Graduation Party

Using the Boundary Effect

To fit this project into my professional specifications, I thought about the boundaries between this project, public speaking and permaculture.

– Orientation – We introduce students to careers to give them a broader view of possible choices. With this project, I was able to introduce them to the event industry.

– Self-confidence – To express yourself well you need to know what to say and have self-confidence. This project allows students to discover and use management tools. My goal is to create a dynamic of empowerment for these students in difficulty by valuing their abilities.

– Group communication – It is not easy for these students to communicate with each other. When they don’t agree, they insult, threaten and belittle each other. This project allows me to address the issues of mutual respect and non-violent communication.

– Communication with adults – I would like to confront them with the adult world in concrete situations.

– Assessment – I will have to create an assessment for their report card. I will probably have them present the project as a group. It would be nice to have someone from the outside.

– Create synergies – Involving students where there are usually only adults is bound to create new patterns.

– Teach Permaculture – Introduce students to permaculture by giving them tools they can use for their own project.

– Create interest in social permaculture – Adults around the project may wonder what social permaculture is.

Framework : Web Design

Being a social project, I decide to use Web Design

Initial observation

Since I am in the school, there is a disco at the climbing party in December. (A local festival in Geneva) This event concerns all the grades of the school which is about 850 students. A disco takes place in the gym. One year, I volunteered to supervise the event. We were about 15 teachers. We had to make rounds in the hallways of the gym, in the gym and outside. There was music in one of the rooms and light effects. I don’t know anything more than that.

Visions

It’s important to me that this is the students’ project and not mine. I started by brainstorming in class. My instruction: No limits! Here are their ideas:

– use two gyms: 1 disco room + 1 chill out room

– theme party (Euphoria)

– DJ (pro)

– a bar with free food and drinks

– alcoholic drinks

– schedule from 8pm to midnight

– photo booth by Sven (student of the class with a passion for photography)

– proper attire required! (no jogging)

– each student can invite one person from outside the school

– passage 41 (involve the animators of the neighborhood house)

– disco ball and smoke machine

– chicha (no weird stuff)

– rapper from Geneva MDR the guy is funny

– that the 11th

– Albanian security (free salary bastard)

– fireworks, mortar

– jacuzzi

– decoration led light and balloon

– 5 franc the entrance max

– ask other classes for ideas

Helps

– Nicolas my colleague – The class is divided into two groups for my course and I asked my colleague actor to participate in this project. Until the end of the year, we gave our class together as a whole class. My colleague supported me and followed me faithfully in the whole process.

– Emmanuelle the class teacher – She is in charge of the class control and the English classes. She is supportive of the project and is excited to spend a few hours with the class. I gave her Looby MacNamara’s Web Design without translating it so that she could do it in class with them. I also created a simplified questionnaire similar to the one in the book « People and Permaculture » for their English class.

– Principal – Before continuing with this project, I wanted to make sure that the principal was on board so as not to create additional frustration after all the things that were cancelled for the students during the covid period. The principal enthusiastically agreed to the project and also to come to class to hear the details of the project presented by the students.

– Dean of 11th grade – Unknowingly, the dean and I had the same idea at the same time. He brought it up at the board of directors and I had started brainstorming. Thanks to him, we saved a lot of time because the project was already validated by the whole board when I wanted to propose it to him.

– The administrator – He is in charge of organizing the parties for several years. He is the one who coordinates the secretariat and the logistics. From now on we will interact with him for the organization of the party. He has agreed to come to class to help us.

Patterns

Helpful – This project seems to create enthusiasm among the adult stakeholders and the students in the class. The enthusiasm of the students feeds the enthusiasm of the adults, which increases the enthusiasm of the students and makes the adults even more excited… This is the first time that students have been involved in organizing a party in our school and the adults are delighted and spontaneously see the potential of this association and the benefits.

Unhelpful – Some students have been unproductive and disruptive since the beginning of the year. The imminent arrival of the end of the year and the conclusion of next year’s projects increases the dispersion of these students. They no longer have a reason to work in class, skip class and/or get expelled and are sometimes even suspended from class for their general bad behavior. They are interested in the project, but at this time of the year, academic results are not of primary importance because they are very low. Absenteeism is felt and hinders the progress of the project. Two students also leave us to join a structure that allows them to do internships in companies.

