一文读懂社会创新项目 What is the SI Program at Daystar?

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甘肃的扎尕那 | 

拍摄者：北皋校区6年级学生 袁思成

在启明星，“社会创新（SI）”是个“热词”。它究竟意味着什么，我们为什么需要社会创新？其实，就像上图的互动所示，我们希望借由实施社会创新项目，通过自己的努力为世界带来改变，让它变得更加美好！

简而言之，通过社会创新项目，社会创新者们关爱自己的社区，并与其建立深度的联结，采取行动来解决社会和环境问题。社会创新者们应用自己的知识和技能使得世界变得更加美好。我们相信，即便最年幼的学生也能做到这些。

启明星学校是中国第一所开展专门的社会创新项目，培养学生成为社会创新者的学校。这个项目是如何开展的？在社会创新团队的老师为您带来答案之前，请先看看几位启明星学生作为社会创新者都做了些什么——因为，启明星的社会创新项目不是建在空中的楼阁，而是非常注重实践的：

     G11

庄文祥

我和朋友们正在进行一个名为Silent Spring的社会创新项目。在这个项目中，我们应用了在社会创新课程中学习的商业战略，把知识和现实结合起来，解决社会或环境的需求：目前，常规的医用口罩需要450年才能降解。但是因为新冠疫情，我们不得不每天使用它们。于是，我们找到一家制造新型口罩的商家。它们的口罩用是PLA（聚乳酸），降解的时间只有几个月。我们正在和这家厂商合作，设计口罩，出售给学生和学校社区成员这些目标客户。我们希望借着这个项目培养消费者的环境保护意识，并在后疫情时期将产品线扩展到其他的环保产品。

海边的口罩 |

 拍摄者：张圣初 7年级学生 北皋校区

     G 7

Bayan

现在全球变暖问题日益严峻，堆肥是理想的解决方案之一。人类制造了大量的食品垃圾，垃圾填埋场中的这些垃圾会产生甲烷（一种温室气体）。甲烷进入臭氧层吸收阳光，使地球温度升高。如果这样的情况持续下去，地球将不再适合人类和动物居住。堆肥是这样一个过程：把食品垃圾倒入容器中，使其被微生物分解并转化为可供植物生长的健康、营养的肥料。我们的力求改变项目小组已经开始行动，推动人们更加了解这种经济实惠的解决方案。我们出售堆肥箱，并在每月举行的凤凰论坛上介绍堆肥的必要性。我们已经在启明星校园内启动堆肥行动，希望在未来几年内对这个项目进行持续管理，推广到启明星社区。

三里屯校区2年级

来看孩子们为他们的冬奥会主题明信片项目录制的视频吧：

慈善组织领养小铺的Chris先生曾经来我们班演讲，讲述他们收救助和照顾流浪猫狗的经历。我们也希望能为小动物做些什么。北京冬奥会开始前，老师建议我们设计一些冬奥会主题的明信片，在学校附近的书店和Patagonia服装店出售。到现在，我们一共筹集了1000元人民币，活动还在继续。欢迎购买明信片，募集来的钱款都会捐给领养小铺用来救助流浪小动物！

G11

郭千睿

作为社会创新课程学习的一部分，我协助组织学校的首个社会创新日：我喜欢艺术，参加了设计团队。我们为所有社会创新日的参与者设计了帽衫，结果大家都很满意！我们制作了100件帽衫出售，把收入捐赠给阿富汗Ejaad女孩。在中国，我们可以自由地进行艺术创作。但在阿富汗，Ejaad女孩却还在为能不能制作漂亮的绣花包而苦苦挣扎。我们筹集的资金会用来帮助这些女孩在当地建立一个练习技艺的刺绣中心。

社会创新日售卖帽衫现场

什么是社会创新项目？

Elizabeth Walker Sobhani，社会创新总监: 了解了学生们都实施过哪些社会创新行动，现在，我们来解释启明星的社会创新项目：经过在国际范围内审慎的研究和最佳的实践，启明星设计了专门的K-12社会创新项目，它以创新的课程为基础，包括课程学习、增益项目和现实世界当中的学习体验，支持学生深入探索更广泛社区中的挑战，同时培养技能，激发勇气，采取有意义的行动解决问题。学生们会记录这个过程并分享学习体会，通过社会创新激励和推动他人共同造福世界。

