TTT #30: "Change-makers: On Leading Paradigm Shifts"

Education can be a powerful tool. And yet, it can be completely the opposite for so many of us, considering the number of failures we face. But is it actually we who fail? Or is the educational system failing us as well? In this episode, Laura Hay brings out this perspective as she talks about the flawed industrial approach to education while expressing the need to think creatively.

She wants the system to encourage education as a tool that empowers us to harness our learning to create a real-world change, over being stuck in textbooks. She mentions a few interesting examples she saw during her journey, such as a group of students who designed a pen to make tasks easier for those with cerebral palsy.

She also touches on how empathy is not just a value that is derived from one’s home but a skill that can be cultivated by education. She stands for making empathy a part of school curriculums, and recognizes the need for schools to adopt empathy as a design tool in what they deliver.

A changemaker is someone who makes the personal decision for their lives to be part of the solution

As Laura reiterates this definition she encountered, she makes us pause and ponder. If we are all committed to a cause and can identify what we feel most passionate about, maybe we can make the decision to be changemakers ourselves too!