Lås skolen op
(Unlock the school)
How can we unlock the potential in schools so as to help more children live more enjoyable lives?
It is at school that we, as children, learn how to find our way in larger communities and in life, and everyone in and around the system is motivated by a desire to create the best framework for the children.
We have noted a tendency in society for many people to experience unhappiness as early as in childhood, and because schools play such an important role in the lives of children, we have decided to examine whether it is possible to release a potential in schools so as to enable more children and young people to live more enjoyable lives.
About the initiative
Many children today start to experience unhappiness early in life, and the level of unhappiness among children is on the rise: More children are being transferred to special classes, absence during school hours is increasing, and many young people are unable to transfer successfully to a job or to a course of higher education on completing lower secondary school [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
In fact, as many as eight percent of a school year are likely to face long periods of time without having a job or taking a course of education well into their adult lives. This has significant human consequences and costs Danish society DKK 15 billion annually [6]. It is therefore essential that we create a school system where all children can thrive and have the chance to learn, participate and develop.
New approaches to changing the system
We believe that the solutions demand that we make changes in the system. We all know that it is a huge task to gain an understanding of all the knots, bumps and barriers that combine to hinder well-being in the current system. That is why we are not taking on this mission alone. A change of system demands new knowledge and the involvement of the people involved in new ways: both the young people themselves and those who interact with them on a daily basis.
The first step on any ambitious journey is to explore, experiment and – in particular – co-create with the people who know the challenges from personal experience, or who may already be working on developing solutions. We are curious to discover what happens if we shift perspective and examine possible new approaches in an attempt to carve out a future where more young people live more enjoyable lives.
We aim to involve children, young people and families, as well as teachers, municipal managers, researchers, organisations and other relevant players in a co-creative process targeted at developing suggestions for new, radical solutions that we can then try out in practice.
Four keys are needed to help unlock the potential
Our method takes as its starting point four keys that can assist in identifying new potential in schools and in the system: instead of focusing on symptoms of unhappiness such as truancy, we will be focusing on structures that enhance well-being at school. And rather than viewing unhappiness at school as something that has to be dealt with by external professionals, we will be looking at how to make children’s well-being at school a shared responsibility, a task to be solved by creating better conditions for the schools and the community around the children.
Our long-term objective is to unlock the potential in schools and in the system so as to enhance well-being among children and young people, to help them become part of meaningful communities and to release their potential both within and outside the school context.
What’s next?
The project was completed in 2024 under the auspices of the ROCKWOOL Foundation.
