It is becoming increasingly clear that the needs of the twenty-first century ‘learner’ demands new approaches to ‘learning’. Today, student success requires skills for collaboration, creativity, compassion, and problem solving.  There is an urgent need to prepare our young people to both navigate an unknown and complex future. They need to believe that they have the skills to shape their own character, life skills and can positively impact the life of others around them. 

Design thinking is one of the ways we can address this need.  We have witnessed that with this simple thinking process, children have taken ownership of their learning and cultivate a human-centered, collaborative and optimistic mindset.  We have incorporated this methodology in a variety of programmes, from learning research techniques for an IPW project, Values-in-Action programmes, Life Skills and also Leadership workshops.  

It is this optimism that is needed in education today, and it is a process that can be consciously nurtured and energised if we want all our children to graduate with the ‘I CAN’ mindset.

Not by chance. By Design.