– As the project progressed, I was confronted with the shortcomings of my school. I discover that some of my colleagues have been having differences and judgments about each other for several years. There is a hierarchical order in which to proceed, which makes it difficult for me.

Ideas

In order to gather new ideas and to go into more detail, I decided to do the activity in class with the students of Bonos’ hats. It was a success and allowed us to move forward to our first decisions.

The Bonos Hats

White (neutral)

Communication: We need to write a clear explanatory text for the students of the school, find a meaningful image, talk about it at the delegates meeting.

Euphoria theme: post-apocalyptic extravaganza in blue-purple tones

Security: Teacher’s list

Logistics : Smoke machine, disco ball

Decoration : Colored led light and balloons

Location : Gym rooms

Red (emotions)

Fear : Not enough security

Joy : Good atmosphere, good music and lots of food !

Anger : The price of the entrance too expensive, not until midnight, 2 years covid

Sadness: It’s the farewell party,

Black (negative)

The sad music and the chicks who are doing phases (suicide attempt)

Fights, knives, drugs, pot, alcohol coma…

Intrusive teachers

Yellow (positive)

Euphoria theme: It’s fun, colorful, festive, elegant, elaborate, different, original and there is no vulgarity.

The students’ investment allows them to be more creative and to target current trends. Choice of music, atmosphere.

The Passage 41 will come to help us.

Green (imagination)

Euphoria theme: The participants will be in harmony with the decoration in blue-violet tones. Organize a contest, a parade.

Bar: harvest mint in the educational garden

Logistics: Involve the green brigade

Decoration : Involve a drawing teacher, use the corridor between the two gym rooms to make a decorated tunnel

Volunteers: The school could offer a certificate to the volunteers so that they can value this experience in their CV. It can be a motivation to get involved.

Animations: Sven’s pictures could be projected on a giant screen at the entrance.

Blue (discipline)

During the lively discussion, I frame the discussion so they don’t lose sight of their objectives and I take notes. We have an online platform where I share the reports of the day’s lesson.

Limits

Now that the students are clearer about their project, we invite the administrator to talk to us about the limits. We don’t yet know what is feasible in practice. The administrator explains to us the usual course of the parties and answers the students’ questions. I take advantage of this intervention to deepen the analysis phase by placing the information directly into a SWOT.

SWOT

Strengths

– The school has already invested a few years ago in equipment: special effects, light and sound.

– The two technicians of the school will do the installation

– The school has a filter system at the entrance with wristbands distributed by the class teachers.

– Student involvement will save money

– The administration would like to have free admission this year

– The school already has a checkroom system with numbers.

– Each year, more than a dozen teachers volunteer to watch over the school.

Weaknesses

– For this kind of event, the school always hires security professionals. This is very expensive.

– To compensate for the security costs, the students have always had to pay to enter the disco.

– The wristbands to screen students at the entrance are made of plastic

– For the administration staff, June is a delicate time when there is a lot to do

– Emergency exits should always be left open in case of an emergency. Unwanted youth could take advantage of this.

– Locker rooms are on the emergency escape routes. Make sure that groups do not stagnate in these areas.

Opportunities

– The school uses the same DJ every year. He has been contacted and will be coming.

– We may be able to invest in washable cups

– A biodegradable pad or wristband system could replace the current system.

Threats

– The heat could be stifling. The facility was designed over 50 years ago and the climate has changed. The area available for the party has a huge east-facing glass canopy and the doors open onto the completely concrete covered courtyard. We could experience the combo of the greenhouse effect and the heat build-up from the court.

– Out-of-town kids and alumni trying to get into the party

Integration

1. Roles

We create small groups and assign responsibilities to each. This allows us to have a deep reflection, to link the information together to make decisions:

– Decoration Salia

– Logistics Kassy

– Animations Sven

– Chill out corner Prathu

– Security David and Enis

– Staff Leida

– Bar Victoria

– Communication Leida and Victoria

– Coordination Victoria

– Treasurer Lucas

– Health Tania

2. Delegates meeting

We ask Prathu to speak with the dean to organize a special delegates meeting to talk about our project to organize the end of the year party.

