Rangatahi vision for a Kura of the Future
Te Taiwhanga Rangatahi (TTR) is our equity-led youth design lab helping business, central and local government understand rangatahi through rangatahi.
Over the last 12 months, TTR has been focussed on one big question: how might we increase the number of Māori and Pasifika rangatahi (young people) in high value green career pathways?
The work on this question has created a vision for what a Kura of the Future could look like, as one rangatahi participant described:
“…Bro, in like ten years’ time you’ll see students wanting to go to school and learn instead of having to go to school as an obligation.”
The Kura of the Future is a re-imagined secondary school connected to local tertiary providers and industry partners to make STEM fun and relevant and which also values indigenous mātauranga and pūrakau. To read more about the Kura of the Future, click here.
TTR approach – an indigenous design framework
Te Hautū Waka is the indigenous design framework used by TTR to navigate the design journey, along with other design tools that help them collaborate with rangatahi and pakeke.
This created spaces for rangatahi to share ideas with policymakers so they can act together on issues that matter to rangatahi, such as education, employment, and the environment.
While working on this design challenge, TTR’s Rangatahi Designers developed their own empathy interviewing skills with 20 interviewees, and facilitation skills in workshops with over 60 participants.
This culminated in two intergenerational workshops with young people and adults from across government, green and tech businesses, education sector and entrepreneurs, with more than 60 attendees at each workshop.
Rangatahi understanding the challenge, through rangatahi and pakeke
TTR found through research and interviews that:
Rangatahi in Aotearoa are not receiving relevant and up-to-date career advice as advisors in schools are often stretched for time and teachers are not necessarily connected or keeping up with the green and tech sectors to provide the advice.
Often culture and identity are not reflected in learning or the workplace which is not motivating or affirming for rangatahi.
When rangatahi can relate to teachers and pakeke, this has a profound influence on career direction and interest in learning.
Whānau often have ‘old school’ ways of thinking about careers so need to be brought on the journey too.
Rangatahi think high-value careers empower themselves, the community, and the environment.
Hands-on learning and incorporating indigenous knowledge into learning supports identity, making science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fun and relevant for rangatahi.
Finally, the research and intergenerational workshops built five ideas that could guide rangatahi into high value career aspirations, including supporting green/tech employers to access and engage with rangatahi and their whānau and transforming the way rangatahi figure out what they want to do and understand the options.
Five ideas to help rangatahi pathways into high value green careers
1. Miles Ahead – a digital platform that connects young people and their families with professionals in green technology fields.
2. Camp Utuutu – an immersion experience for STEM teachers that is run by kaumātua (Māori elders) and rangatahi.
3. Whakahara – a road trip experience for Year 9 and 10 rangatahi that exposes them to the possibilities and relevance of STEM.
4. Apoapo – a gathering space that brings together employers, career advisors, career services, and educators to pool and shape up internships, work experience, and apprenticeships for rangatahi to get excited about in green and tech industries.
5. Ako Anamata – an innovative approach to teaching and learning that allows students to choose real-world STEM-related challenges instead of traditional subjects.
The ideas are in their initial stages and TTR is working with stakeholders to prototype versions of these ideas in the real world and/or use them to amplify existing initiatives.
“I love this, please keep it up, because I want to see this change.”
– Rangatahi participant at a workshop.
For more information on these ideas, please contact:
Anne-Marie Mujica, Manager –Te Taiwhanga Rangatahi: anne-marie.muijca@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Sarah Sinnott, Manager – Youth Economy: sarah.sinnott@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz