Redefining Success
A reflective movement to listen to diverse narratives of success
Why Redefine Success?
At Dream a Dream, we have constantly evolved our understanding of the context of our young people. Field research has shown that our life skills programme graduates have the social-emotional competencies and aspirations to overcome adversity and thrive in an increasingly complex world. Yet systemic barriers and structural inequities continue to limit opportunities for young people, especially those growing up with adversity.
Success is often synonymous with material wealth and high social status. In the education system, it is equated with high scores, ranks and employment. While these definitions might work for a few, does it work for every young person?
Our young people have shown us what success means to them in the context of adversity and marginalisation. This understanding has inspired our Redefining Success movement, which aims to create a more inclusive understanding of achievement that acknowledges diverse paths to success. To break the deep-rooted structural inequities in our society, we engage with decision makers — parents, teachers, school leaders, employers, policymakers among others, to understand their contexts and revisit their narratives of success in a changing and challenging world, to reframe the core purpose of education to work for young people inclusively.
INDIVIDUALS
make up a system.
INTERPERSONAL
relationships get shaped by individual beliefs and values.
INSTITUTIONAL
change takes place when many individuals create transformative change towards equity, dignity and inclusion.
In the last 25 years of working with young people and other stakeholders within the education system, we realise that mindset shift is an inside-out process and a system shifts when individuals, who make up that system, shift. It results from recognising the systems of privileges and discrimination in our own lives and listening to intersectional narratives, which compel us to move towards equity.