力求改变项目：善及所能，点灯启程! Projects for Change

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“启明星的校园里有很多植物，有桑树、山楂、连翘……可大家不一定都认识它们。我们想编印一份介绍这些植物的手书，有文字，有图片，给来学校参观的家长和低年级的同学使用。” 6年级的几位学生介绍自己特别用心完成的力求改变项目《植物小手书》说。

围绕自己真正关注的问题进行探索，应用在课堂所学的知识和技能设定并实施带来改变的计划——是启明星中学的特色项目“力求改变项目”的目标。

这样的计划无关“大小、远近”，可以是完成一份关于身边花花草草的小手书，也可以是着眼于更远的地方、更大的世界的行动。

过去几个月，全体6年级学生参加的一个“力求改变项目”便是帮助6000公里外的阿富汗Ejaad女孩建立新的刺绣中心和学习中心。孩子们在社区售卖阿富汗女孩的绣品和自制的糕点来募款；也设计宣传海报呼吁大家关注阿富汗女性的权利。

“力求改变项目是启明星社会创新项目的一部分，为学生提供采取切实行动和进行社会创新的机会。当学生们意识到自己的行为可以对周围的人产生影响时，他们会更投入、更积极。

“这些项目可远可近，可大可小，无论怎样都是学生努力的结果，富有价值，值得尊重，值得庆祝！”力求改变项目协调员Vincent Harris说。

庆祝在临近学年结束的时候举行。老师们会特别策划力求改变项目的展览，供学生公开介绍自己的项目，回答观众的疑问，和与大家分享自己的成就感和对项目的投入，进而完成学习的闭环。

临近本学年末，6至9年级的学生共完成了50个力求改变项目。5月下旬，他们当中的16个小组在线展示了自己的项目（因受疫情影响）。孩子们在不同主题的线上会议室解说各自的项目目标、研究过程和结论，回答老师和家长的提问。

孩子们的研究方向分布在4个领域：可持续发展经济、和谐社会、自然、幸福，内容丰富视角宽广，还采用不一而足的实现手段：视频、印刷品、网站、具体的行动……

传播少数民族美食的项目

保护北京雨燕的项目

为贫困地区学生募捐的项目

力求改变项目关注学生的学习与现实世界的连结，因此学校充分调动资源，从各个方面为学生提供尽可能丰富的学习体验。

任何一个力求改变项目小组能够得到至少三个维度的支持：

第一是项目督导员，他们通过力求改变项目课程的流程提供指导，解答问题，并支持学生按时完成项目任务。

第二，社会创新项目团队不定期邀请非盈利组织的负责人和各行业专业人士来校演讲，帮助学生“看见”更大、更真实的世界，进而更好地设计自己的力求改变项目：

启明星学校联合创始人、前世界银行国际金融公司（IFC）执行副总裁兼CEO蔡金勇，野生创始人、创新性可持续发展教育和咨询机构野声创始人姚松乔，流浪动物救助机构领养小铺创始人Chris Barton，北京观鸟的负责人Terry Townsend，Beijing Mindfulness Center 的创始人Dalida Turkovic等都到访过启明星。

紧密团结的社区是启明星宝贵的资源，力求改变项目的第三个维度便是“家长导师”这个特别的支持群体。

启明星的家长导师都是各行各业的精英，他们从各自的专业领域出发，为学生提供热心的指导和资源。

力求改变项目一共由25个家长导师提供支持，他们定期和自己指导的项目小组见面，询问学生的项目进度，提供建设性意见。

6年级学生的家长吴广鑫有着22年的传媒和营销经验，商业实战经验尤其丰富，擅长项目从前期策划到落地渠道的全盘操作。她特别热心，随时跟孩子们交流，随时把自己的想法和看到的好的案例分享给孩子们。

