I loved reading books when I was at school and one of my favourites is Connections by James Burke, based on the brilliant 1970s series of the same name.  I have been fascinated by connections. They give us meaning and brings things to life. Understanding connections is going to be vital for the future of humanity as the critical challenges we face today cannot be solved in siloes.   

We can learn so much from books, but can new technology do something which books can’t and help us get more from books?  Can OnePlanet help young people develop the skills to create joined-up solutions to interconnected problems? 

Young people are entering a future with massive challenges from climate change to increasing wealth inequality and a rise in distrust.  They are all interconnected. Issues around migration for example are intertwined with climate change. Yet our education system is built on teaching subjects in siloes.  We are not preparing young people for the future as well as we might. 

A few years ago, supporting the visionary Marika Ramsden, we were delighted to start using OnePlanet to help students at Credo School in California join the dots between their different subjects with our OnePlanet Student Portfolio App.  They could link each of their subjects to one of the ten One Planet Living principles, enabling them to uncover how whatever they were studying, from science to dance, could help them create a more sustainable future. 

As one of the students commented, ‘OnePlanet was truly that first drop of water that makes you look at everything else in your life.’ 

Please watch this short video to hear more from the students themselves.  We are planning to revamp the OnePlanet Student App and provide it to students around the world. We want to inspire them and embed the core life skill of understanding interconnectedness, help them unlock the power of their right brains and support them to reimagine the future in ways that promotes the health of people, community, local economy and planet. 

P.S. The TV series Connections created what some say is the greatest shot in television history. Take a look at the clip and decide for yourself!