I write a registration form for volunteers from other classes that Victoria and Sven distribute during the session.

Debriefing:

– The theme of the party becomes Classical/Elegant Chic.

– The day and time are defined by the direction on Tuesday June 28th between 6:30 and 9:30 pm

– The party will take place in the Aula. The administrator realized that in summer it is still light at 7:00 pm. It is impossible to create total darkness in the gym.

– The dean is opposed to having other stands than the photo shoot proposed by our class 1111.

– We received the following week the registration of 12 additional student volunteers.

3. We invite Passage 41 (the neighborhood house) in class two weeks before the D-day. Thibault, the social worker, is very friendly and has an excellent contact with the students. The students briefly explain the project to him and enter into negotiations with him. They agree that the community center will come at 4pm on the day of the party with 30 deckchairs, a giant mojito without alcohol and 3 animators to take care of the bar.

I then take advantage of Thibault’s presence to do a placement map activity all together. I put the rest of the group around a large central table with the architectural plan of the whole party area and the elements to place:

– The locker rooms

– The photo shoot

– The bar

– The DJ

– The 30 deckchairs

– Security (10 blue dots)

– The volunteers (10 green dots)

3 students go with Thibault to the party site to observe and decide where to put what. Here is the picture at the end of the session:

4. During this time, I put Leida in charge of the Staff with my colleague Nicolas in front of an excel table on the class computer. They make a list of volunteers, a list of tasks and try to divide the tasks fairly. Leida is very involved in her role and had made a draft during the week at home. It was very helpful because she made the groups by affinity of people and divided the tasks by personal desire. She didn’t manage to make a schedule but I now knew who wants to do what and with whom which will simplify my task.

Reflection

Following the delegates’ session, the students are very disappointed. The simplification of the theme and especially the change of room demotivate them and this is felt in class with the teacher. I come to class during one hour of English and it’s not easy. There are tensions between some students and more and more absentees. I have the feeling that I am holding the project at arm’s length and that the impetus is no longer coming from the students. The arrival of Passage 41 has given the troops some strength. In the midst of the difficulty, the real pillars of the project can be seen.

The director and the administrator can’t come to class because they have too much to do. The whole school is under tension, last exams, grades, everything to finish with the end of the year and especially the reception of the Ukrainian refugees. My classroom was chosen to welcome them. I had to adapt to this unexpected event for all my classes and this unexpected event generated a lot of stress for me. In June, I also had a lot of artistic commitments, student performances, concerts, tributes to colleagues who are retiring including Dominique (see Les Clos project). I had to finish the model of the project in Ardèche before Dominique closed his studio for good. My doctor diagnoses me with tendonitis in my arm and I can’t ride my bike for 2 months. I have to reorganize all my transportation. Too much, too many things to do, I reach my limit, I need a break.

Break

Impossible to find a day of rest. This weekend I’m going to Paris for an intensive training for my permaculture show project. The next weekend it’s the music festival and we have a concert and I only have one free day to finish all the planning for the end of the year party.

I realize that in my life in general I don’t plan breaks and I wait to collapse at the end of the race.

This time I decided to let go of my head whenever I could. I got a bus pass and even though I have to leave home early, I listen to music and relax on the rides.

I also decide to save up for everything and really only do what is necessary. I’m becoming a real stalker of little moments with nothing and learning to say no.

Action

Placement Map

I clean up the items placed on the base map in class. I am having a lot of fun making drawings and calligraphy on the tracing paper. I would like every volunteer and teacher to have the map to simplify understanding the planning.

I wasted a lot of time looking for a flatbed scanner in the city of Geneva. I chose an A2 size for the map and all printers today have roll scanners. As I made my drawing on tracing paper, two sheets superimposed on each other do not fit in the roller. I had to abandon the idea. I simply posted the plan on the wall behind the bar. When someone asked me where is what, I showed them the map

Gant’s schedule

I’m really behind, I have to finish the schedule by myself because the classes are over. I’m trying to learn how to use the excel program which I don’t know very well. Now that I have all the elements, I understand little by little how to place them in the chart and find it absolutely brilliant!!! I am a fan! I used Gant’s schedule as inspiration to create a reminder of things to do and groups involved.

