Learn to Listen and Listen to Learn-- and Why it Matters

A message from our CEO:

Our youth are on my mind these days. Much of this comes from my personal life – I have two teen boys, one a freshman in college, the other a junior in high school. For those of us who have young people in our lives, we know this time is challenging for them – socially, emotionally, and academically (and probably in that order). While new approaches to virtual learning have been provided to them, rarely have they been consulted on the design these solutions.

With a very insightful client, we have been seeking to better understand the role of relationships in the school setting, particularly from an equity standpoint, and how the intersections of race and gender play out for youth and their relationships with (often white) teachers. My next statement may seem obvious – but we must listen to our youth in order to understand their perspective and needs, and engage with them to co-create solutions. Many businesses understand that designing for the end-user is critical to uptake and maintaining the client connection for the long haul. It’s essential to business success and financial viability.

The other day I listened to great insights from youth leaders on the At the Heart of the Matter: A New Generation of Good Troublemakers forum presented by the Colorado Health Foundation. They shared their ideas on how to make change, sometimes in spite of the structures and communication adults put in place, sometimes in collaboration. Youth are the end-users of our community and our education system – let’s harness their thinking to help us take the best next step.

No matter who your end-user is, take a listen to them, I’m sure you’ll learn great things. For more on feedback loops and the benefit of listening to those we “serve,” check out the Feedback Fundamentals series by Feedback Labs. It will provide some useful tips to begin or continue your listening journey.

With Gratitude,

Cindy
Founder and CEO

If this message and/or the resources below resonate with you, please share this month’s Lab Notes with a friend or colleague.

Reading

Stanford Social Innovation Review Power of Feedback Series including:

How a criminal justice organization shifted their data mindset and improved their services based on direct participant feedback
How The San Francisco Foundation listened to their community, and gathered data to help convert that feedback into strategy

Ford Foundation President Darren Walker’s 2019 annual letter:

“We know that the communities most proximate to the problems possess unique insight into the solutions. That is why, in everything we do, we ought to ensure that the people affected by our work are guaranteed a voice in its design and implementation.”

Tools

TurnUp – A niche social network for youth activism – connects youth to each other, organizations and events to propel social movements forward.
“Why Vote?” Toolkit: resource for direct service providers — such as food banks, shelters, early childhood and youth programs, and community and civic organizations — to conduct nonpartisan voter engagement with people who use their services.
Using the “Why Vote?” Tool with high school students, whether they can or cannot vote yet, to understand the importance of voting.
NEW! Guide and resources for school leaders and educators addressing online and hybrid learning driven by insights and experiences of educators in the field.