We want to change the way people are taught and what they are taught. Values like empathy, respect, integrity, kindness, equity, humility, resilience and responsibility are essential in our programs. Learning focuses on skills rather than content. And learning through real-world experiences and projects creates a true interdisciplinary approach to learning an essential part of systems thinking.
"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals"
-Marie Curie
For schools and educators
Join the transformative Gaia Changemakers Program (GCP) in Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Over two or three weeks, high school students develop a sustainability mindset through personalized inquiry, real-world projects, and partnerships with experts and companies. Explore concepts like energy and circular economies while discovering diverse career paths.
Experience values-based learning, self-discovery workshops, and cultivate leadership and entrepreneurial skills. Open to high school students in or entering their final two years or recent graduates.
“The Climate Fresk” is a French organization whose aim is to raise
public awareness about climate change. It proposes a collaborative thought-provoking game based on cards where the participants
draw a collaborative fresco, which summarizes the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
It is a 2-3 hour workshop for adults and children age 9+ to learn about the causes and effects of climate change in an interactive and reflective way. As of 2023, over a million people have participated.
Discover the Power of Design Thinking.
Design thinking encompasses a collection of cognitive, strategic, and practical procedures expertly employed by designers to tackle complex design challenges.
Why do we think it’s cool?
Rooted in empathy, a core value we hold dear for shaping a sustainable future, design thinking follows an iterative, non-linear process. It lends itself to diverse problem-solving scenarios, from crafting life designs to devising innovative solutions for complex issues.
How to embrace it?
1. As a holiday camp. Children aged 5-12 years in Zurich can join us for a “Sustainability Mindset with Design Thinking”© (SMDT) camp. Developed in partnership with Steamed Playground, these camps are 5-day immersive experiences to explore different sustainability topics through games, excursions and projects. Children can work towards becoming "an SMDT Fellow" with access to special workshops to help them become young changemakers.
2. Integrate design thinking at your School! SMDT is possible as a bespoke after-school club, holiday program, or integrated into school curriculums, tailored to the local environment of each school. We currently work at Rietberg Montessori and Serendipity Montessori.
3. Request a tailored Design Thinking workshop to grasp the framework or receive tailored support for projects within your organization.
Igniting a spark in kids, includes igniting the spark in teachers and giving them the tools and resources they need.
We offer opportunities such as:
Creating Bespoke Units of Work
We empower curriculums with systems thinking, sustainable mindsets, and inquiry-based learning. We create bespoke inquiry-based curriculums for schools, catering to both individual schools and governmental needs. Our projects have included developing a project-based unit for an Entrepreneurship Mindset & Design course, utilising digital tools, for high-achieving students in New Delhi, India. Now being adopted by over 37 governmental schools.
Creating beyond the classroom retreats
We also design bespoke “Gaia Weeks” which follow the same principles of learning as our Gaia Changemakers Program. We have planned week-long out of school experiences in line with our philosophy to equip kids with skills for the future, in a way that respects our planet, and others. From exploring local Swiss art forms in the mountains to problem-solving leadership camps, we work with schools to design bespoke programs for their needs.Join the progressive movement of schools ready to make the positive change.
Learning is lifelong and our values driven Design-Thinking and Climate Fresk workshops are appropriate for corporate and non-educational institutions.
We also support companies with their "Nationaler Zukunfstag" or National Futures Day. A recent project included training the client’s staff on how to run workshops with children, and we facilitated a workshop on understanding climate change, and empowering kids to take action, in-line with the clients principles for sustainability.
Make the Change has also partnered with BELIEVE. to offer sustainability education targeting companies and organisations.
As the advisory Director of Education for BELIEVE. our founder Diya works
closely with their team to ensure inspiring and empowering climate programs for corporations.
