Kiran Bir Sethi teaches kids to take charge

TL;DR

This talk explores how the "I Can" mindset can be contagious and empower children to create positive change in their communities, leading to improved academic performance and a sense of purpose.

Transcript

Contagious is a good word. Even in the times of H1N1, I like the word. Laughter is contagious. Passion is contagious. Inspiration is contagious. We've heard some remarkable stories from some remarkable speakers. But for me, what was contagious about all of them was that they were infected by something I call the "I Can" bug. So, the question is, wh... Read More

Key Insights

• 🦠 The "I Can" bug is contagious and can be consciously cultivated to empower individuals to make positive change.
• 🏫 Blurring the boundaries between school and life and embedding learning in real-world contexts increases student well-being and competence.
• 📚 Riverside children outperform the top 10 schools in India in math, English, and science, proving that empowering children leads to academic success.
• 🌟 Riverside school successfully spread their "I Can" mindset to the city of Ahmedabad, transforming it into India's first child-friendly city.
• 🌍 The "I Can" bug can be spread to a larger scale by empowering more children and giving them the tools to make a difference in their communities.
• 🎨 Encouraging children's ideas and beliefs can lead to innovative solutions and positive social change, such as stopping child marriages and promoting literacy.
• 🔥 Passion, energy, and excitement are infectious and can inspire others to take meaningful action.
• 🇮🇳 In a country of over 1 billion people, it is up to the people of India to embrace the "I Can" mindset and spread it to all 200 million children in the country.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Riverside School promote the "I Can" mindset in children?

Riverside School promotes the "I Can" mindset by embedding learning in real-world contexts and blurring the boundaries between school and life. This allows children to experience the process of "aware," "enable," and "empower," leading to increased competence, well-being, and academic success.

Q: How did Riverside School demonstrate the effectiveness of their approach to parents?

Riverside School provided conclusive data to parents, showing that when children are empowered with the "I Can" mindset, they not only do good but also perform exceptionally well academically. In a national benchmarking assessment, Riverside children outperformed the top 10 schools in India in math, English, and science.

Q: How did Riverside School extend their impact beyond their own institution?

On Independence Day in 2007, the children of Riverside School set out to infect Ahmedabad, urging the city to recognize the potential in every child. Their efforts led to the designation of Ahmedabad as India's first child-friendly city, with regular street closures to create playgrounds for children.

Q: How did Riverside School inspire children across India to take action and create change?

Riverside School designed a toolkit and reached 32,000 schools in India, empowering 100,000 children to say "I Can." These children took on challenges and developed solutions for a wide range of problems, demonstrating that when adults believe in children and provide them with opportunities, they can create positive change in their communities.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker shares his personal experience of being infected by the "I Can" bug as a student and how it inspired him to create a school that nurtures this mindset in children.

• Learning embedded in real-world contexts and blurring the boundaries between school and life allows children to go through a journey of "aware," "enable," and "empower."

• Riverside School's approach has led to increased student well-being, competence, and academic success, as shown by their outperformance in national benchmarking assessments.