I had a lot of interaction with my management colleagues and each time I pulled out my planner so I could answer questions without having to search my memory. This basic planner was also indispensable for the development of a planner for the students and for the teachers.

Thanks to these two tools, I was able to elaborate a detailed planning for the preparation, the evening and the tidying up. I used a number system to make sure I didn’t forget any area or element.

People Care

It was during the planning process that I did the most thinking about people care. During the beginning of the process I was driven by the idea that this project should benefit both the teachers and the students. I would like the students to have good memories of this first big post-covid school event and the teachers to have a good time and want to participate again next year. I also think that the internal tensions that I have noticed can change with people care.

For that I thought:

– put the volunteers always in pairs to have company during the beating moments and the possibility to go for help in a critical moment.

– Be careful to put people with affinities together.

– Have volunteers make rounds to ensure that all staff do not need anything.

– Put chairs at each monitoring station and deck chairs on the second floor

– Vary the job assignments for the teachers so they can all enjoy the party a little too.

– Each student volunteer should have enough break time during the prep day so they can go home and change for the party.

– Each student volunteer will have half the time during the party for their task and the other half free to enjoy the party.

– Students who live far away can be excused from the final cleanup by hosting the 41 at 4pm and helping to unload their truck.

– Principle of Cooperation

The end of the year period is very demanding for the two technicians who manage the cleaning and tidying of the classrooms by the students and the technical installations of the festivities. The day after the party is the end of the year staff meeting which would take place at the same place as the dance floor at 8am!!! I proposed to the technicians to give them 2 serious and responsible students to help them with the technical installation and that with the others we would do the installation and uninstallation of the dance floor ourselves. They were delighted with the idea because they are normally in charge of the chairs. It’s tedious with two people, but it will keep my hyperactive teenagers busy for a while.

The janitor points out that his cleaners will be gone by 9:30 pm and that it will be difficult to clean the next morning with the chairs already set up. I ask him to provide me with 5 brooms and we are going to reinforce the security at the entrance of the dance hall so that nobody enters with glasses or food.

Since this is a first for the school, it is very important to me that everyone has a good memory of it. Some people think that having a student-organized party right in between class councils and internal meetings will add an extra workload to an already overloaded period. My goal is to use the principle of cooperation to reduce the workload of the maintenance and logistics staff.

– Getting a harvest

Volunteers can’t work on an empty stomach! The students did not complete the food preparation project and I had no intention of taking any further initiatives. I still asked the management to offer an aperitif dinner just for all the volunteers. To thank them for their participation and to take advantage of the opportunity to create a special moment together. It also allows students who don’t have time to go home between the preparation and the party to not have to plan a meal or go out and buy one.

Momentum

Today is the day!

13h30

I am waiting for the students of class 1111. They have been excused from cleaning the classrooms to prepare the party. They arrive one after the other, in a good mood, the class is complete. Even the two trainees are here today and they are very happy to participate in the project.

The technicians arrive and I introduce them to their two new assistants for the technical installation. Together with my colleague Nicolas, we coordinate the rest of the group to move all the chairs and tables in the cafeteria and all the chairs in the aula. They are so efficient that we soon have nothing left to do. A student is hungry and the idea emerges that we could prepare to go and get some food. Great! I go to the administrator to ask if we can have a budget to buy food. He agrees to give us 100 francs.

We make a simple list, toast with sweet and salty spreads, chips and I even give them some sweets. Even if it’s not very ethical, it’s their party after all.

I am very happy with this initiative as I will be able to give things to do to the next group.