还有家长导师觉得需要和学生用更多的时间交流，除了原本规定的固定见面时间，也用更多自己的时间和孩子们交流。

学习的连续性是很重要的，力求改变项目的设计和实现从某种意义上来说，是学生经过小学PYP阶段的扎实学习、特别是完成PYP毕业项目之后的必然结果。

上周，北皋校区小学部完成了5年级学生的PYP学习成果在线展览。孩子们围绕“个人和集体行动影响人类健康”主题，探究各自感兴趣的问题，并将研究成果展示出来。

孩子们有的研究“抑郁症的形成原因和缓解方式”，有的探索“食品安全问题”，还有的关心“心脏疾病的预防”……这些问题来自于身边的现实，孩子们的研究过程展示着他们探究问题和带来改变的愿望。比如，一个认为大家还不太了解新冠病毒的孩子就制作了一个Kahoot小测试，通过游戏的形式帮助大家了解这种全球大流行的病毒。

“PYP学习成果展是结束PYP学习的升学项目，是一场强调行动的研究项目，有助于学生未来准备他们的力求改变项目。学生们选择一个话题，进行研究，而后围绕研究的话题采取行动。” Yvonne Featherer北皋小学副校长、PYP协调员说，“其实，小学阶段的学习也在帮助学生准备力求改变项目的学习——学生参加每一个探究单元的学习，我们也教授和支持他们探究怎样把所学辅助实际的行动。”

“力求改变项目通过每一学期的项目制学习过程以及实践经验锻炼学生学习IB中学项目的各项技能。”Vincent Harris老师说，“从某种意义上说，力求改变项目就是学生在10年级完成MYP个人项目，在11年级完成社会创新课程进阶项目的预演。”

8年级学生的“点灯项目”非常有代表性地展示了孩子们完成力求改变项目的学习过程。

他们从启明星家庭一直帮助的仁育苑机构的孩子受到启发，关心这些孩子的心理健康和沟通能力发展；制定了阅读、游戏等陪伴计划和相应的宣传目标；并在计划执行过程中进行项目进展的评估和学习成果反思：

发现问题、背景调查、制定目标和计划、着手实施、反思……这样完成一个项目，使得学生从PYP阶段开始训练的能力不断提升，很好地为未来衔接MYP个人项目和社会创新课程进阶项目做好了准备。

从6年级到9年级，每位学生要完成7个力求改变项目。一次次的项目制学习不单帮助孩子们渐近地发展和夯实IB学习和社会创新的相关技能，用Vincent Harris老师的话来说，学生们也在不断做着“正确的事”。

正如《启明星植物手书》小组的孩子所说的：“我们所做的一切可能对于整个世界微不足道，但如果我们每个人都有一颗向往和喜爱大自然的心，我们将汇聚点点滴滴的力量，最终铸造一个更加美好的世界！”

“The Daystar campus has many kinds of plants—mulberries, hawthorns, and forsythia. But many students do not know this. So, we are planning to print brochures with both words and pictures about these plants for parents and lower-grade students who visit the campus,” said several G6 students as they introduced their Projects for Change project—The Little Plant Handbook.

Exploring the problems that we really care about and making a difference by applying the knowledge and skills we learned in the classroom—this is the goal of Daystar secondary school’s Projects for Change Program.

Everything, both big and small, matters. Even making a simple handbook about the flowers and plants in the community can broaden students’ horizons and their future vision. 

Over the past few months, all G6 students participated in another PFC project—helping girls 6,000 kilometers away in Ejaad, Afghanistan build a new embroidery and learning center. The students sold the Afghan girls’ hand embroidered bags and baked homemade cakes to raise funds. They also designed posters to call attention to the need to protect the rights of girls and women in Afghanistan.

“Projects for Change (PFC) is part of Daystar’s Social Innovation Program. It’s an opportunity for students to make a difference and take action. When students realize that they can influence the people and things around them, they will be more active and devoted. 

It doesn’t matter whether the project is big or small. What matters is that students are making efforts, realizing value, and earning respect and being celebrated.” said PFC Coordinator Vincent Harris.

At the end of each academic year, there will be a celebration of the PFC projects through an exhibition where students introduce their projects, defend their work during the Q&A, and share their achievements and passion for the project with everyone.

This academic year is coming to an end, and the Grade 6-9 students have completed 50 PFC projects. In late May, 16 teams presented their projects online (due to COVID-19). Students explained the goals, processes, and results of their projects in online meeting rooms focused on different topics and answered questions from teachers and parents.

