Transported image. [https://www.ochspioneers.org/sites/default/files/imageattachments/wysiwyg/curriculum_handbook_2021-2022_small.png source]

This was intended as a mini See the Systems Trial. Actually it was a mini Map the System exercise, compressed into 4 half days (first cohort) or 2 half days (2nd cohort).

The participants were students who were classified as "disengaged" about to move up to High school. Research shows that kids who are disengaged at this age do not grow at high school.

Originally I suggested to TM (my connection) at [https://innovateoregon.org/ Innovate Oregon] that this is the system we should be mapping. Why are these kids disengaged from school? What are they engaged in?

The week was the 2nd week of a 2 week program organised by IO for OCHS ([https://www.ocsd62.org/district/community-mission-vision Oregon City High School].) The whole was framed as a "Challenge DiG". TM has created what he calls a "Scrambler DiG" and this was the first week. see [http://bridgeguide.fed.wiki/view/welcome-visitors pull Bridge Guide Wiki]for more info.

The pattern for the Challenge DiG is captured here: [[OCHS Bridge Systems]]

During the Challenge the teams chose a local system of focus (topics ranged from bullying, to street art, to school curriculum, to engagement at school, to power structures in society, to composting to ableism). And then were guided through a process to map their system as a CLD, identify leverage points and present a project to community members.

Learning

• Doing it virtually
• Cramming it into 2 half days
• Working through teachers/guides
• Working through super-guides
• Evaluation

Virtual Delivery

The intention had been that I would lead the challenge in person. Unfortunately I was not allowed into the USA due to Covid restrictions. This meant that we had to work out how to deliver this with me being virtual. I learnt that beside good internet connections and technology, I need someone to be my body (legs and hands) in situ. I also need guides who are sensitive to my needs...who can be my eyes and share what they see (images). The whatsapp chat was a massive aid too.

Cramming

Due to the heatwave in Oregon, the school was closed for the first two days of the 2nd cohort. This meant we had to rejig the program and cram it into 2 days. We did this by severely cutting the play time. This lead to issues with concentration on the first day. The 2nd day saw them re-engaged, maybe due to the tight deadline (something which always helps to focus my mind!) I learnt that it is possible to cram but it is not ideal!

Guides

We gave the teacher/guides no pre-sight of the Challenge DiG approach. This meant that they were digesting the material at the same time as the students. In other words, they were learners. As often happens, some students got it quicker than the adults. Some guides struggled with this.

They also realised that we were driving in a wedge. Early on they reported back that the students were asking if this is what school was going to be like from September on return....and of course the guides said it wouldn't be. By the end the teachers had changed and were musing why couldn't school be like that. Progress!

On the 2nd cohort the guides were more familiar with the approach but seemed jaded overall to me after 4 weeks. I wonder whether the guides had experienced a scrambler dig before?

Super Guides

On cohert 2 we had the additions of Kavita and Nick, who together with Thompson were christened super-guides.

On day one we experimented with me purely interacting with them. I did not interact with any students. This did not work well and I think led to some of the disengagement. We addressed this on day two and got a helper, Mary Beth, to take me around. I think this had a big impact...that they were important enough that an expert from overseas was paying attention to them.

Evaluation

We decided to keep the evaluation simple and created just 3 questions:-

• Do you feel that what you are learning in school is important to you?
• Do you feel that you have special gifts that are appreciated by others?
• Do you feel like you can make a difference in the world?

The questions were posed before the scrambler DiG and again after the challenge DiG.

On the first cohort the number of respondents were down from 53 to 43 at the start of the Challenge DiG. We need to understand the reasons for this. This also created issues evaluating as there was no means of identifying the 43 final respondents in the 53 originating respondents. Unfortunately, due to other priorities, this was not addressed for the 2nd cohort.

Given these caveats, there was a change in the %age of students reporting that they felt confident that others valued their gifts from 20.8% to 32.6%. And confident in effecting change from 9.4% to 16.8%

On the 2nd cohort we started with xx and finished with yy respondents.

Outcomes

• kids
• community members
• teachers
• Thompson
• Me

In future I would want to explicitly evaluate all stakeholders: students; teachers, parents, community members and super-guides.

Community Retro

Here are some sound bites in response to various questions: What surprised you?

• How many had concrete plans and intended to follow through
• feeling their excitement ..they were jazzed
• impressed at how well they talked to adults
• how self aware and articulate they were
• their preparedness to share their vulnerability and their experiences
• how kids understood education as key to change
• surprised at topics and strategies -upset issues have been caused by us and embarrassed at why haven't we done anything
• how their passion outweighed their fear of presenting
• good that we adults are rooting for them
• they are talking about topics i didn't learn about until college

What delighted you?

• xxxx

Way Forward

• In change projects of any kind it is important to keep momentum. It is the summer recess and learning could be lost if practice is not kept up.
• Students will be demoralised if their projects aren't taken seriously. some of the projects are within the influence of the school...how can we advance these?
• How will the teachers use what they have learnt in their day to day work? Could they ask their students to map the system that is a topic in history, geography, biology etc? How can I help to make this happen?
• How does the client, Stacy, plan to use this going forward?
• There is the potential for the teams/projects to enter See the Systems and also be a founding chapter of ChangeourWorld.Club.

YOUTUBE 0IMsOh8gsLU xxxxxx