how this kind of creativity education can be integrated in schools, afterschool programs, and summer camps.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• Story as a mode of thinking
• Developing creativity from story-based thinking
• How creativity increases resilience

Resources:

• Sign up for the Bloom & Grow Newsletter
• Contact Sarah at Just Bloom

Produced by NOVA Media

The traditional educational ecosystem is not built to reflect kids’ lived experiences and development. It has almost arbitrary divisions: School, after school, and summer; school districts and nonprofits; test scores and behavior. Byron Sanders and Big Thought want to change that ecosystem.

Big Thought is a Dallas-based organization that creates youth programming, convenes other educational organizations, and consults on best practices. Through experiential learning, they provide kids from marginalized communities the opportunities they need to identify and pursue their passions, build 21st skills, and exercise their agency.

Byron explains everything in terms of an ecosystem: How direct youth feedback of programs eventually impacts systems change, how creating more opportunities for youth changes the way they interact with the current system, etc. How he talks about our field might just change the way you look at everything.

To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org

We unbox:

• How youth’s program feedback should inform advocacy for systems change
• Why skills should supplement grades
• Understanding the education as an ecosystem

Resources:

• Learn more at BigThought.org
• Read “Ecosystems for the Future of Learning” report commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Produced by NOVA Media