Tag: young people

Why do humans find silos so attractive when they’re so claustrophobic?

She told me there was a meeting about collaboration. Looks like everyone else missed the memo

How many times have we read an article like this? Agriculture needs to break down silos, work with other industries, listen to different perspectives and collaborate to solve problems. I’ve been hearing it for decades.

I have enormous respect for the person behind this work, and I hope their research helps bring about meaningful change. Systems thinking has been around for close to a century, and we have learnt a great deal about the value of collaboration. The challenge is putting that knowledge into practice.

Agriculture has plenty of company. Governments, universities, businesses, charities and community organisations have been having the same conversations for years. We hold conferences, commission research and develop strategies. Then everybody goes home to their own organisation, their own budget and their own priorities.

What is it about human beings that makes us so good at identifying what needs to change and so reluctant to change how we behave?

We have built systems that reward individual and organisational success. We encourage people to become experts, compete for funding, protect their intellectual property and demonstrate why their organisation deserves support. Then we ask them to share knowledge, resources and decision-making with the very people they have been competing against.

After years of working with farming organisations, attending meetings, participating in workshops and watching the same conversations go round and round, I decided to put my energy into working with young people. I wanted to give them the skills, confidence and opportunities to be the change they wanted to see in the world.

I’ve watched students surprise themselves with what they can achieve when they have a problem worth solving, the freedom to ask questions and the opportunity to work with people who see things differently.

Change starts in our schools, where young people learn to listen, question, collaborate and solve problems together, before they inherit the habits that make change so difficult for the rest of us.

Much of our education system still revolves around individual achievement, subject boundaries and getting the right answer. We send those young people into workplaces where their success increasingly depends on their ability to work with people from different backgrounds, disciplines and organisations.

The Australian Farm Institute and AgriFutures are investing in systems thinking. The real test will come after the research is published and the workshops are finished. Who changes the way they work? Who shares a budget? Who invites somebody with a completely different perspective to help define the problem? Who is prepared to hand over responsibility when somebody else has a better idea?

What would happen if funding bodies measured collaboration by what organisations actually achieved together, rather than how many partnerships they listed in their applications?

And what would change if curiosity, communication and collaboration were given the same attention in schools as academic achievement?

I’ve learnt a great deal about changing my own behaviour over the years, including how I communicate and how much explanation people need. Old habits are remarkably persistent.

I hope this research gives people the confidence and encouragement to start doing some of these things differently.

I’ve found one. In Cowra, a neighbourhood centre that started in 1984 with $500 and volunteers in a church rectory now turns over around $5 million a year. Family support, youth work, disability programs, home maintenance, food relief and a volunteer group making burial clothing for stillborn babies all share one roof, one set of accounts and one leadership team. Council donates back the rent. Supermarkets donate food every day. Every program spends more of its money on people. I’ve written it up as a case study here.

I’m now working with a small group of people to see whether we can do the same in Kiama. We have a long way to go. Cowra shows us where to start.

If you’ve got a success story, I’d love to hear it.

 

If you’ve got a success story, I’d love to hear it.

Lynne Strong’s Call to Action for Us All to Give Young People Voice, Agency, and Hope

At the Ignite event on 5 September at the Berry School of Arts, every speaker gave us something to think about. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing highlights from each presentation. You can find the presentations as they are published here.

Lynne Strong took to the stage with a message that was as urgent as it was inspiring: young people may only be 20 percent of our population, but they are 100 percent of our future. They deserve an opportunity to help shape that future, not someday, but right now.

She spoke about how today’s generation is deeply aware of the crises around them, housing, climate, and cost of living. Many young people feel adults are not doing enough. Yet Lynne reminded us of the good news: young people also believe they can be part of the solution. That belief is powerful, and it is worth backing.

To thrive in the 21st century, Lynne argued, we need to equip young people not just with the traditional three Rs, but with the four Cs:

  • Critical thinking – asking the right questions to get to the root cause of problems

  • Creative thinking – imagining bold solutions

  • Collaboration – working with others to turn ideas into action

  • Communication – sharing visions with confidence and clarity

Drawing on her own experience as a farmer and educator, Lynne shared how her team designed programs that gave young people real purpose.

Lynne reminded us of Hugh McKay’s research that says

Young people want something to do

They want someone/something to care about

They want something to hope for

Secondary students were invited to tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, while primary school students were challenged to do the same. Their solutions were painted on life-sized fibreglass cows and giant koalas, bringing creativity, art, and action together.

The results were eye-opening. Primary school students consistently outperformed high schoolers.

By the time they reached secondary school, the difference was clear.

  • Student confidence fades.

  • Their creativity shrinks.

  • Their spark dims.

These observations are backed by research, and the reasons are multifaceted.

  • The pressure of the curriculum.

  • The challenges of adolescence and social conformity.

  • The way we reward right answers instead of bold ideas.

  • The way we sometimes silence young voices without even realising it.

But, Lynne reminded us, it does not have to stay that way. Young people are not waiting to be saved. They are waiting to be trusted. And when they are trusted, they rise. They lead. They inspire.

Her closing challenge was one we can all take to heart. Every time we design a program, guide a conversation, or make a decision about young people, we should ask ourselves:

  • Are we giving them something meaningful to do?

  • Are we helping them feel connected to people, place, and purpose?

  • Are we giving them a reason to hope?

When we answer yes, young people do not just join the story. They become the heroes of it.

“When trusted, young people rise. They lead. They inspire.”

#IgniteBerry #LynneStrong #YoungPeople #VoiceAndAgency #FutureLeaders #EducationInnovation #21stCenturySkills