Tomorrow’s challenges facing young people

A modern and innovate school should always aim to prepare its students to be citizens of the world of today, in addition to the world of the immediate future. Parents, teachers and advisors are up against an immense challenge. The future of our world depends upon it, being that we live in a society that, as sociologists describe, is characterised by its liquidity (Z. Bauman), volatility, uncertainty, and a constantly changing and evolving consciousness. If the evolution of our welfare society continues along the current trend, students in the classrooms of today are not only developing vital projects for the 21st century, but also for the beginnings of the 22nd. For that matter, students who nowadays are completing education in our schools and are moving on to university, are beginning a formative process that will afford them with a knowledge that, in many cases, when their studies are completed, will already have evolved. If what we want for our children is a truly integral educational experience that will prepare them for the future, then we have a big challenge ahead of us. Consequentially, schools should promote teaching that goes beyond academic training that is based on a closed and standardised curriculum, and rather endorse the acquisition of a new series of competencies and essential skills for today and tomorrow.  

A Global Mentality

Granted the independence to choose their own areas of interest and what they want to dedicate their future to, young people today should be citizens of the world and have an open, global mentality. For this reason, schools must offer international programs that allow students to travel, share experiences and get to know other cultures, in addition to new ways of thinking and working. These programs could include: programs offered by the United Nations, exchange programs, language immersion programs, access to scholarships, educational programs at foreign schools and universities, collaborative programs at foreign educational centres, open curricula  that promote the understanding of global phenomenon, etc. The process of globalisation seems to be unstoppable, and for that reason families, more and more, are moving to other countries for permanent or temporary work reasons. An open attitude, that is receptive to change, the mixing of different cultures, languages, religions, and ways of thinking is necessary in order to integrate oneself and to be successful from day one. Issues such as climate change, the power of technology over the individual, the growing inequality amongst people, the growth of power of global companies over governments, terrorism in its different forms, are all global problems and can only be taken on if the different countries of the world work together to provide a united front.  

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence has become evermore indispensable in this ever-changing world, as it is fundamental for a person to know oneself and to be able to control their emotional sensibilities. People who are capable of remaining motivated and overcome adversities are the type of people who succeed in life. Additionally, it’s important to know how to connect with others and comprehend other people’s emotiveness, all the while approaching life with a positive, optimistic and realist perspective.  

Necessary skills and competencies today

Decision-making, problem solving, working in a team, communication skills, critical thinking, digital competency and command of languages are all necessary skills in the modern era. In order for students to achieve these competencies, it’s necessary to work with active learning methodologies. Private schools in Spain, such as those chosen by Best Schools in Spain, have the autonomy and freedom to create their curricular content and academic programming, without facing the limitations that extensive and closed syllabi pose.  

Personal Values

Knowledge and competency are both necessary things, but they are not sufficient if they don’t provide students with the capacity to approach their lives and see society from an ethical standpoint. Students should be encouraged to experiment from the very beginnings of their schooling, and should be taught they they can make a difference in the world. Students should know that proactivity is an essential part of their education, and that learning is an important way to make a change in the world. Only in this way will students, the citizens of the future, live with the critical conscience that is necessary for them to take on injustice. We must promote a positive attitude towards community service and teach our students that the acquisition of money and personal prosperity are not what should be the moral guide to their behaviour in life. The schools at Best Schools in Spain work hard to be innovators in this respect. Our way of understanding the educational process and personal growth that we want to inspire in our students is based around the idea that what we learn today is necessary in order to keep learning for the tomorrow that lies ahead.   “Innovation is not a trend, it is the essence behind how we educate.”