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Why  we responded with 
world-building exercise?

We began with thinking: What do we want them to learn? But then we asked: What do they want?”

Education often operates within rigid, hierarchical structures—where students absorb knowledge rather than actively shape it. Inspired by alternative pedagogies, decolonial education models, and participatory design approaches, our aim was to :

Dismantle traditional learning hierarchies – Position young participants as active creators rather than passive learners.

Foster imagination and creativity – Encourage free-form thinking and collaborative storytelling.

Bridge cultural exchange and community building – Create a space where young people could explore ideas collectively.


Informed by the key learning references and our own site visits to East London, where we observed community-driven resistance to gentrification, our perspective shifted:

We moved from asking “What do we want to teach?” to “How do we create a space for young people to explore what they want?”

This small shift in focus radically transformed the workshop’s design, emphasizing agency, curiosity, and participation over instruction.




























Key Learnings
Manish Jain’s Declaration of Decolonizing Education – Challenging the structures of traditional knowledge-sharing.

Key Learnings

Lena Dobrowolska & Teo Ormond-Skeaping’s speculative climate workshops – Using fiction and world-building to help communities envision possible futures.

Key Learnings
Scott Rogers’ Level Up! – Exploring the power of game design in fostering creative problem-solving.