Young Change Agents social entrepreneurship program The Young Change Agents’ social entrepreneurship programs help young people to see problems as opportunities. Ten teachers and 190 students (across both Newington College and International Grammar School) had an incredible experience participating in this program. Students in Years 5 and 6 worked in teams of four to six in a series of workshops to identify problems within their communities and then ideate, validate, prototype and pitch solutions to those problems. As a result, 44 social enterprise ideas were pitched at the end of last year to a panel of judges which included teachers and industry experts. The social enterprise ideas included ways of promoting access to the bush, caring for sharks, addressing digital cheating, promoting sustainable clothing, reducing unnecessary waste and encouraging increased fitness and wellbeing. Year 6 boys developing their social entrepreneurship idea. Overall, the experience was a great opportunity for our students to authentically engage with issues in their local communities. They were able to demonstrate their sense of curiosity when it came to exploring and designing solutions, whilst focusing on the development of respectful relationships across schools and genders. Students found the experience challenging, particularly during distance learning, but were excited when their collective curiosity led to powerful pitches. ‘I’m going to make our pitch a reality’, ‘It would be so good if our idea happened!’ and ‘I think that our plan is very achievable’ were just some of the reflections made following the judging event. Mr Pascal Czerwenka Deputy Head of Lindfield Preparatory School Year 6 boys explaining their designs to their peers. Student agency in the PYP A focus of the Primary Years Program (PYP) is to develop student agency. Student agency can be defined as giving students increased voice, gender equality. During their inquiries, the boys were able to develop choice and ownership for their learning. It is the capacity to set a their curiosity as they interviewed experts, analysed primary sources goal, reflect and act responsibly to effect change. It is about acting of information and made connections between the information that rather than being acted upon; shaping rather than being shaped; they compiled from various sources. and making responsible decisions and choices rather than accepting those determined by others. When reflecting on their experience, the boys stated that they felt ‘empowered to direct their learning’ and appreciated ‘being able Student agency is evident throughout all units of inquiry but is to manage time and priorities’ though they also acknowledged the particularly visible during the Year 6 PYP Exhibition, the culminating challenges that came with doing so. activity of the PYP. Throughout last year’s exhibition, students demonstrated their agency, curiosity, skills and knowledge by inquiring Mr Pascal Czerwenka into issues with local and global significance that had meaning and Deputy Head of Lindfield Preparatory School importance to them. Some of the issues explored included sustainable dwellings, international conflict, living in hostile environments and 40 | Curiosity | News Autumn 2022 | LindfieldPrep