Agency: Enabling Voice To Drive Cultural Change

Christina Luzi - Kaleidoscope Movement

St John XXIII Catholic College | Stanhope Gardens, NSW

Our country is in one of the biggest moments of social change, with our workplaces becoming increasingly complex as we navigate the differing value systems of Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z, in the world of education this challenge becomes increasingly complex as our key stakeholders Gen Alpha bring another dimension to the table.

One of the biggest challenges we face as educators is the way that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are perceived by society. In their most recent 2024 Trends report, McCrindle highlighted that nearly 50% of their participants perceived Gen A and Gen Z as “superficial, selfish, fragile, materialistic and entitled”. I know the educators who were in the room with me as these statistics were shared were challenged by these perspectives. How do we combat these opinions and highlight the great power and perspective our young people have?

At St John XXIII Catholic College in Stanhope Gardens NSW, we have sought to work alongside our students to co-create learning environments and community experiences that give our learners genuine autonomy and agency of their educational experience. Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes organisations (including education) make is giving “voice” to their stakeholders. For a long time, we sought feedback and suggestions from our students and found that we were left to try and implement the changes they identified or were unable to execute them due to resourcing or plausibility. While we were trying to empower them, all we did was give their opinions weight and ourselves the workload.  A quick “shift” in our perspective allowed us to change this dynamic and place the responsibility on our learners, we no longer gave them a “Voice” we sought  “Agency” which is the responsibility to raise ideas and then execute them.

To change a workplace culture you need to see differently, think differently, and act differently. In the world of education, this is challenging all the hidden rules which enable us to continue doing things we have always done. It is developing skills to ask beautiful questions that are provocative and challenge and open up the possibilities instead of seeking to reduce them. It requires one to understand how to define problems and reframe solutions. Our workshop introduced these creative practices and methods and gave educators the tools to go back to their communities to disrupt the current education system.

If you are a passionate educator who is tired of trying to navigate the complexity of our work with the current tools in your tool kit, you need to prepare yourself to think differently. Start by buying a ticket to the Future of Education Summit, start by listening to our podcast The Kaleidoscope Movement, and set yourself and your community up to enable the change we all know is already here.

About The Author:

Christina Luzi stands as an enthusiastic and forward-thinking educator, deeply committed to cultivating empowered communities through autonomy and agency. As Head of the School, she collaborates closely with her student and staff leadership teams, orchestrating an environment that nurtures individual flourishing. With a resolute focus, Christina and her dedicated cohort challenge the conventional, dismantling linear educational paradigms and defying entrenched norms that hinder progress. Their collective endeavor is to forge educational institutions that adeptly equip our youth to confront the intricate, interconnected, and ever-evolving challenges of the future.

Beyond her role, Christina takes on the mantle of Co-Host for the Kalidescope Podcast (accessible on Spotify and Apple Podcasts under CLC Media), driven by an equal zeal to revolutionize the system by amplifying the voices within it. Armed with a master's degree in Creative Intelligence and Strategic Innovation, she wields a potent arsenal of tools and a visionary perspective to reimagine education. This transformational journey is about cultivating environments that empower individuals to influence and engender genuine change and innovation.