Empowering Future Change-Makers:

Teaching Neohumanist Activism in Schools

By Christy Shaver and Howard Nemon

A plenary on this topic was presented at the recent GANE Conference in Romania

Asking the Right Questions

What kind of world are we preparing children for? And what kind of children are we preparing for the world?
These two questions open a doorway into the heart of education. Is teaching simply about transferring information into young minds so that they can conform to the world as it is? Or are we nurturing values, skills, and a sense of responsibility so they can engage with and improve the world we share?

Our society is facing the combined challenges of ecological crisis, social fragmentation, and the persistence of cycles driven by hate, greed, and violence. Preparing children merely to adapt to this world is not enough. The task of education should be to prepare them to transform it.

This is, in essence, the foundation of Neohumanist education. It is not confined to only intellectual development but extends to moral, social, and spiritual awakening. Its guiding philosophy of Neohumanism cultivates a deep commitment to and responsibility for all beings, human and non-human, and emphasizes education as a liberating process.

Rethinking Empowerment

Empowerment is sometimes spoken of as if it were an add-on to education, a program or extracurricular activity. In truth, empowerment is at the core of what education must be if it is to prepare children to navigate the complexity of our times.

At its essence, empowerment is the interplay of three dynamics: finding one’s voice, cultivating agency, and engaging in collective action. Voice is the courage and opportunity to express one’s truth. Agency is the confidence to make meaningful choices. Collective action is the realization that transformation occurs most powerfully when we act together.

When these dynamics are nurtured, children begin to see themselves not as passive recipients of knowledge, but as participants in shaping their communities and their future. This vision aligns deeply with Neohumanist philosophy, which views empowerment not as a secondary outcome, but as the essence of education itself.

The Principles of Empowerment

Several principles guide this process. Empowerment begins with self-determination—the recognition that children must have opportunities to choose and direct aspects of their own learning and life. It expands as power is rebalanced, shifting from an adult-centered model toward shared participation. It requires a strengths-based approach, seeing each child as capable and gifted rather than deficient or incomplete.

Furthermore, an empowerment approach must also equip students to become effective participants. It should endow their young minds not only with theoretical understanding but also practical skills for applying their learning in the world. Hence, a variety of age-specific skill sets will be conveyed using different modes of teaching, including lectures, discussions, hands-on experiences, collaborative endeavors, and technology-enhanced learning.

Finally, empowering students means expanding consciousness so that they can engage the world as morally aware and spiritually elevated beings. They develop what Paulo Freire called critical consciousness—the ability to question injustice, see beyond appearances, and imagine alternatives. When all of this is anchored in social justice, education transcends the individual, becoming a force for collective good.

Empowerment Across Ages

Empowerment does not look the same at every stage of development. For a young child, it may appear in something as simple as being given a choice or being encouraged to practice kindness and fairness in play. In middle years, empowerment might show up in collaboration with peers, in projects that connect learning to real-world challenges, or in opportunities to take responsibility for a shared outcome. For adolescents, empowerment grows into leadership, advocacy, and the ability to challenge social norms that perpetuate injustice.

What matters most is not the specific form but the underlying spirit. Children of every age can be empowered when they are respected, listened to, and trusted to act meaningfully.

Bringing Empowerment into Practice

Empowerment is not an abstract philosophy—it comes alive through daily practice. The following examples illustrate how teachers can nurture empowerment across developmental stages, building voice, agency, and collective action through age-appropriate experiences.

Ages 4–6: Awakening Kindness and Inner Connection

At this early stage, empowerment begins with helping children recognize their emotions and their connection to others and the natural world. The classroom becomes a place where kindness is practiced, not preached.
Core Values: Kindness, moral awareness, and a sense of belonging to something greater.
Activities: Hold daily “kindness circles” where children share one good deed or express gratitude. Read stories about cooperation and compassion, asking reflective questions such as “How did the rabbit help his friends?” Caring for a classroom plant or pet teaches empathy and responsibility. Nature walks can become mindfulness exercises—listening, breathing, and noticing beauty.
Skills Cultivated: Emotional literacy, early mindfulness, and guided conflict resolution.
Empowerment Outcome: A foundation of empathy and self-worth, from which social responsibility naturally grows.
Example: When a disagreement arises over toys, invite the children to brainstorm fair solutions together. This transforms a routine conflict into a shared learning experience in empathy and problem-solving.

Ages 7–9: Practicing Empathy and Moral Courage

Children in this stage develop moral reasoning and begin noticing fairness and inclusion. They want to help and to be part of something meaningful.
Core Values: Empathy, cooperation, fairness, moral courage.
Activities: Use role-play to explore perspective-taking (“How would you feel if…?”). Create buddy systems, gratitude circles, and small collaborative projects such as art murals or garden beds. Encourage peer mediation to resolve conflicts.
Skills Cultivated: Emotional regulation, perspective-taking, teamwork, and early leadership.
Empowerment Outcome: Children learn that their voices and actions matter, and that kindness can transform relationships.
Example: When bullying behavior emerges, involve the class in problem-solving rather than relying solely on adult authority. Guide students to identify feelings, explore fair solutions, and draft a class agreement for kindness. The result is collective ownership of behavior and empathy in action.

Ages 10–12: Thinking Critically, Serving with Purpose

This is a transformative age—students can link learning to real-world issues and develop a sense of purpose. Empowerment grows through inquiry, service, and reflection.
Core Values: Cooperation, social awareness, justice, and universal love.
Activities: Have students identify a community need—helping elders, cleaning a park, or reducing waste. Guide them to research the issue, design a plan, act, and reflect. Student-led “awareness weeks” on kindness or ecology deepen agency and collaboration.
Skills Cultivated: Inquiry, planning, teamwork, and critical thinking.
Empowerment Outcome: Students discover their capacity to analyze problems, envision solutions, and work collectively for change.
Example: A “Community Voices Project” invited students to interview local elders about their environmental memories. They then created an exhibit linking those stories to climate change today, fostering intergenerational empathy and systems thinking.

Ages 13–18: Engaging in Justice and Systemic Change

In adolescence, empowerment matures into advocacy. Young people are ready to critically question systems, identify exploitation in society, and lead collective efforts for fairness and inclusion.
Core Values: Justice, equity, rationalistic mentality, universal consciousness, and non-human rights.
Activities: Support youth in designing and leading awareness campaigns, youth-run cooperatives, or partnerships with local organizations. Host mock UN debates, multimedia storytelling projects, or mentorship programs where older students guide younger ones.
Skills Cultivated: Leadership, systems thinking, persuasive communication, and strategic planning.
Empowerment Outcome: Youth become conscious changemakers, capable of identifying root causes of injustice and acting with clarity and compassion.
Example: When a school’s service project with a refugee community was halted by discriminatory policy, students launched a respectful campaign advocating for reinstatement—writing open letters, collecting testimonials, and meeting with administrators. They learned that empowerment is not rebellion but the moral expression of conscience through activism.

Integration Across the Curriculum

Empowerment is not limited to civics or ethics—it can be woven through every subject. A science unit on ecosystems can include stewardship projects. Language arts can feature storytelling from marginalized perspectives. Mathematics can apply to real-world equity issues such as energy use or food access. The arts provide avenues for expression, empathy, and community dialogue.

Teachers need not discard existing curricula; they can reframe them. By infusing lessons with opportunities for voice, choice, and action, education transforms from rote learning to living inquiry.