World-view-paper from the KaosPilots In March 2005 the board of the KaosPilots decided on two strategic goals for the education: The KaosPilots is to become Scandinavia’s most attractive, modern, value based educational program. The KaosPilots, as educational program and competence milieu, is to significantly strengthen its international profile and collaborative relations. As the result of the work carried through to fulfill these strategic goals following has been achieved: Three new KaosPilot programs have been initiated. And three new focus areas for the education have been identified. The three focus areas are: Sustainability, Cultural diversity and Social innovation. This paper unfolds the three focus areas, explains which questions we asked ourselves in the process of choosing them and unfolds the assumptions we base our world view on. The world-view-paper is meant to be a statement by the KaosPilots of how we see the state of the planet right now. It will be used as a way of structuring the dialogue between the KaosPilot organization and the International Board. It will be used as a foundation for strategic decision-making. And it will be used as a statement that can explain to the world in which direction we are heading.
A bit of the history The KaosPilots started in 1991 as a new visionary education for young creative outsiders who were attracted to the idea that the future is not something you can adapt to – you have to create it yourself! Now 15 years later the KaosPilot education has graduated 283 students and the educational program has been successfully exported to Norway, Sweden and soon also the Netherlands. The pounding heart of the KaosPilot education is an idea about what motivates people to learn and to create. And this idea was brought into life in the shape of an educational program with the purpose of creating positive social change through the development of human potential: Young, creative and social responsible entrepreneurs and change agents who reach out for the opportunity to make a difference in the world and shape the society of tomorrow.
That is why we say, that “our business is hope”. 15 years ago the scenery for the KaosPilots on a global scale was dominated by the emergence of a new world order with the fall of the iron curtain and the breakthrough of new paradigms with the incipient transformation from the industrial to the post-industrial society. On a local scale the scenery of this new education was an increasing unemployment rate among young people and a large number of governmental social initiatives, which failed to address the rather large group of young people, who were unemployed and did not really fit into the existing educational system, but who were endowed with a talent and creativity.
Difficult trends in the world Today the scenery has changed. And in the following we describe our view of the most important conflict-ridden questions the world presents today:
In relation to the planet earth the most insistent challenges and problems are: • The stress level of nature is rising: Exploitation of resources, extermination of plant and animal species, global warming and the melting of the poles. • Increasing economic inequality between north and south (and especially Africa). And as a consequence of that: • Dramatic migrations on the continents and increasing pressure from refugees to reach “global water-holes” (read: Europe and USA) • Local and regional conflicts and wars around access and rights to natural resources. • The increasing divide in the level of education and knowledge between the developed
world and the developing world. • Oppression of women, children and cultural and sexual minorities and contempt of human rights. • Religious, criminal and radical-political conflicts directed by dogmatic and fundamentalist forces. • Lack of democratic control with the actions of multinational companies and the disproportionate relationship between the global influences of economic powers versus the absence of global democratic institutions. • The impact of mass media towards a development of a global culture of mass consumption, which threatens to eradicate local cultures. All abovementioned problems of the planet both affect and are part of important regional challenges.
In Europe the most insistent problems and challenges are: • Increasing nationalism and violence against minority groups in society (cultural, political, religious and sexual). In particular we see a rising number of violent and coordinated attacks against immigrants. • Marginalization of an increasing number of people, who do not fit into the economic rules of the new knowledge society shaped by globalization. • Commercialism’s conquest of virtually all societal “spaces”: The family, the workplace, social communities, the public space, etc. • Increasing individualization of society along with a weakening of social communities (the public sector, voluntary based societies and idealistic organizations), which leads to: • Increasing feeling of loneliness, stress. Increased focus on material goods and personal success. Factors which all contribute to a general weakening of the social and cultural cohesiveness of society. • A new political opportunism based on fear has gained a solid foothold in European democracies. In Denmark and Scandinavia the most insistent problems and challenges are: • The division between rich and poor, between those who own real estate and those who rent, between those who have an education and those who haven’t,
between “real Danes” and “not-real Danes”. • Growth is concentrating in and around the big cities. Differences within the country increase. • The social changes that occur as a result of the transformation from industrial society to a post-industrial society: Traditional industrial jobs disappear which leads to personal anxiety and insecurity regarding the future. • Block-politics that break up traditions of dialogue and a culture of consensus between political parties. • A weakening of the organizations that contributed most essentially to the creation of the welfare-system (the cooperative movement, the labor movement, women’s rights movement). • Deterioration of the public sector and a corresponding spreading of the “privatization and insurance-culture”. • Increasing individualization and a corresponding dislike of assuming a collective responsibility. In prolongation hereof: • The individual might experience hope for his own future but the society is lacking the hope that the future will bring positive changes (a feeling that the development of society and culture has peaked). • Focus on own survival and success here and now. And a corresponding absence of long-term investments and strategies (both on the individual and collective level).