为什么社会创新如此重要？

Darcy Au-Yeung, 经济学和社会创新课程教师、CAS 协调员: 社会创新旨在解决世界正在和将要面对的问题，并改善我们的生活状况。从幼儿园的孩子到研究生都将面临实际的问题，而对社会最有用的人往往是那些能够解决这些问题的人。因此，学习和参与社会创新既可以成为个人事业的起点，也可以服务社会。令人欣慰的是，世界上的顶尖大学也青睐这样的申请人。比如哈佛大学就在寻找“未来最有希望对社会做出贡献”的申请者。

我们如何培养社会创新者？

Elizabeth: 从幼儿园到12年级，我们都在培养学生的同理心、好奇心和积极性，支持他们发现学校、社区和世界存在的挑战，并深入研究这些复杂的问题，制定能够带来积极变化、创新型的问题解决方案。为实现这样的目标，我们不仅教授学生学科知识和技能，也培养他们作为社会创新者而需要具备的社交情感与系统思维能力。这些能力主要反映在社会创新项目的修身、阅世和日新三个领域。学生们通过接受来自各个领域的学习经验的挑战，多面向地培养社会创新能力。

我们支持培养社会创新能力的部分项目包括：力求改变项目（PFC）、社区联结体验旅行、改变的一周、定期的社会创新市场和凤凰论坛、实习项目、启创·创新想象力奖金、社会创新讲座、社会创新课内延展，以及我们为10年级和11年级开设的社会创新课程。

不同年级的学生如何从社会创新项目中受益？

Jessica Heyman, 教学、学习和创新团队总监: 社会创新项目包含9项社会创新能力——上述3个领域各有3项。这些领域及其各自涉及的能力反映了关于社会创新者的知识、技能和思维方式的现行研究。以下所示的9项能力提供了一个涵盖幼儿园到12年级的教学成果框架。这些教学成果对应着基于研究的适龄目标，且和目标之间相辅相成。随着学生的成长，这些目标将变得越来越复杂。社会创新能力看起复杂抽象，但我们会针对各个年级实施适龄的培养策略和方案。这些策略和方案会有目的地让学生了解他们所生活的世界，同时增强他们的社会创新技能。

在培养具有同理心的倾听者（通过诚恳的询问、积极的倾听，以体恤并理解他人的经历和看法，从而建立有意义的联系）方面，我们要求学生思考某人的个人经历会如何影响这个人对某个事件的理解。采访那些受社会和/或环境问题影响的人，对于我们的学生找出并解决本地问题的根本原因至关重要，并能够进而帮助他们应对全球性问题。

启明星的社会创新项目因何与众不同？

Elizabeth: 许多学校可能会通过提供社区服务或邀请嘉宾演讲来培养孩子的社交和情感健康。启明星的社会创新项目不止于此。它能够帮助学生深入地了解问题，引导他们在社区内采取行动，并为他们提供机会，将自己的学习经验与他人分享并激励他人。例如：

·      所有的中学生都会完成7个力求改变项目（PFC）！

·      幼儿园到12年级的所有学生都可以提出有关影响力的设想，并申请启创·创新想象力奖金将其付诸实践！

·      我们为中学生开设每月一次的社会创新市场，销售他们的慈善项目产品，检验他们的想法并为慈善项目筹集资金。

·      每一位启明星毕业生都要完成社会创新课程，培养和推介他们的社会企业理念。

·      我们会举办一年一度的社会创新日和改变的一周活动，以帮助学生发现问题并将带来改变付诸实践。

正如你们所见，社会创新正在融入启明星的文化之中。我们可以感受、看到并将它付诸实践！

由学生主导的力求改变项目的目标是什么？

Vincent Harris, 增益项目和力求改变项目协调员: 通过力求改变项目，学生围绕自己强烈关注的问题进行探索，并创建和实施带来真正改变的计划。我们鼓励学生选择自己感兴趣且重要的主题（无论是启明星社区内的问题，还是帮助远至阿富汗的Ejaad女性均可），然后采取实际的行动。力求改变项目也符合社会创新项目的目标，为学生提供切实推动改变和进行社会创新的机会。此外，力求改变项目的体验有助于以实践的方式支持学生完成国际文凭组织中学项目中的许多关键课程体验。基于以上原因，6-9年级学生每学期会完成一个力求改变项目。

