By C. M. Rubin - Founder of CMRubinWorld and Co-Founder of Planet Classroom
We have been undergoing a youth mental health crisis globally for years. To combat the issue, investment is needed in global learning that gives young people the competencies needed to thrive in a changing world. There is no more time. This has to happen now.
Nations have been seeing record levels of suicide, drug abuse, anxiety, depression and school shootings, and our modern societal challenges are most likely to blame. And then came a pandemic. Inequities, job losses, isolation, and yes, youth well-being and mental health issues were amplified.
This is the age of machine intelligence. There have been numerous international studies over the past decade researching and exploring the new competencies young people need to thrive in a changing world.
Too many studies and too few creative, scalable examples of learning models that can actually accomplish this. When you have an antiquated global learning system stuck in a rut, how do you innovate to educate? Perhaps people don’t know how? Or perhaps some just can’t let go of the status quo?
This is the Age of the Student Voice. Look around you at the activism on challenges such as climate change and inclusivity being led by youth. What if we created a network to further showcase and empower the world’s Youth? What if the storytelling and narratives offered in this network actually nurtured health, well-being, resilience, creativity, character, global oneness, innovation, diversity and knowledge – all the competencies needed to thrive?
What if all those set to inherit the planet could be creatively engaged in the process of “change for good”? Doesn’t learner agency always help people to heal? What if there was a way for not just a few but for every young voice to be heard? Those are some of the questions we asked.
The global problem we seek to solve led to the creation of the Planet Classroom Network – the first ever multi-cultural platform for youth.
Planet Classroom was launched in a pandemic. It is an insane amount of work. It is the closest thing to our hearts. We believe in the work of the 30 cultural organizations we are honored to host and raise awareness for on the network. We are all in this together and we are ready to learn, unlearn and relearn.
If you would like to participate in Planet Classroom as a curator or content provider, please contact Cathy Rubin or Harry Rubin, co-founders, at planetclassroom.network@gmail.com.