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2014 Institute for Innovation in
Education Prague Gathering
From October 29th
to November 1st
2014, the Institute for
Innovation in Education (iiE) gathered and engaged young people
from middle school to colligate, educators, representatives from
youth-focused civic organizations, government, and the private
sector. Key topics discussed throughout the Gathering were of
authentic youth engagement, civic engagement, school climate
and mentorship.
Poster Session on Youth Leadership
During this hour and a half hour workshop, participants engaged in discussions surrounded on the topic of Youth
Leadership. Rather then sharing what we considered youth leadership to be, we valued the wisdom already within
the group. Thus, through the use of open-ended prompts and shared value for equitable conversations, this
resource highlights key themes from the Gathering.
Learning and Sharing
As leaders, it is important to make a commitment to lifelong learning and sharing. The moment one stops believing
that he or she cannot learn with others, is when his or her ability to lead stops. The notion of being only able ‘to share’
and ‘not learn’ with one another can be challenging.
Everyone has unique experiences that
influence their perspective on the
world. The individual contribution of
each person to the collective
perspective can bring new ideas to any
common topic of discussion. However,
when we look at our collaboration, do
we find our interactions to be limited
and disjointed, such as figure 1? Or, do
we strive to cultivate the dispositions
needed to effectively communicate
and learn with one another, such as
demonstrated in figure 2.
Reflection
When considering the word, reflection, many ideas may come to mind. I do not
consider there to be only one definition of reflection, since this practice is
constructed per ones’ own experiences, thoughts and questions. However, there are
common themes in how one can consider the practice of reflection:
Youth
Engagement
Youth
Engagement
A time to
celebrate what
was successful
and identify
what was
challenging.
An opportunity
to alter and/or
strengthen our
personal beliefs
and values.
A purpose for
continous self-
enhancement
on our future
initiatives/
engagements.
Figure 1 – are we in our
own spheres?
Figure 2 – collaboration is what
you & the group co-decide it to
be. It can get messy, but learning
and sharing becomes organic.

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Mentorship
Consistent with the mutual belief in lifelong learning and sharing, a conversation on the value of mentorship arose.
We examined what makes this type of partnership work, as the typical partnership can look like a power hierarchy.
I see the concept of mentorship on a continuum. All points are on various spots, based on their comfort and past
experience. It can be encouraged to progress through the continuum, where the mentorship model can be geared
towards a mutual learning and sharing model, with each being able to meaningfully contribute.
This idea of being partners in growing individually as well as collectively can
be hard to understand. Many consider age to be the determining factor in
ones’ value; this is due to his or her past experiences. This is consistent with
the idea that each one of us has our own experiences, but diverges in whose
contribution is considered more valuable. Young people often perceive
their ideas as unworthy or inexperienced. Thus, the idea of defining age to
be, the number of years one has been on Earth, was examined.
What are some of the dispositions of those who engage in a partnership? Below is a word cloud with ideas shared:
Exploration – a desire to refrain from stopping from “no” or
“never” and seeing where an unexplored idea/journey may go.
Growth – the need in broadening ones’ perspectives and
skill enrichment.
Support – as one student said, “If they promise to help
you they should keep that promise.”
Voice – the equity in opportunity to share and be listened to.
Mentor
Mentee
Mentee Mentor
A group of
learners and
sharers
Age
The number of years one has
been on Earth. Age is not an
indicator of ones’ value.

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Feedback
In our leadership journey, the feedback in which we receive from fellow peers can be extremely valuable. However,
the type and presentation of feedback can make a huge difference. Too often, one can often be given feedback
such as: “you should change this” or “that was not good.” There are other ways to provide valuable feedback that
can help the individual consider ones’ suggestions and adapt them per his or her own desires.
Personally, I dislike the idea of editing. I believe that a Word Processing Programs and robots can perform editing on
a paper. However, humans are creative and innovative, when encouraged and empowered to do so. Thus, we can
provide proposed enhancements to the writer, so he or she can strengthen his or her piece. Some may be tempted
to say, “Please just change what you think so I be done with it.” This does not support the growth of the writer. I
believe that the enhancement process can be a time for growth, for both the proposer and the writer!
There are some shifts in mindset to consider when providing feedback:
Unconference Session Creation
At the Gathering, participants engaged in an Unconference (a ‘participant-driven’ meeting) where topics were co-
created by the group in a unique manner. Topics
such as the following to the right were crafted.
One may notice that some of the topics are both
creative. This was due to the fact in how
participants were able to build off of one another
in crafting these topics for discussion later on in
the day. After the topics were finalized,
participants were able to partake in two.
This was bad.
I enjoyed ____.
I struggled with ____.
You should change this to
____.
I encourage you to
consider ____ [a question
or idea, but not 'an
answer'].
I can just do it for you.
Let's work together! I am
here to support you.
Distance Through
The Barrier
Toward a Place
Sustainable
Engagement in
Unschooling
Performance
Imagining
Unsettling
Uncommon
Perspective
Taking Inquiry
Based Program
Curious Voice
Experience the
Cloud Observing
Activity and
Sounds
Creativity Global
Culture with
Di!erent Habits

