What we can learn from a child?
Everything!
I certainly learned everything after one day spent judging high school students who researched the industrial impacts on planet and people in under-developed parts of the world.
Students are supported by an industry advisory board who funds and staffs the two regional events. I was one of the IAB members representing Parents at Large.
The program has a parent, teacher and works with students from 5th grade to high school graduation ensuring and advocating students are attending the courses required for a four year university in STEM subjects. Underperforming schools and districts randomly assign courses without regard for A-G requirements. Parents have no way to dispute nor are they aware of the systemic challenges faced by districts serving low income students. Even if students get into the right courses, they are often not scheduled to take the SAT test (another university entrance requirement). Even advanced course students are not guaranteed they will be registered.
MESA Program statistics indicate many participants had the criteria to go into a 4 year university. Only a small percentage actually enrolled. One point of failure in these dismal outcomes pertains to the high school administration practice which only submits a small group for SAT Testing. Eliminating the remainder of eager students, with this one decision destroying the hopes and dreams of low income students. "You weren't submitted for the SAT, because you need to attend Community College" statement made to several advanced placement students. These students worked for years as participants in the MESA Program, completing annual robotics projects from grade 5 into their senior year of high school. Our future leaders could benefit from a different approach to higher education. Why is different so important? The point of failure mentioned above, is a systemic failure caused by failures in equality. The higher crime and homelessness are two direct outcomes or opportunities we can reverse if we allow students in our hardest to reach communities to earn a Six Sigma belt path in experience based learning. Replicate the MESA Schools projects in all hard to reach populations. Partnering Universities, public and private sector organizations financing the development of shared service centers.
Our youth have great potential and passion for understanding problems effecting their environments whether social, economic or cultural.
The only thing missing in today's contestants "having the access to accurate information which they can decipher into knowledge and the means to experience corrective action which should result in value based wisdom gained from experience."
Ideally, the wisdom shared in a free online visualization tool would be a means to leverage work done by academics and system thinkers. Progressive educators are using this tool to debate various topics of importance all over the world.
See debategraph
Climate change
http://debategraph.org/Stream.aspx?nid=610&vt=spacetree&dc=focus
Planet under pressure
http://debategraph.org/planet
London agenda on cyberspace
http://debategraph.org/Stream.aspxnid=121532&vt=spacetree&dc=focus
Prosperity without growth
http://debategraph.org/Stream.aspx?nid=32883&vt=spacetree&dc=focu
Thank you to all the students who allowed me to judge their wonderful speeches. It was a crash course in work I shared with LinkedIn group "System Thinking World" using Insight Maker.
