From the 29th of October to the 1st of November 2014 I had the privilege of participating in a conference which took place in Prague and was co-organized by the Institute for Innovation in Education and the Riverside International School. The Institute for Innovation in Education is an incubator of ideas, projects and partnerships at the intersection of technology and learning, based at the University of Michigan and driven by the expertise of faculty members, graduate students, educators of all kinds and partner organisations from all over the globe. The main aim of the gathering was youth civic engagement.

I have already participated in several activities such as trainings and youth exchanges which aim the involvement of the young people in the society and empowering them to take initiatives, but this gathering was different, as it was seriously tackling the issue of innovation in the formal educational system. There were interesting sessions in the conference like un-conference sessions and jigsaw sessions which I didn't know before.

It was the first time that I was in an event which was encouraging inter-generational learning among young people from 13 years old to 25 or more, professors, educators of all kinds, representatives of youth organisations etc. It was so profoundly fascinating for me to listen to those young people to express such opinions on topics like civic engagement and be able to go much deeper than a superficial discussion on the issue.

During all the time, I was wondering if when I was in that age I had such a critical thinking of the world around me. Of course things have changed a lot, and my educational background is much different from their educational background but however relevant this is, it isn't in the same time. From all those "AHA" moments, a thought was coming to me all over again: "how smart these young people are". Is it that the generations, with the passing of time, are becoming smarter and smarter, or is it actually that we are just listening more to them nowadays?

This gathering was so enriching for me in many more ways. I was introduced to the project called "Place Out Of Time", which is a web based educational activity where students have the opportunity to learn history through simulation. They are able to choose a historical or contemporary figure and discuss about cultural, social and moral issues in the role of those figures. I have myself participated in a few simulation activities but not as part of my school curriculum. From my experiences I can say how useful is that approach, when you are entering the role of someone else and you get a more complete insight into their personality and the circumstances which led this figure in history to make the decisions he/she made. You are able to see from another perspective and not just as an outsider. What makes this way of learning more peculiar is that you are actually getting to know yourself through learning. We really have to get out of this rigid structure that has encapsulated school and bring innovation and creativity there NOW.

I had the pleasure to meet the professors from the University of Michigan that are leading this project, and I can only say that if all the educators would be so passionate about what they are doing, inspiring and simple, education would look much differently.

In every single day of my participation in that gathering I was wondering and having the image almost in front of my eyes of how different education would be if, since the first day children enter the school, they are not perceived as passive receivers of education. Because education is not only about remembering facts and numbers. Efficient education is not the one where the lecturer is thought to have the answers and know the truth. Education is the one, where a group of people are triggered by discussions, they come to the conclusion by themselves and are given the space to listen to various opinions and be free to embrace and develop their own understanding.

If a child, a young person or every person in the society is being taught how to use his/her critical thinking, you have taught him how important it is to think by yourself and not by other people's minds, you have given him the key to be able to have an opinion of his own and having self-awareness and it would be so hard to influence and manipulate these people afterwards. The mindset of deciding about their field of study in the university would not be determined by terms of economy, not by the demand of the market, but according to what reflects their being. If you are able to study what you really like than you have already made a big step in living the life you want.

As James A. Baldwin said: "As one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." And this is how a society is improved by conscious people.

Kristina Huda