Positive trends in the world The present situation in society also holds a lot of potential for positive change and the abovementioned difficult trends are counterbalanced by new opportunities that can be harnessed for the benefit of the world:
On a global level the most important developments are: • Globalization has created a new sense of closeness and relatedness that can turn events in a remote corner of Africa into the concern of people in Berlin or Chicago.
• Social responsibility has become part of the new vocabulary of the multinationals corporations. The politically aware consumer is gaining power and influence. • The general legitimacy of the UN as a global democratic institution is increasing. • Terrorism and the war against terror have created a new kind of dialogue and awareness around issues that concern humanity: Coexistence of civilizations and human rights. • The neo green wave has moved the focus
of high-tech industries towards the creation of new solutions for a sustainable future. • The developing world is gaining an increasing self-confidence in negotiations concerning global trade regulations.
On a European level the most important developments are: • The emergence of multicultural societies has created new meetings between cultures and we see an increasing richness in the diversity of traditions, food, arts, music, business and language. • The disappearance of industrial jobs has increased the development of new jobs in more creative sectors of the economy. • There is an increasing flow of professionals and students between the European countries due to open borders and less national regulations. • EU legislation protects the rights of minorities in the member countries. • Old industrial areas of the cities are turned into new creative spaces for culture and business. On a Danish and Scandinavian level the most important developments are: • There is an increasing political awareness among young people that influences their choices in life.
• The entrepreneurial spirit is rising. More and more people start their own business. • A more holistic view of the world is finding its way into different sectors of society. The individual is adopting a more holistic approach to healthcare. Companies are increasingly concerned about values and the quality of life for their employees. • We see new ways for cooperation between the three traditional sectors in society; public, private and non-profit sector. • There is an increasing awareness around the quality of food and the ethics around food production. • The state of our environment is generaly in better shape now than twenty years ago. Pollution of the sea has especially decreased. • Scandinavian countries have a leading position in the development and production of high-tech solutions for sustainable energy. Denmark is world leading in wind-energy. • Society is becoming more international. Multiculturalism brings new food and culture, English has become an unofficial second language and there is a significant awareness around the issues of globalization and transformation from industrial to post-industrial society.
Focus areas of the KaosPilots The KaosPilot education does not have the ambition to be “the best school IN the world”. But we strive to become “the best school FOR the world”. Therefore we have asked ourselves:
The answer we came up with is three new focus areas of the KaosPilot education that will supplement the three main vocational areas: Project design, process design and business design:
If the list of negative and positive trends for the planet, for Europe and for Denmark and Scandinavia is the question – how can the KaosPilot education be an answer? What is the focus we have to choose in order to contribute to positive changes on this planet?
The first focus area is “Sustainability”: And the question we have to ask ourselves in our work is: How can we develop the ability of the students to think and design sustainability in all dimensions of their work, ecological, economical and social?
Because if we as civilization, society, companies and individuals do not in an active and purposeful way pursue and contribute to the reestablishment of a sustainable balance in nature, the present global warming will make the planet inhabitable for our children, grandchildren and generations to come.
in a purposeful, bright and nuanced way – create a sustainable, respectful and thereby conflict resolving dialogue between the involved cultural and religious parties of a conflict situation. And it matters not whether it happens in your neighborhood, between nations or between global value systems.
So the challenge for the KaosPilots is to create a new consciousness on the individual level (the student), in companies and in society, so that the future will be met with a clear and empathetic respect towards the well being of coming generations, other organisms and species, the planet as such and the new technology we bring into the world.
The third focus area is “Social innovation”: And the question is: How can we develop the student’s creativity towards new ways of cooperating between the different sectors in society? And how can we develop a new sense of community and ”re-negotiate” the contract between individual and society.
The second focus area is “Cultural diversity”: What we should work on is: How can we develop the student’s understanding of cultural diverse systems and societies? How to lead in cultural diversity? And how to create value of cultural diversity? Because if we do not learn to live together in a peaceful way with many cultures underneath the same roof, the present cultural and religious front-lines will only become more and more fundamentalist and violent. This prediction is not least based on the fact that in particular the fundamentalist forces – both within the Muslim and Christian world – manage to set the agenda during these days, weeks and months. Thereby rendering moderate forces on all sides increasingly passive and invisible. Until the day we realize that “feelings are facts” for most of us, we will not be able to –
Because if we cannot re-establish the interaction between on one side the increasing individualization of society and on the other side the necessity of a well-functioning community built on solidarity we loose the opportunity that exists right now to create the next generation of the Scandinavian welfare system. Which would also imply a discussion of the relationship, the dynamics and the division of roles between the public, private and nonprofit sector. The three focus areas Sustainability, Cultural diversity and Social innovation will be the lenses the KaosPilots see through in their daily work in the classroom, in the creation of projects and in the formation of new relationships with people, organizations and networks around the globe. They will determine the direction in which we are heading and they express our idea of how we can be the best education for the world!