Every movement starts with one person

Every movement starts with one person. You've most probably seen this video before, but it's worth rewatching as it is a lovely reminder of how our humanity can work, about how one person can create change.

In the case of Āko Ōtautahi - Learning City Christchurch that one person was futurist Dr Cheryl Doig (that is not to suggest she looks or dances anything like our hero on the video - sorry Cheryl if this gives that impression), and the movement is the one promoting the development of Ōtautahi Christchurch as a learning city.

This week we are celebrating and participating the 2024 'Learning n Days', an opportunity to showcase learning opportunities and this year, perhaps more importantly, to kick off a more wide spread dialogue on what a learning city is, what it looks, sounds, feels, like and what we might to do make it a reality.

This afternoon between 50 and 60 people from across the city came together to participate in this hui, this kōrero.

Josh and Alice lead the kōrero

Some of the participants engaged in some serious deep thinking

One of the questions evolved from a guided visualisation of what Ōtautahi might be like in 2050 if it were a learning city. This is the summary of the conversation from one of the groups.

Every movement will make little steps and big steps. Sometimes the progress will seem small, sometimes the progress will feel much much bigger. However what matters is that we are moving forward each day. You see, this is not some sort of summative event, but one of those steps, and today felt like one of those larger ones. The data gathered will be distilled out by the AO-LCC team, and presented back to the participants. Perhaps the most fascinating first impression 'take away' for me was the similarity in vision from across the room, from across this diverse range of people and interests. So many of us hope for, so many of us want, similar things for our lives, our whānau, and for the world.

The summary sheet above had much in common with the sheets created by the other eight groups in the room. We want learning to be ubiquitous and relevant,  and we want it to satisfy our curiosity. We want equity, we want kindness, we want hope, we want to preserve our humanity.

There will be much to come from this hui, but every movement starts somewhere. It started some years ago with Cheryl Doig, and it progresses with those of us in. the room, who joined Cheryl in her dance today.