Cultivating Enduring Human Qualities

In this dynamic world of rapid change and uncertainty, there has been a return to a human-centred approach where we need to embrace and cultivate enduring human capabilities. We need young people who can “bounce back, express compassion, and promote positive relationships” (Deloitte, 2021). According to Deloitte, industry leaders believe that the capabilities that our world in the “new normal” cannot do without are:

• Resilience: The ability to “bounce back” after adversity is, according to 93 percent of surveyed leaders, an emotional muscle that must be strengthened not only amongst leaders but also amongst the workforce to ensure that future crises can be dealt with more strongly.
• Emotional intelligence: According to 91 percent of surveyed leaders, emotional intelligence, or EQ is critical in times of crisis. In the face of uncertain challenges and risks, leaders recognise the need for expressing compassion and empathy.
• Empathy: According to 86 percent of surveyed leaders, acts of empathy can provide insights into the feelings and needs of others, thus building and sustaining positive workplace relationships, cooperation, and collaboration.

Our young people know that they are inheriting global challenges, such as climate change, international conflict, and health epidemics. It is becoming increasingly evident in the workplace, that 94 percent of young workers believe that that industry should be ethical and accountable and that solidarity and working together are significant. There is a movement from ‘I’ to ‘we’. Beginning to lead social change. They are no longer accepting the things they cannot change. They are looking to change the things they cannot accept.

How does Hills Grammar prepare our young people for this future and ensure that they can be ethical, informed, and courageous citizens? According to Jan Owen from Learning Australia (2022), young people need mastery, agency, and purpose. Mastery is not just about achieving well academically, it is about mastering future skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and cultural competence. At Hills Grammar, this means having high expectations for all our students and supporting and inspiring them to realise their potential. Agency is about having ownership of your learning and knowing that you have a say in your education and community. We are going to invite students to join key stakeholder teams that will contribute significantly to the vision and future of our School, such as the current Education Passport team. This contributes to having a strong sense of purpose. Our new Education Passport for the Future with its micro-credentialing model will acknowledge what our students do beyond the classroom, so they feel validated and known. Moreover, we will focus on how Hills Grammar can contribute to a sustainable future. Our new Plata Squad team (pictured above) led by Michaela Muller are just one way that we can achieve this. I will shortly be inviting Year 9 and 10 students to partner with ONE Planet network that involves schools across the world working on sustainable living, global music creation and living in the shadow of a volcano.

The rate of change in society and the workplace is such that all we can say for certain is the future will be very different. We need to ensure that we offer our students the fullest possible realm of experiences and learning opportunities that we can, and foster their sense of mastery, purpose, and agency by recognising what they do beyond school so that they are as equipped as possible to navigate our rapidly changing world.

Karen Yager | Principal