Amplifying Student Voice with Learning Creates

YLab partnered with Learning Creates Australia and PwC to empower young people to shape their own learning experiences by gathering data and testing prototypes in schools across Australia.

THE CHALLENGE

Australia’s education system can often lack inclusivity and sensitivity to the needs of students, hindering the success of young people when transitioning from school to further education, training, or employment.

A problem exists in Australia with equitable access to quality education and there is a disparity in opportunities afforded to students depending on their socioeconomic background. Additionally, the dominance of academic recognition systems such as the ATAR disadvantages some young people in demonstrating their capabilities, thereby limiting their post-school pathways. Young people’s knowledge, skills and abilities can go unrecognised, leading to a lack of agency in their education.

These problems underscored the need for a new approach to education that values and formally recognises students' unique talents, skills, and capabilities to provide them with better prospects for meaningful employment.

WHAT WE DID

In 2021 we partnered with Learning Creates and the Impact Assembly at PWC to recruit, train and embed a cohort of 19 young people between the ages of 15–21 years to co-design solutions and test prototypes. The prototypes produced addressed the issue of a lack of recognition of young people’s knowledge and skills in education settings. Acting as agents on the ground, this cohort of young people (Community Associates) gathered data from their peers and tested prototypes in their schools across Australia.

The Community Associates were trained in facilitation and co-design methodologies and were involved in weekly co-working sessions to plan and build prototypes based on the needs of their peers. In addition to the Community Associates, we engaged over 1000 young people through surveys, focus groups, workshops, and interviews.

THE IMPACT

By using their lived experience of the education system, young people were given a voice that shaped the project directly. YLab provided a platform for young people to be involved in systems change, empowering them to shape their own learning experiences.

We remained agile in our approach and opted for tailored and responsive training. In addition to this, relationship building and regular feedback sessions allowed us to learn from each other and continuously improve everyone’s experience of the program. The Community Associates were able to be involved in ways that suited them, contrary to the experience of many in the education system.