16h

The first group leaves, the second starts to arrive and Passage 41 arrives with a van full of equipment. The 3 students who live far away stay behind to help unload and set up the deckchairs. Everything is done very naturally. The 3 hosts are very nice and settle down at the bar, some students help them to prepare the Giant Mojito, I ask the remaining volunteers to prepare the canapés… everything goes as planned, I start to relax until the fateful question: Where are the glasses? We look everywhere and find them everywhere. We don’t know which ones are for us. Nor do we know if any are meant for us. We try to call the administrator who was at a funeral. No answer. We don’t dare to help ourselves at random because several events are planned for the end of the year. Nicolas goes on a mission by bike to the city because all the small shops in the area are out of stock. He saves our lives by coming back with glasses!

We have a problem with the installation of the changing rooms. We had planned to put them in a room near the entrance. To prevent students from infiltrating the school, the dean decided to barricade the entrance on one side. This poses a problem for access to the changing rooms. The standers are on wheels so we easily set up the changing room in a corridor perpendicular to the entrance. It was a good thing, I hadn’t thought about it. I was afraid that the teachers in the changing rooms would get bored during the evening and would be overloaded at the end if everyone left at the same time. At the entrance it’s the other way round, there will be a need for a lot of vigilance at the beginning. To filter the students we set up a table with the schedule, the lists of students with photos and food and drink. Instead of two teachers at the entrance, there will be 4. They can easily switch roles if necessary.

18h

Everyone is there. I thank the 36 student and teacher volunteers and the management. I explain the course of the evening and distribute the schedules. We share a drink and two huge focaccias in a convivial moment before the doors open. Last minute surprise, two professional security guards are there. I was totally unaware of this. I had been told that there would be no security this year. I accompany them to the entrance and we decide that they should do a first check to make sure that the wristbands are on and that they search the bags.

The DJ arrives at the last minute, the two technical assistant students start the lights and off we go.

18h30

The students arrive in dribs and drabs. They are very elegant. They all played the game, they look great. I go back and forth a lot at the beginning to see if everything is fine. At the entrance, a 2nd year student managed to get a bracelet but a teacher recognised her. Upstairs, the dance floor is empty and the deckchairs are full. A student comes up to me and proposes a solution. She goes to all the small groups and asks for music they would like, she makes a list and gives it to the DJ. Within minutes the deckchairs were empty and the dance floor full.

Everything seems to run smoothly this time. Some teachers follow the schedule to the letter and others take liberties. I couldn’t foresee the whole evening unfolding and of course the collective intelligence and common sense of everyone involved made it perfect. It brought tears to my eyes to see all those young people jumping up and down and singing along.

As the evening drew to a close. The DJ tried to scare them away by playing Elvis Presley. But they didn’t want to leave. It was as if this last moment of adolescence could not be taken away from them.

21h35

With a heavy heart, I see only one solution: turn on the light!

The charm vanishes instantly and everyone leaves at the same time. Some of the volunteers have taken advantage of the movement to slip away for the least fun part of the clean-up.

I get out the brooms, the mops and the bin. The floor was almost clean. It’s perfect! I give instructions on how to put the chairs in. The tenacious volunteers still have energy and even some teachers come to help us. We make a last round before closing the school.

Appreciation

I jump on a bus and I can still see the lights shining in the eyes of the students and teachers. It was great! Everyone agreed. I got a lot of compliments, congratulations for this achievement. No one complained.

The next day, even the technician smiled and the caretaker told me that I had passed my cleaning diploma. The final pleasure overcame the unexpected. There is the official graduation ceremony. The headmistress thanked class 1111 for organising the successful end of year party. I am very proud of them.

Reflection

Responding to change

At first I was afraid to disturb with a project like this. I have a vision that may seem chaotic where everything is well-ordered and unchanging. I am glad that everyone was open to change and trusted me during the process. I love interdisciplinary projects but most systems or minds around me work in a linear way. To do this project I sometimes had to step on minefields and I was uncomfortable. In the end, everyone was respectful and professional. I am quite optimistic about the future, my director trusted me and all my colleagues were a little shaken up in their procedures. Perhaps the era of change has arrived, with no ready-made solutions, humans finally dare to leave their comfort zone.

