In 2015, an organization called GripTape began a new experiment to see what would happen if young people were put in the driver’s seat of their own learning. GripTape’s most recent learning report details the results of this bold experiment, among which are the following outcomes:
- Youth experience a powerful and sustained transformation in their mindsets, skills and behaviors.
- Youth engage in new thinking and new agency around the types of learning experiences that they want and work to create in their lives.
- Young people are significantly more aware of available learning opportunities they find meaningful and relevant and are more likely to seize these opportunities.
- Young people described feeling empowered to go after what they want to learn and are willing to create avenues to pursue these areas if opportunities don’t already exist.
- Since the Challenge, youth feel more empowered to use their voice and actively shape their learning activities.
- Youth report taking action to inspire others at school, in their family, or in the community to demand and pursue more authentic learning experiences.
- Youth experience a marked increase in their self-confidence, particularly regarding how they approach learning in and out of school.
- Young people also credit their GripTape experience with increasing their self-awareness about their learning, including their passions, preferences, and capacity.
- Young people note significant increases in their competence and use of specific skills needed to successfully practice agency, especially around self-regulation of their learning experiences.
To read more about GripTape and the promise of youth agency, see http://griptape.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-Learning-Report.pdf
