My paper analyzes actionable steps that inspire universities in teaching methods for students to change the world. Its essence is to go beyond academic theories to implement societal change. Thesis: We can develop approaches that motivate students to use their newly acquired insights and skills for improving human society.

I will focus on practical classroom and field experiences the author has launched that empower college students to become activist “deviants” for social change. Not “deviants” as in juvenile delinquents, or being bad actors in society, but in becoming change agents for good, breaking norms of academic conformity and venturing into the wilderness of innovative change and social disruption.

How may this be accomplished? I analyze ways that inspire students using strategies through our establishing 41 NGOs in 62 countries throughout 30 years. My teaching of students demonstrates that they are increasingly interested in getting an education to do more than simply work on Wall Street or gain a tech job. They want meaning in their work and lives. They increasingly seek personal fulfillment.

My research draws on Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Illich’s De-Schooling Society, and Schumacher’s Small Is Beautiful, among other praxis approaches to radical education.

Authors:
Warner Woodworth, University of Utah, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Warner Woodworth is a global social entrepreneur who’s helped raise $1.5 billion (yes, with a "B") over three decades for combating poverty and reducing human suffering. He is author of 12 books and 360 articles while engaged in empowering the poor. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/warner-woodworth-b775a4/

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