Can the school be a place that empowers every voice, that grows ideas and ignites the desire to transform the school environment together? We believe this is possible.
Change, however, does not happen overnight: the school is transformed when all the people who experience it on a daily basis, particularly the students, are actively and responsibly involved, with an integrated approach that also involves the educating community. Giving a voice to all students is essential for designing a school environment that meets their needs and addresses the challenges of early school leaving.
In this context Empirica started a workshops based on the Appreciative Inquiry, a method that focuses on the identification and enhancement of positive situations, experiences and practices experienced at school, rather than on problems. This participatory process invites students to explore their positive experiences, even those that are circumscribed, spontaneous and informal; and starting from these it is expected to co-design concrete solutions that amplify, structure and make these dynamics repeatable.
The path is developed in four methodological phases:
- Discovering: students are guided to identify and bring to light experiences and practices that already work in the school, even in small everyday actions, as a basis for change;
- Dreaming: time to explore possible worlds, imagining how these experiences can grow and transform, shaping a shared future;
- Designing: the emerging insights are moved into concrete solutions, designed by the students to improve their experience at school;
- Realising (Delivering): the designed solutions are put into practice, monitoring progress to ensure that the change is lasting, inclusive and accessible to all.
The school we dream of is not a utopia, but a reality that is built step by step. Many schools have already chosen to start this journey with us. Every step counts, every voice builds the future.