The student  projects focused on four fields: Sustainable Economy, Inclusive Society, Nature, and Well-being. They covered rich content with broad perspectives and used a number of different mediums: videos, printed matter, websites, or by taking specific actions.

Project to promote the local food of ethnic minorities

Project for protecting Beijing Swifts

Project for donation for children

 in developing areas across China

PFC is about connecting school life with the real world. So, the school pools resources and tries its best to give students abundant learning experiences.

Each PFC team can receive support in three areas:

The first pillar includes project supervisors offering guidance through PFC curriculum modules and by  answering questions, and supporting students to complete the project tasks on time.

The second pillar is support from the Social Innovation Program (SIP). The SIP team invites representatives from non-profit organizations and experts from all walks of life to deliver speeches on campus to the students to help broaden their horizons and understanding of the real world. These events also help them gather ideas and connections for  their PFC projects:

Daystar has been visited by many notable people, including: Cai Jinyong—co-founder of Daystar Academy and former Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group; Yao Songqiao—founder of WildBound, an innovative organization on sustainable development education and counselling; Chris Barton—founder of Little Adoption Shop, an organization that rescues and helps stray animals; and Terry Townsend - Birding Beijing Leader, Dalida Turkovic - Founder of Beijing Mindfulness Center, Eva Biorck, founder of Mosto Restaurant, Jenny Wang - United Foundation for China’s Health Executive Director.

A united community is a precious resource at Daystar. So, the third pillar of PFC is the special group of “parent mentors”.

Daystar parents include experienced experts from all walks of life who care about the world. They can utilize their expertise and provide students with guidance and abundant resources.

In PFC, a total of 25 parent tutors met with the teams to support them regularly, check student progress, and offer constructive suggestions.

Wu Guangxin, the mother of a G6 student, has 22 years of experience in media and marketing. She is also experienced in business practices and is adept at every procedure from pre-planning to implementation. She is passionate and always willing to share her ideas and good examples with students.

In addition to the regular mentor meetings, some parents spend their own free time working with students.

Continuity of learning is important, and seeking to create your own project for change is set in motion in through the strong   learning at the primary PYP stage especially the PYP Exhibition.

Last week, the Elementary School of Beigao Campus completed an online exhibition of the PYP learning outcomes of the 5th grade students. Students explored issues of interest and presented their findings around the theme of "Individual and collective actions influence well-being."

Some of the students studied "the causes of depression and how to relieve it", some explored "food safety issues", and some were concerned about the "prevention of heart disease"... These questions come from the reality around them. The students research process demonstrated their desire to explore problems and bring about change. For example, a child who thinks people don't know much about the new coronavirus created a Kahoot quiz to help people understand this global pandemic virus through games.

The PYP exhibition helps to prepare students for the PFC as it is an action research project. Students consider a topic, research about that topic, and they take action about that topic. This is the culminating project for the PYP education.  In KG-G5 students also prepare for the PFCs in that they participate in action in each Unit of Inquiry. They are taught and supported to inquire into how they can take action connected to their learning. 

“Projects for Change engages students in a different project each term developing and refining their skills for the  IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) through practical experience,” said Vincent Harris. “In some ways, PFC is a rehearsal for the MYP Personal Project that students will do in 10th Grade and their social innovation capstone project in Grade 11.”

Some G8 students project aimed at shining a light on mental illness is a typical example of how students complete a PFC project:

The students were inspired by the children at Our Learning House orphanage school, which Daystar families have supported for many years. They care about the children’s mental health and the development of their communication skills. The students spent time with them and design programs (reading, games, art) to help support the children. The students carry out these programs and then evaluate their learning and impact based on their project goal.

Identifying problems, conducting  research into the root cause, identifying a clear goal, making plans, starting to implement, and reflecting… This is the way to complete and strive to make impact through a service action  project. Students start such training from the PYP stage, through MYP to Daystar’s culminating Social Innovation Project in Grade 11.

From G6 to G9, each student complete up to seven Projects for Change. The whole process helps students develop IB-related skills and social innovation competencies. In the words of Vincent Harris, students are always doing “the right thing.”

As the authors of the Daystar plant handbook said, “Everything we have done may seem insignificant to the world around us. But as long as each of us loves nature, we can pool our strength and eventually build a better world.”

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