为什么引入现实世界的体验或联系很重要？我们是如何做的？

Vincent: 我们努力为学生搭建与现实世界的联结，因为这是非常直接和真实的学习体验。这样，学生更有可能付出更多的努力并增强学习意识。当学生们意识到自己的行为可以对社区产生密切和直接的影响时，他们会更投入、更积极。我们的目标是，在力求改变项目中，学生运用自己在各种课程所学到的技能和知识，将其转化为应对现实世界的问题和经历的能力。我们通过社区联结旅行、邀请校外嘉宾演讲、以社区为基础的力求改变项目来支持学生完成这一切。

社会创新项目和启明星的课程之间有什么联系？

Jessica：社会创新项目融入了启明星的学术和非学术课程。我们不能通过一刀切的方法、一门单独的课程或一次服务学习之旅来培养社会创新者。相反，它必须融入学生的日常学习和学校体验中。需要通过许多不同的参与方式来触动一个人的心灵、思想和行动。这就是为什么我们从幼儿园阶段开始培养社会创新者以“我能”的态度来解决出现的问题。社会创新项目将在此基础上不断发展壮大。

 12 年级学生毕业时，在社会创新方面会达到什么样的程度呢？

Darcy: 我希望启明星的毕业生拥有勇气解决重大难题，并且确立可以引领他们在学习和职业生涯中持续向前的兴趣和热情。他们将学习并经历一些同龄人未曾有过的体验，且在此过程中驱动他们的是兴趣和热情，而非课程任务。

启明星的社会创新项目接下来会有什么样的计划？

Elizabeth:启明星灵活而与时俱进，不断为幼儿园到12年级的学生设计新的、精彩的社会创新项目，并重点关注初中生和高中生。我们坚信每位学生都可以成为社会创新者，一直在与我们的学生、社区合作伙伴和家长合作，扩展社会创新项目。我们的目标是，通过启创中心将我们的部分项目扩展到启明星之外，为中国内外的学生践行自己成为社会创新者的志愿、发展社会创新能力提供支持。毕竟，没有父母不希望孩子既能成长，又能为带来实现世界的更加美好做出贡献！

Click the picture 

to see what happens？

Zhagana, Gansu Province | 

Photographed by Carson Yuan, G6 Student, Beigao Campus

What is this new buzz word at Daystar called Social Innovation or SI? Just as the above picture illustrates we are trying to make the world more beautiful and livable through our efforts.

Put simply a social innovator cares and deeply connects with their community, taking action to solve social and environmental problems.  They apply their knowledge and skills to help make the world more equitable. We believe even the youngest of students can do this.

Daystar Academy is the first school in China to develop a bespoke Social Innovation Program cultivating students to be social innovators. But what does this really look like in action? Before asking the Social Innovation team to explain, we talked to a few Daystar students and asked them what they are doing as social innovators.

G 11

Wenxiang

My friends and I are launching a social enterprise called Silent Spring. In our SI course we learned much about business strategy and combining it to address a social or environmental need. Right now, typical medical masks take 450 years to degrade, and we are using them every day due to COVID. We have found a manufacturer of a new type of mask, made of PLA, that can degrade in only a few months, and are working with them to create our own cool mask designs and sell them to students and school communities as our target audience. We hope to build more environmentally conscious consumers and expand to other eco-friendly products post COVID to more audiences.

Used masks | 

Photographed by Joel Zhang, G7 Student, Beigao Campus

G 7

Bayan

With the rising problem of climate change, composting is the perfect solution. Humans produce mass amounts of food waste. In turn, food waste in landfills produces methane, a type of greenhouse gas, which then traps sunlight in the ozone layer, raising the temperature of earth. If climate change is not stopped in its tracks, the earth will be inhabitable for people and animals alike. Composting is the process by which food waste is discarded into a container and eaten by microorganisms and turned into healthy, nutritious fertilizer that can be used for helping plants. Our Projects for Change group has taken action by raising awareness about this affordable solution. We have sold compost bins and presented in our monthly Phoenix Forums about the need for composting. We have started to create a compost for Daystar Academy itself, and hope to manage it over the next few years and further integrate it into Daystar’s community.