Change is a crucial leverage point. Students change every year, the world is changing at exponential speed and if we teachers remain stuck in our old patterns we will have less manoeuvre to act in the face of the changes that await us. In my project I tried to probe the propensity for change in my professional environment. I am happy to see that we have taken a first step. Even if we are far from a real awareness of the state of the planet, of the shortages and the upheavals as a result, I have planted a seed of permaculture in people’s minds.

Earth Care

In this project, earth care was the most difficult point for me. First of all, because for the students the planet is not worth the effort to give up what they like. Since the beginning of the project, I have been thinking about how to have a positive impact. I realised that the students would not be very helpful, so I looked for solutions from the management. I made an appointment with the administrator to ask questions.

(Produce no waste)

I listed everything that generates waste or pollution:

– Entrance wristbands are made of plastic

I proposed a system of stamps or biodegradable string wristbands with lists at the entrance. The administrator said he would look into it. The plastic wristband system has worked well for several years. They wouldn’t change, I wasn’t told why. I guess it was much simpler.

– The students want to put balloons for decoration

That’s out of the question! I gave myself veto power on this and committed myself to finding something fun to replace them. I signed up for an object library in my community. For 10frs I rented two very elaborate little LED spotlights with psychedelic shape and colour changes. I used them for the bar and the chill corner.

– Food from the supermarket

Deciding at the last minute to buy food forced us to go to the nearest supermarket. The impact is disastrous. Everything is wrapped in plastic, the students have not bought anything healthy so there is nothing ethical about the production.

– The Mojito (soda water in plastic bottle, Peruvian lime, mint in plastic bag)

I was so overworked that I didn’t manage to get fresh mint from my mother’s garden. Passage 41 was waiting for more cocktail suggestions but there was no time to improve.

– The glasses are disposable

I propose that the school invest in washable glasses. As there is little time until the party, the prices are not interesting. I am told that next year it will be possible but this year it will be disposable glasses. I asked for biodegradable recycled cardboard glasses and was told ok. The glasses were indeed bought, but were not found because there was no note on them and they forgot to give me the information. Nicolas could only find plastic glasses.

Vision

As we were leaving, Thibault told me that for years they have been coming to our school at the end of the year with syrup and three deckchairs outside. This year, thanks to me, they were able to really participate in the party and it’s a great way to make the link between the school and the neighbourhood centre. Their aim is to do prevention among young people and to create a link. This end-of-year celebration often marks a big turning point in the lives of teenagers. They like to be able to say goodbye to them after all these years of support. Thibault would be happy to take part in the same project next year but for the whole year.

The administrator also suggested that I do the same project next year

If I renew the project next year, I can already see some avenues to explore:

– We have a top chef competition with students from the optional cooking class. We could propose to the winner of the competition to be the chef of the appetizers.

– We could plan a harvest in June with the educational garden team.

– We have a recycling group that we could use for decoration

– The Green Brigade is a group of volunteers whose goal is to improve the school’s ecological footprint. Their project this year was to collect waste. They could help in the reflection of how not to produce waste.

Break

Next week is my birthday and I’m taking the opportunity to spend some quality time with my daughter at the Cirque du Soleil.

Fair Share

Apart from the leftover food that I gave to a scout association, this project was mainly about human exchange. I didn’t really set myself a goal for the fair share because I had no idea where we would end up. I just put the idea out there and the rest took care of itself. The amazing thing is that it was all free. The benefit of the evening is purely relational and human.

– The administrator gave his time when he had a much simpler solution to apply. Sharing of tasks.

– The students believed in the project until the end. They were concerned about the smooth running of the evening and gave their all. Sharing responsibility.

– It feels good as a teacher to see students getting involved and for students to have adults who believe in them. Sharing gratitude.

– The facilitators from Passage 41 came with their material, their social experience and their good energy. They love teenagers and you can feel it. Sharing of the heart.

– The management made the school available to us. Sharing space.

– I passed on permaculture tools. Sharing knowledge.

– The evening allowed us to exchange with many people. Sharing the moment.

– Sven took pictures all evening and took down the addresses to send them. Thanks to him I have some beautiful pictures for my portfolio. Sharing memories

All of them helped me a lot to make this project come true and I want to thank them warmly!