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Unconference Session I: Imagining Unsettling
Uncommon Perspective
For this specific session, the two common themes of Learning
Experiences and Creativity were center of the conversation.
Learning Experiences – Is There A Role of ‘Failure?’
We engaged in a conversation about what does it mean to have
“learning experiences.” As individuals shared their thoughts on this
term and meaning, an environment of ‘this was my journey,’
resonated with the idea how each one of us is on our own journey.
Sometimes we share this journey with friends, family, colleagues and
members of the community; yet, our journey is unique since no one
has the same exact perspectives and feelings, even for a set of twins!
Specifically, the three actions of “ideate,” “explore,” and “reflect”
were the action-oriented building blocks of our journeys, followed by
their suggested implications.
This rose to a subject on the
meaning of failure. This provoked
a diverse array of thoughts, as
some perceived failure is necessary
for learning. Furthermore, some
wonder if, “does one need to fail in
order to learn?”
I consider the meaning and
implication of failure as an ‘all-or-
nothing idea,’ which can provoke
feelings of wasted time and
energy. Rather, I see reflection as
the catalyst for learning, as if there
was just one learning from an
experience, that it indeed was not
a failure. Failure is when we
neglect to celebrate what went
well, identify what was challenging
and engender take-aways for
future endeavors.
Creativity
Many had expressed that as we become older, there may be a decrease in creativity. However, we actually do not
see a correlation between age and creativity, but rather we see a challenge that creativity can be confined, as one
becomes acclimated to his or her surrounding environment.
We questioned the possible factors and accompanied questions that could impact ones’ creativeness:
! Expectations – The what
! Directions – The how
! Belief in Perceived Valued – The why
ImplicationsActionsA Journey
Learning
Experiences
Ideate
Generate ideas,
questions or
curiosities.
Explore
Discover the
unknown or
unexplored through
inquiry.
Re!ect
Synthesis of
learnings, challenges,
surprises and
proposed future
endeavors.

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Specifically, the idea of a worksheet was considered:
Prompts for one to consider:
! When we are not guided by rules, how do we feel?
! How does being unsettled, influence us?
! What is possible the intersection between freedom and rules? How do they influence our individual and
collective action?
Project Work Day
I had the opportunity to work with a group of students from Slovakia. They co-constructed an idea and plan in how
they can support their community.
Identification of Talents and Needs for Success
! Visuals – a powerful representation
that can translate a word to meaning.
o Index Cards – the development
of a tangible action item were
written on index cards. This
would later be used as ‘a step’
that could be rearranged on
the ‘Work Timeline.’ Index
cards were also encouraged as
blank ‘thought notes’ which
one could contribute his or her
thoughts onto, to ensure an
idea/thought would not be
lost.
o Flip Chart Paper – this was mainly used as an ideation tool. Since the group consisted of four
students, we divided the sheet into four sections: (1) goals, (2) excitement, (3) concerns, and (4)
‘wild.’
! Adapting the Room – the room set-up was flexible so we could adapt it to meet our needs.
o As each step of our four-hour working workshop prevailed, tables were moved if deemed necessary
for our collective action.
• Action: A young person colored
the picture in the way he or she
so desired.
• Impact: A sense of empowerment
and pride in his or her piece of
art; an expression of his or her
wisdom.
5 year old
• Action: A young person is told
how 'a good student' would color
the picture.
• Impact: An acquired sense of self-
worth based on the idea of
pleasing others. May not truly
represent the expression of the
individual.
9 year old
• Action: A young person is ‘stuck’
when poised with the
opportunity to create, without a
given set of directions.
• Impact: A sensation of being
unable to ‘innovate.’ The open
canvas without direction can
incite anxiety, unknowingness
and unpreparedness.
14 year old

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! Organization – various protocols were utilized to help facilitate a dialogue.
o Customizable Timeline – a blank sheet was spread across the table. With each of the index cards, the
team decided which would be placed where. There was no glue involved until the end, so action
items could be moved, if co-decided upon. Year increments were placed (for three years) to provide
a framework.
o Reflection 3-2-1 – due to the copious amounts of ideas shared, it became overwhelming at times.
When the group felt that it needed a ‘step back’ period, each person would share his or her ‘3-2-1’.
They included: 3 learnings, 2 surprises, and 1 challenge.
Contact and Additional Resources
Contact
Additional Resources
Inclusive Youth Leadership Two-Pager
http://slidesha.re/1BujVYN
Dive into Inclusive Youth Leadership, with this overview
and how adult allies can support this leadership
lifestyle.
Innovation in Teaching and Learning Think Tank
bit.ly/IBLThinkTank
Learn of the reflections from a recent Think Tank
focused on youth engagement, innovation & school
climate.
Twitter E-How
bit.ly/TwitterEHowPU
Initiate or enhance your use of this 24/7 learning and
sharing online site, with the use of this e-how.
Social Story of the iiE Prague Gathering
bit.ly/iiEGatheringPrague
Check out this social story of the #iieGathering hashtag,
with Tweets of reflections, questions and pictures!
Clement.Coulston@gmail.com twitter.com/clementc26
linkedin.com/in/clementcoulston slideshare.net/clementcoulston storify.com/clementc27