What kind of attitude is needed to make change happen? “We all know that mindset is everything, we know that from our own experience and from the young people we have the privilege to teach”, HundrED Academy Member Hsuieh Dean Lee opens with.
Catalina Gonzalez, founder of Literacy4All, offers a bold and inspirational response: “I’m going to say three very bad words, so be advised. Being intolerant, being impatient, and being naive."
"Three things we’ve learned to be bad, but let me explain. Be intolerant about the inequality that exists in the world. That children are not able to learn and read and write, today when we are talking about digital literacy and digital skills.
“Be impatient at the pace of change. When we say ‘in 2030 all children will have quality education’, how can we wait for that? There are children that need us now.”
“Be naive, because if we think about the magnitude of challenges involved in doing any of the things we do, with the communities we work with, we will never move.”
“Think big, for sure, but don’t forget how important the small is. Yes, it starts with us, but it’s also that child, that parent, that teacher. So think big, but don’t forget how important the small is”
“My insights have come from the interviews I’ve had with many of the innovators here, really understanding what they’re doing and what attitudes they have,” says Jessica Spencer-Keyse, Researcher at HundrED. “I’ve seen some common factors. The first is to listen and put the power of the need into action, it’s the ability to be adaptive, flexible. To harness the power of the community and evolve and weave this all together.”
“Secondly, there’s a lot of difficulty about how innovators can collect research and evidence, but those working at impact and scale find a smart way to incorporate data-driven insights into what they do. That doesn't have to mean a cumbersome five-year-long study. It can be taking notes during interviews and coming back to your team and reflecting. It can be collecting stats from surveys, this really helps innovators communicate their ideas and make informed decisions, but also to get funding, which is vital to creating the change we need to see.”
Oliver Percovich, the founder of Skateistan which brings skateboarding and education to out of school children in Afghanistan, reminds us of the importance of humility. “Be open and good at listening and don’t think that you know it all. We know very little and there's so much that we can learn. We need to remember that.”
Watch the full video to hear how to make change happen at scale, how to embody the change that needs to happen and the importance of self-care for changemakers.
Like what you've heard so far? Find a playlist of videos from the HundrED Summit here.
