s today’s generation comes of age in a world of isolation, polarization, inequity, and climate crisis, we must ask: how did we get here?
Beneath the surface lies not just a crisis of imagination, but a deeper crisis of meaning and purpose. Too often, we rush to fix symptoms instead of tending to the deeper roots. What if real change begins not with politics or technological innovation, but with how we shape young hearts and minds?
At the inaugural Global Forum for Shaping a Better Future, attendees from students and teachers to social entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers came together to ask a bold question: What is the true purpose of education?
What if education aimed not only at academic mastery, but also nurtured:
- A deeper awareness of self and the world
- A spirit of empathy and interconnectedness
- A belief in one’s agency to shape a better future
This isn’t a task for educators alone. It’s a paradigm shift that requires a societal reset—one that will take all of us.
One of the biggest failures of modern times is that we’ve failed to pause and reflect on these fundamental questions.
The first step in reimagining education is to take this on. We need whole communities—students, teachers, families, community leaders, and policymakers—coming together to share visions of the future. What do we wish for ourselves, our world, our future? And given that shared vision, how will we nurture and grow our young people?
This may require unlearning inherited beliefs: “me” over “we,” doing over being, success as defined by test scores and titles alone.
It invites the question: what does success really mean? Do we really want to continue the win–lose paradigm that prizes relentless competition and every person getting ahead for themselves? Or can we dare to imagine something different—education systems that cultivate citizens who care for our collective wellbeing.
This will require us to redefine how we measure success, embracing a holistic view of human potential.
We also need to shift power, centering the voices of those most affected. Let’s stop seeing students as passive recipients, but rather as true partners, with fresh ideas and power to co–lead change—not someday, but now!
Humanity has achieved the extraordinary when we’ve dared to dream big, from moon landings to mapping the genome. Now is the time for another bold leap. It’s time to reshape education to shape a better future.
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What if the path to a better future begins with reshaping education?
Image via Adobe Stock.
May 19, 2025
Today’s generation is coming of age amid isolation, polarization, inequity, and climate crisis. These crises are possible because we rush for quick fixes of symptoms rather than tending to deeper roots—reshaping how we approach education is how we do better, writes Rahda Ruparell.
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s today’s generation comes of age in a world of isolation, polarization, inequity, and climate crisis, we must ask: how did we get here?
Beneath the surface lies not just a crisis of imagination, but a deeper crisis of meaning and purpose. Too often, we rush to fix symptoms instead of tending to the deeper roots. What if real change begins not with politics or technological innovation, but with how we shape young hearts and minds?
At the inaugural Global Forum for Shaping a Better Future, attendees from students and teachers to social entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers came together to ask a bold question: What is the true purpose of education?
What if education aimed not only at academic mastery, but also nurtured:
- A deeper awareness of self and the world
- A spirit of empathy and interconnectedness
- A belief in one’s agency to shape a better future
This isn’t a task for educators alone. It’s a paradigm shift that requires a societal reset—one that will take all of us.
One of the biggest failures of modern times is that we’ve failed to pause and reflect on these fundamental questions.
The first step in reimagining education is to take this on. We need whole communities—students, teachers, families, community leaders, and policymakers—coming together to share visions of the future. What do we wish for ourselves, our world, our future? And given that shared vision, how will we nurture and grow our young people?
This may require unlearning inherited beliefs: “me” over “we,” doing over being, success as defined by test scores and titles alone.
It invites the question: what does success really mean? Do we really want to continue the win–lose paradigm that prizes relentless competition and every person getting ahead for themselves? Or can we dare to imagine something different—education systems that cultivate citizens who care for our collective wellbeing.
This will require us to redefine how we measure success, embracing a holistic view of human potential.
We also need to shift power, centering the voices of those most affected. Let’s stop seeing students as passive recipients, but rather as true partners, with fresh ideas and power to co–lead change—not someday, but now!
Humanity has achieved the extraordinary when we’ve dared to dream big, from moon landings to mapping the genome. Now is the time for another bold leap. It’s time to reshape education to shape a better future.
