{"id":4670,"date":"2025-10-30T10:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T10:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gng.org\/?p=4670"},"modified":"2025-10-31T09:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T09:34:11","slug":"the-abcs-of-systems-change-redesigning-learning-with-youth-at-the-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/2025\/10\/30\/the-abcs-of-systems-change-redesigning-learning-with-youth-at-the-center\/","title":{"rendered":"The ABCs of Systems Change: Redesigning Learning with Youth at the Center"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKatie Cox\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Senior Program Manager, Global Nomads<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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New York, NY \u2014 October 30th 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Earlier this month, I had the joy of attending the Partner Learning Event for the <\/span>UP for Change Initiative<\/span><\/a>, a project of the International Youth Foundation with funding from the Oak Foundation. The event marked the culmination of a two-year participatory grant-making project in which neurodiverse youth leaders designed and implemented grant-making processes to support projects serving youth with learning differences. Among the projects selected for funding was our Content Creation Lab at Global Nomads, where a neurodiverse group of youth from 15 countries collaborated to create our latest free online course, <\/span>Neurodiversity, Leadership, and Belonging<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>

A recurring theme throughout the weekend, and one that continues to resonate with me, is the idea of <\/span>paradigm shifts<\/b>. Dr. Sydney Schaef, a learning sciences researcher and education designer, framed these shifts as essential for redesigning educational systems that honor every learner and catalyze real social transformation. (A <\/span>paradigm<\/b> is a shared set of beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape how we understand problems and decide what\u2019s possible. A <\/span>paradigm shift<\/b> is a fundamental change in how we understand and make sense of the world around us.) At our gathering, Schaef described three dominant paradigms that reinforce exclusion: social hierarchy, fixed intelligence, and the medical model of disability. In short, these paradigms assume that some people are more deserving of power than others, ability is innate and unchangeable, and differences are individual problems to be managed.<\/span><\/p>

Schaef contrasts these with what she calls the ABCs, three emergent paradigms that can guide inclusive system design: agency, belonging, and competence. <\/span>Agency<\/b> recognizes everyone\u2019s right to direct their own lives and share power. <\/span>Belonging<\/b> ensures that everyone is safe, valued, and able to contribute their unique gifts. <\/span>Competence<\/b> guarantees access to learning that supports growth and unlocks potential. <\/span>Paradigms are the most important leverage points for transforming complex systems.<\/b> At Global Nomads, we put these ABCs into practice to transform learning experiences for young people around the world.<\/span><\/p>

Agency<\/b> is at the heart of what we do. Our model is built on the belief that the learning, knowledge sharing, and solutions that will change the world must be created by youth, for youth. As Hamza, one of the youth grantmakers at UPforChange, reflected, \u201cWe are often told we are the tomorrow. You forget that we are also the leaders in the present. The problems we are experiencing, we are experiencing them now.\u201d Similarly, Clementina observed, \u201cYou can\u2019t make change for young people without young people in the room.\u201d We not only center agency in our theory of change, but also design learning experiences that support young people in developing agency and related outcomes like leadership, initiative, and action orientation. External evaluations of our programs\u2019 impact show statistically significant growth in these outcomes, both for youth course designers and for students engaging with our courses.<\/span><\/p>

Belonging<\/b> is equally central. Shuri, another UPforChange youth grantmaker, noted that \u201cthe solution at any level needs to come down to empathy, grace, humility, and understanding.\u201d Clementina challenged existing paradigms, remarking, \u201cWhoever created the box, I need to have a discussion with them,\u201d referring to systems that categorize people based on ability or other labels. At Global Nomads, we believe belonging is essential not just for individual growth but for transforming the world we have into the world we want. Our Content Creation Lab youth leaders begin each cohort by asking, \u201cHow do we create a program where everyone feels like they belong and can contribute?\u201d That question shapes everything\u2014from meeting formats to the content itself\u2014and ensures all participants can bring their full selves to the work.<\/span><\/p>

Finally, <\/span>competence<\/b> guides our approach to learning, from design to delivery. We engage youth in selecting course topics ranging from AI to climate justice, ensuring the learning addresses real, present-day challenges. Beyond content mastery, our programs cultivate future-ready skills that are increasingly crucial: collaboration, intercultural communication, adaptability, and critical thinking. Jackie, another youth grantmaker, spoke to how ready her generation is for this kind of learning : \u201cYoung people welcome new ideas. We are quick to adapt.\u201d At Global Nomads, we work to equip youth with the tools and support they need to build these competencies and thrive.<\/span><\/p>

Participatory grant-making, as the Up for Change Initiative demonstrates, validates the expertise of youth, and the need for solutions that center those closest to the problem. Youth grantmaker Samson noted, \u201cIf you don\u2019t let us help you decide [what to invest in], you\u2019ll end up funding around the problem,\u201d underscoring the importance of youth agency in shaping meaningful learning and solutions. We are honored that the UPforChange young leaders chose to invest in youth-driven leadership in the Content Creation Lab.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The ABCs of learning design remind us that when agency, belonging, and competence guide our work, we are not just supporting individual growth. We are seeding the transformative potential that can reshape systems and expand what\u2019s possible for all learners.<\/span><\/p>

Check out the course that our young designers created, thanks to the investment of\u00a0 the UP for Change initiative! Neurodiversity, Leadership, and Belonging that is free and available worldwide on our <\/span><\/i>NomadVerse platform.<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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IMAGE DESCRIPTION:<\/strong> Courtney Welsh, Kat McIntosh, and Katie Cox stand together for a photo at an Up For Change event. Courtney Welsh, on the left, the Chief Executive Officer, wears glasses and a neutral-toned striped outfit. In the center is Kat McIntosh, the Content Creation Lab Program Coordinator, wearing glasses and a brightly colored, patterned outfit. On the right, Katie Cox, the Senior Program Manager, wears a red sweater and glasses. The three individuals are holding a large photo frame with a blue border and an orange top that reads “CHANGEMAKERS<\/b>” and a hashtag on the bottom that says “#YouthLeadership<\/b>.” They are smiling broadly in front of a blue-green background that features the Up For Change logo and the text, “Youth leading, change unfolding! <\/b>End of Image Description.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York, NY \u2014 October 30th 2025 Earlier this month, I had the joy of attending the Partner Learning Event for the UP for Change Initiative, a project of the International Youth Foundation with funding from the Oak Foundation. The event marked the culmination of a two-year participatory grant-making project in which neurodiverse youth leaders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4670"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4701,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4670\/revisions\/4701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}