Many mistakes (losses to chances of sustainability) have been made in the last 30 yeras since web1 and then web 2 appeared. Its much more important to identify mistakes and find solutions than to indulge in blame games . (One thing if some forces are still profiting from one of these broken systems beware they may block you however urgent the solution) If you are secure with what mistakes most impacted you and yours you may want to jump to web3 metaverse design maximising youth opportunities and thise teachers who want youth to achieve what they could not - see www.bcmrace.com
When we write 2025 report in 1984 we expected webs 9person nal computing networks) to appear in 1990 and we also explored the hypothesis that webs would be designed around win-win action learning networks (eg sharing life critical knowhow) as a top priority. Although webs started as learning spaces, commerce took over far faster than we expoected ; wirse learning webs were not identifiable separately from transcaction webs so they fell out of every search)
Its worth being claar things could have gone either way- cluetrian.com issued a 90 point declaration on more transparent marketing and customer focus but this was not what web1 became designed to do; in pleacse that had been previously cut of feg new zealand some communities did explore 10 years of applying web only to schools - the book which about 1000 new zealand families used became a 10 million family best seller in china. So China and new Zealand became the only places where web1 truly helped youth develop; and what was to come was mobile devices replacing computer laptops but far more than that mobile devises shared data for every gps and being on the planet. A few huge organsiations gained from this amking most of our communities ever less sustainable
IN MORE DETAIL
By 2008 several countries were reportiung to us that at least half of youth at whatever stage they left the educatiin system would not have have jobs waiting for them. Big permanent employing organsaitions were of a past era. What was particulary unfair about this situation was systems that went on ending education life with examinations where the last year ir two needed to be spent in maximising a persinns network andapprenticing. This unfairness doubled up where thise going through coleges alsi found themselves in large debt.
By the time girdon btwon hosted his education commissio0n at the un after the first year of sustainability goals the situation was worse. Some national leaders we are making many youth unemployable- we are not giving them 21st C skills; we are training them for jobs trobots can do.
Let us be quite clear : look around the world at how much local chalenges exist- there is more work for youth to do than ever. The mismatch is in finacing local lasdt mile service jobs and in skills being taught.
The bigegst sadness of ours compasred with our expectations back in 1984 is by now in advanced countries every youth could have theoir own skils dashboard and their own persinal bit system matching what they need to learn next to qualify for hwat work. It is in oiur review absurd than an adcanced country like usa left it mainly to one charity khan academy to digitalise learning until the pandemic. A smooth tranbsition of blended learning from 1990 to 2020 could have helped youth lives be very different. In many ways the failure of advnaced countries to open source best trainers and student centric learning devices penalises lless developed countries even more.
If you look around there are now quite a long list of missing curricula - south afrricas mandeka viryally free university which operated for abouyt 14 yeras foud that the most relevant undergraduate coy=usres had simplified versions that were vitalk for aberage student in south africa who was leaving edu sf=ystem age 14. These missing courrsces
entrepreneurship which branson had helped the university design
finacial literacy
ciding which google africa had helped the university with
self-confidence - the university recommended maharishi - indeed it found a large number of studenst were staring university with minds that jad suffered as much as solkfiers coming back from war
Since these =specificaton in early 2010s, it has been suggested that teachers themselves from second grade up need to be invilved in missing curricy=ula at every grade such as artificial intel; if a 2nd grade teacher isnt free to question what tech is chnaging fast she will soon be out of touch with what 10th graders need most
in other subejects solutions can come by valuing older peer teach younger peer life expereinces; the lanceyt has argued young adolescent personal helath is a big missing curriculum that could be simply designed around this
WRJ GUTERRES INTERVENES
By the scond of his ten years as leader of the Un, Guterres who had previously been the UN'sd main coordinatir of relfugee services, clarified that sustainability gaols could not be achieved unless Un2.0 transformed around digital roadmapping - the first new piece of thsi digital cooepration had emerged from educatirs deliberations on broken systems (or more exactly on elead group discussed here -eg jim kim memlinda gates geneva unctad and itu practitioners ...)
With the year long digital cooperation expert report avaiaable from 2019; the design of all 8 transfromation pieces(and guterres tech envoy office) were clarified by 2019- and by fall 2021 guterres was ready to chalenge 21-22 as yera we reserach how educatiuon is no longer fit for purpose - watch outh for what goes oin UNGA sept 2022
EXCITING EXCEPTIONS
places where humans had not previously had access to tech - eg those who never had electricity grids and leaped to mobil and solar became huge learning labs where they found optimal cooperation partners - see what billion poorest vilagers achieved thanks to cooperations mediated by people like Fazle Abed
I had the honor of being selected as the youngest United Nations delegate by the We Are Family Foundation and spent the week in NYC in a whirlwind of board meetings, events, receptions, and UN General Assembly stages. As an AI ethicist and social entrepreneur, it was an absolute dream come true to meet some of the most passionate and brilliant community leaders and build intergenerational collaborations.
Some of my favorite moments from the United Nations trip include:
🌍 Attending Nasdaq Climate Week and hearing from leading climate innovators and regulators, meeting future partners for my tech for sustainability work!
🇺🇳 Being invited guests to the United Nations and attending the UN SDG Action Zone main stage, hearing from UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on the future of sustainability and a push towards achieving the SDGs. Thank you Dawda Jobarteh for the invite and bringing youth voices front and center!
💗 Hosting our own youth-led event in Bryant Park, bringing together youth activists, entrepreneurs, and builders for vulnerable conversations on our experiences at the UN.
💻 Board meeting at the Microsoft NYC Headquarters and collaborating with the incredible Jean-Philippe Courtois and Anthony Virapin on social entrepreneurship and building the next generation of impact entrepreneurs.
🤖 Reception with the World Economic Forum and the CEO of Verizon on digital equity, tech ethics, and bridging the digital divide through connectivity and telecommunications.
📣 Speaking at the SAP Headquarters in a panel and roundtable discussion on building intergenerational partnerships on everything from AI ethics to community action.
Behind these exciting milestones and dream partnerships were so many moments of friendship, reflection, and connection. I am so grateful to have been a part of an incredible all-female delegation as the youngest delegate. We built this sense of community and power when we walked into a room, and I felt less alone knowing that I stand alongside brilliant women from across the world – stepping into our power unapologetically together.
Being at the United Nations taught me so much about power dynamics and the way that leaders move in spaces like the UN – it showed me how much we sorely need young people shaking up these systems and bringing our vision of grassroots and urgent action.
My fellow We Are Family Foundation delegates just got back from #COP in Dubai and #WEF in Davos, and it’s deeply inspiring to see a collective of youth voices catalyzing action to protect people and the planet.
I’m so excited to continue sharing what I learned at the UN and continue building a movement of tech for social good! 🚀
#unitednations #youth #techforgood