By Peter Johnson, Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher
At PNA, we believe that kids learn best when what they study leads toward the creation of an authentic project. What is an authentic project? An authentic project has real world connections, and has a purpose beyond the task itself. An authentic project taps into intrinsic motivations rather than just external motivations such as grades. An authentic project means “students are doing work that is real to them — it is authentic to their lives — or the work has a direct impact on or use in the real world.” (https://www.edutopia.org/blog/authentic-project-based-learning-john-larmer)
What is a Changemaker?
In short, a changemaker is someone intrinsically motivated to affect change in the world. More specifically, a changemaker is someone who takes action to solve a social or environmental problem. Changemaking involves empathy, thoughtfulness, creativity, taking action and collaborative leadership.
What is The Changemaker Project?
Below is a video that will introduce you to the basics of the program.
Below is text from The Changemaker Project’s Linkin profile page that summarizes the program.
The Changemaker Project is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and cultivating the next generation of changemakers. We offer an online course to teach youth ages 13-24 about social and environmental justice issues, help them build innovative solutions to real-world problems. Each year, students all over the world join our program and compete to win funding for their projects at our Global Pitch event. Since our founding at the start of 2018, we’ve served nearly 1000 students in 23 countries.
The steps toward completing a Changemaker project begin with reflecting and setting goals, which occurred in October. Then, students explore a variety of social and environmental topics that provide examples of challenges in the world. Students are currently in the process of exploring a variety of challenges, including discrimination, inequality, health challenges, lack of safety, and environmental stewardship. After students are more aware of some of the challenges in the world, students begin to explore projects that they could undertake to make their community a better place. Overall, the process is designed to help students practice the following qualities: vision, confidence, initiative, empathy, and resilience.
Once students have created a proposal for their project in January, the submit their idea to a panel of philanthropists. If you’re interested in exploring previous projects, here is a link to last year’s finalists.
https://www.thechangemakerproject.org/2021projects
