Rhiwbina Living 62

seen & heard
The Awen Project is a learning community that's been created
to give a voice to a generation that's often overlooked
The words 'children should
be seen and not heard', is a
phrase that many of us grew
up with.
The saying has led to the loss of a
voice and identity for generations,
many children not feeling confident
enough to express their own
opinions or feel validated as they
enter adult life.
The Awen Project, based in South
Wales, is pioneering a new model
for learning environments that
addresses those concerns. It's a
place where young people are
championed to be themselves
and to follow their passions as
active participants in a democratic
community.
The project was founded in 2019
by singer Charlotte Church and her
husband Jonny Powell, with Hannah
Fitt as the Director.
"We work with families to coconstruct
small, free-to-attend
learning communities, that
are democratically led by the
children, families, and educators
and have ethics of excellence,
entrepreneurialism, and deep
creativity," says Hannah.
"The current national education
model is not working for many
18
children and Awen is a direct
response to that," she adds.
"The kids involved in the project
are at the heart of this journey.
We don't just tell them what to
do or praise them for sitting still.
We actively encourage them to
develop their own learning and
have a say in their own futures.
"The children learn through
projects that are really creative
and more relevant to our day-today
lives; it's more fun and super
engaging for them and they actively
embrace their learning when they
are directly involved in it."
The Awen Tribe is the first Awen
Learning Community, established
in 2019 and has been operating in
a number of temporary structures
in an ancient woodland in South
Wales. It is a self-directed, consentbased
learning community for
young people aged 11+ to focus on
their own education, developing
their individual processes and
objectives, and unlocking their own
intellects and creativity.
The students benefit from a rich
and wild learning environment and
participate in a community that's
founded on robust debate and
mutual respect.
Awen's pioneering model is
centred around The Gathering, a
democratic meeting that's held
weekly. Any member of the Tribe
can voice concerns, put forward
ideas, and address issues that
may arise. Each member has an
equal vote, and through practising
deep democracy exercises and
upholding the importance of
individual consent, the Gathering
promotes social learning,
tolerance, and the development of
communication and collaboration
skills.
"It's often the case that when
children come to us, it's because
they've found themselves outside
of the traditional education system,
which isn't working for them," says
Hannah. "In many cases, no one has
believed in them.
"The long-term aim of the project
is to build a large network of
Tribes that will cross borders,
share resources, staff, and learning
opportunities, and support
generations of young people to
become healthy, informed, and
responsible members of the global
society. The next generation will
face a future that is going to require
great things from them."