SLT G2 Class

Sanlitun Grade 2 students shared about their Olympic postcard project to raise funds for stray dogs：

Mr. Chris from the Little Adoption Shop was a guest speaker in our class and he told us about the dogs he rescues and takes care of at his shelters. We wanted to help. With  teachers' suggestion, we designed some Olympics postcards and sell them in neighboring bookstores and Patagonia. So far we have raised 2000RMB and are still raising more! Please buy the postcards and help stray dogs who temporarily live at “Little Adoption Shop”.

G11

Halley

I had the opportunity to help organize our first SI Day as part of our Social Innovation Course. I love art and chose to be on the design team. We decided to design some hoodie sweatshirts for all the facilitators on SI day. Everyone loved them so much that we made 100 hoodies and are selling them for 40RMB more than the cost price, and donating the funds to support the Ejaad women in Afghanistan. In China we can freely make art, but in Afghanistan these women struggle to make their beautiful embroidered bags. The funds raised are helping them build a new embroidery center to practice their art.

Halley (left) and friends were selling hoodies at SI market 

What is the SI Program?

Elizabeth Walker Sobhani, Director of Social Innovation: Through international research and best practices Daystar has designed a bespoke K-12 Social Innovation program built upon an innovative curricula foundation upon which enrichment programs and real-world learning experiences to help students deeply explore challenges in the wider community, while developing the skills and courage to take meaningful action to address these. With a focus on documenting the process and sharing learning insights, students engage and inspire others to help illuminate the world through social innovation.

Why is Social Innovation Important?

Darcy Au-Yeung, Economics and Social Innovation Teacher and CAS Coordinator: Social innovation is about addressing the problems the world is and will be facing, and improving the conditions in which we live. Students from kindergarten all the way through graduate school are the ones who will inherit these problems and conditions and the people who are often most useful to a society are those who can fix society’s problems. In that way, learning and engaging in social innovation is both selfishness in being the starting point for a career and selflessness in working for the society. It is also encouraging to know that top universities seek  candidates who possess the attributes of social innovators. Harvard University’s Guide to Preparing for College states that Harvard seek candidates who “offer the most promise for future contributions to society."

How do we develop Social Innovators?

Elizabeth: From Kindergarten to Grade 12 we cultivate students’ empathy, curiosity, and motivation to identify challenges within our school, community, and the world, and thoughtfully investigate these complex challenges, creating innovative solutions that affect positive change. We do this through developing not only academic knowledge and skills, but also the social emotional and systems thinking required to be social innovators. These skills are reflected in the Social Innovation Program’s three domains -  Being, Connecting and Innovating. A multi-faceted approach strengthens students’ social innovation competency development through challenging learning experiences in a wide-variety of contexts.

Some of our program elements that support the development of SI competencies include: Projects for Change（PFC）, Community Connection Experience trips, Week For Change, our regular Social Innovation Markets and Phoenix Forums, Internship Programs, the Inno-Imagine Grants Program, SI talks, SI Curriculum Connections, and our Social Innovation Course for G10/11.

How do different grade levels benefit from SI? 

Jessica Heyman, Director of Teaching and Learning and Innovation: Nine SI competencies comprise the SI Program – three within each of the three domains illustrated above. These domains and their respective competencies reflect contemporary research that details the knowledge, skills, and mindset of a social innovator.  The nine competencies illustrated below provide the framework for Kindergarten to Grade 12 outcomes that reflect research-based age-appropriate goals that build upon each other as they become progressively more sophisticated as students grow. Although the competencies sound advanced we develop these within each grade-level using age appropriate strategies and protocols that meaningfully engage students in learning about the world in which they live while strengthening their social innovation skillset.

In developing empathetic listeners who create meaningful connections through genuine inquiry and actively listen to empathize with and understand others’ experiences and perspectives, we ask students to consider how one’s personal experiences affect their interpretation of an event. Interviewing those who are affected by social and/or environmental issues is essential for our students to identify and address root causes of local issues that contribute to those globally. 

What makes Daystar’s Social innovation program unique?

