… lasting, rocksolid positive worldview change on youth, power of youth, of student clubs at school, of human goodness, of our collective capacity to overcome challenges.

Important: only tangible solutions – projects (not protests, waiting for national government to pay someone to fix things, despairing because they don’t, while our people, animals, plants and dreams go extinct) that are proven, memorable, feasible, and changemakers are available as speakers – that is of high value for youth.   

Another important worldview change and realization: Our teachers, journalists and civic organizations don’t even know that these youth and solutions exist – they have little to nothing to teach us – we learn from hero:ines themselves, solutions exist en masse, and we know where to find them.

This comes with responsibility that we learn and wield them. Because – repeat – adult generations lack knowledge, heart and TIME to wield them. 

Making change is about “practice” and like in sports and music, it is the “enjoying the moment, movement and vibes” that makes you CHOOSE to make it part of your life. 

Youth hardly ever can make relevant contributions to adult society. Blablabla awareness on SDGs, climate, recycling, harassment; boring. Here, youth impact real lives and land, YL platforms, and the LearnSpace exhibit. To feel like changemakers, students must make impact. Not an exercise, but for real! And to make it for for newbies, one chooses classic causes, rockstar partners, common sense milestones and simple swift actions. Add the question “how much XYZ impact can you make if you engage your entire school’s peers and parents, their workplaces, three more schools, and the citizenry via news media?” The number is wow, the steps simple, the project feasible. This tangible high impact vision makes fired up youth follow up. And that’s the aim.

Today’s Einsteins, Gandhis and Gryffindores do not hide behind pedestals, masks, impenetrable gates or put on a show. These one and only truly genius and important people are huggable, accessible, with people, and jump to help those who care, especially youth. That is precisely how your hero:ine youth are to be. Themselves, joyful, helpful.

To feel excited and confident like changemakers, your students shall get the real experience, and also that , and casualness of being available at any time in the field, in far away ‘exotic’ location,s feel the grit, friendly heart, vibe of project partners. This strongly amplifies a feeling of bond and care and motivation to help, right now, and also later, with bigger impact to get real things done and see their new hero:ine friend happy.

We need youth to know, feel, enjoy and remember what it’s like to “play this sport”. This includes enjoying first moves, experiencing the “essence”, first progress and success, the common sense of celebration and Hi5s. Then, an idea of how to evolve, how to acquire skills, to make more spectacular moves and score bigger goals. And that this process is compelling!

To think like changemakers, youth need to make the transfer to their own life, to feel that it is possible. To see like changemakers, it is important that youth re-discover their environment and detect existing allies, spaces for action, potential allies and more. Both these experiences of course come with feelings, exciting and complementary to those felt in earlier stages. This step to active self-empowerment and forming alliances, momnentum and decision for follow-up should be taken right here, while the group is together in a mood of shared priorities, passion and tickle of joy for action. It’s magic only once. Do it!

To feel competent, appreciated, welcome and part of the Changemaker Family Tribe, we need to give youth proof that their activities are worthy of presentation alongside their hero:ine peers’.

You get not only to watch and scribble into the guest book as usual, but – as they act like youth leaders and do hero:ine stuff –  they get to co-design the exhibits content, both the local as well as the global set of YL Media for use in LearnSpaces and educational programs with our global user tribe!

This experience is also an exercise in sharing their story in news and newsletters to form bonds with professional allies, grow reach, impact, community and fun. It’s all in service to the Changemaker Learning Experience.

To feel that they gain relevant skills, expeirence and competences of value to their paths in education, higher education and employment, youth need tangible, memorable proof in their CV.

need to receive a lasting artefact of awesomeness that conveys solid feeling of having manifested something relevant, they are seen and appreciated by us hero:ines, take this home for their CV … and they know they can earn dozens more.

This is a very precious step for follow-up and collaboration with teachers and stakeholders to cultivate a culture of Experiential Learning through youth-led high impact projects, engaging 1,000s of youth in years to come.