Elizabeth: Many schools may develop children’s social and emotional well-being, engage in community service or invite in guest speakers. Daystar’s SI program goes far beyond this by empowering students to deeply connect with the issues, guiding them to take action within their community, and providing opportunities for them to share and inspire others with their learning. For example:

·  All Middle school students complete 7 Projects for Change!

·  Any KG-G12 student can have an idea for impact and apply for a financial Inno-Imagine grant to implement it!

·   We have monthly SI markets for secondary students to sell their products, test their ideas and raise funds for their charity causes.

· Every Daystar graduate will complete the Social Innovation Course and develop and pitch their social enterprise idea.

·  We hold an annual SI Day and Week for Change to help students connect to issues and make a difference.

As you can see Social Innovation is being built into the fabric of the Daystar culture so we feel it, see it and live it!

What is the purpose of the student-led Projects for Change（PFC）?

Vincent Harris, Enrichment and PFC Coordinator: The Projects for Change experience affords students an opportunity to identify, create, and enact real changes to situations and issues about which they feel strongly.  Whether it is a hyperlocal issue at Daystar or helping out the Ejaad women of Afghanistan, Daystar students are encouraged to investigate a topic of interest and importance and then do something practical about it. The PFC initiative is also in alignment with the Social Innovation goals. PFC serves as opportunities for students to tangibly affect change and innovate socially.  Moreover, the PFC experience helps to realize in a practical way many of the key curricular experiences for students in the MYP. For these reasons, students in grades 6-9 complete a Project for Change each semester.

Why is it important to include real-world experiences or connections and how do you do this? 

Vincent: We strive to connect students to real-world experiences because this creates a very immediate and authentic learning experience.  Students are more likely to put forth a higher degree of effort and heightened awareness.   When they realize their actions have immediate and direct effect on their communities, students are inclined to take on a deeper and more engaged mindset. It is our goal that students will take the knowledge and skills they have learned in their various classes, and transfer those abilities to issues and experiences in the real world. We help facilitate this through community connection trips, external community speakers and through community based projects for change.

What is the link between SI and Daystar’s Curriculum?

Jessica：Social Innovation is integrated into Daystar’s academic and non-academic curriculum.  Social Innovators cannot be developed through a one-size fits all approach, a single course, or a service learning trip. Instead, it must be woven into students’ day-to-day learning and school experience. It takes engagement in many different ways to touch one’s heart, mind and hands of action. This is why we cultivate our youngest social innovators in our Kindergarten classes with an “I can“ attitude toward solving problems that arise, and we continually build upon this foundation.

What is your vision for students when they graduate from Grade 12 in terms of social innovation? 

Darcy: I expect Daystar graduates to have the courage to tackle big problems and to have built interests and passions that can guide them in their academic and professional careers. They will have learned and done things that none of their peers have, and which will have been guided by those interests and passions rather than a curriculum.

What are the next steps for Social Innovation at Daystar?

Elizabeth: As a nimble organization we are continually prototyping new and exciting SI programs for K-12, with an increased focus on middle and high school students. Working with our students, community partners and parents, we are always growing the Social Innovation Program and demonstrating our belief that every student can be a social innovator. We aim to expand some of our programs beyond Daystar through the Qi Social Innovation Center, giving support to and providing opportunities for students around China and beyond to develop our social innovation competencies and demonstrate their commitment to improving their communities as social innovators. Afterall, what parent does not want their child to learn AND do good in the world?

END

启明星学校是一所使命驱动的学校，致力于支持每位学生培养改变和激励的勇气。启明星北京的三个校区共同构建了一个由 1.5-18岁学生组成的多元成长型社区。 

Daystar Academy is a mission driven school committed to helping every student develop the courage to change and inspire.  We have a diverse student body of children aged 1.5-18 at three campuses in Beijing.  

泉发校区 为6岁以下儿童提供早期教育服务

三里屯校区 面向1-5 年级学生

北皋校区 涵盖 K-12 各年级

Our Daystar Early Center, serving our youngest students

Sanlitun campus accommodating 

children grade 1-5 and our Beigao campus 

serving children grade K-12

启明星学校是艾毅教育集团的重要成员。请扫描二维码或拨打招生电话，了解学校详细信息：

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