How and what would people learn? As well
as technology, subjects would include emo-
tional development, citizenship, culture and
creativity, thus giving structure and purpose
to leisure time. Take food production as an
example. There are opportunities within this
subject to learn about soil and geology, biol-
ogy, and the cultivation of different plants for
different ecologies. There would be lessons
with a focus on sustainable growing environ-
ments, ecosystems and seasonality, nutrition,
cooking, shared food cultures and more.
A little structure could make every process
or action a learning moment. In this way,
work and learning become one and the same.And the intellectual, emotional and social
skills? At present such skills come pre-
dominantly by circumstance from the home
environment and the school system. As the
Greenbelt Institute blurs the boundaries
between home and school, it has the potentialLondon-based Central Saint
Martins M Arch graduate
SHAMISO ONEKA was
selected for ‘The Challenge’
because of her alternative
views on urban living.FUTURE OF LEARNING
Nº 1Lifelong Learning
Acknowledging the effects of automation
and ageing, Shamiso Oneka imagines a course
of study for a POST-WORK SOCIETY.You want education to embrace the future?
SHAMISO ONEKA: It’s currently designed
to prepare young people for the work-
force, but by 2030 half the world’s jobs are
expected to disappear owing to automation.
Therefore education should be preparing
young people for a world beyond work:
a post-work society.
But that’s not the only problem you’re
addressing? If we take London as an example,
its population is set to increase by 37 per cent
to more than 11 million by 2050, with
16 per cent over 65 years of age. The context
of automation, urbanization and ageing is
the backdrop of the Greenbelt Institute,
a suburban proposal for the education
system of the future.
Why is it called the Greenbelt Institute?
It would occupy the boundary territory
that keeps London from sprawling into the
countryside and small towns beyond. The
city’s long-contested Greenbelt would host
a network of intergenerational learning
environments that also provide recreational
space and ecosystem benefits.
Can you elaborate on these environments?
Informal work and play spaces nestled in the
landscape would replace traditional class-
rooms and make learning an ongoing process
that takes place in harmony with nature.
Coeducational spaces would address the need
for lifelong learning in intellectual, emotional
and social skills.
to create social equality by levelling the play-
ing fields of social background and family
circumstance. If these skills are included in
the curriculum, they can be factored into our
collective intelligence and can be developed
with guidance and awareness.How would you integrate the intergenera-
tional aspect of your proposal? Surrounding
the educational environment for the young
with dwellings for the old would result in a
space of inclusion and exchange. For example,
young people could participate in the design
and fabrication of the spaces as a method of
project-based learning, before older people
take up residence in them. This would allow
young people to benefit from the experience
of older people who can act as mentors by
sharing their skills and stories.What would be the educational advantages
of this approach? All forms of learning and
work would be accessible to everyone. This
makes space for personal development that
values people as more than just part of a pro-
duction line for society. Young people would
learn to understand the overarching processes
of production, including planning, design,
infrastructure and the inner workings of an
undertaking. They would learn how to think
critically and creatively – and have opportuni-
ties to apply their ideas to projects within the
community. Finally, they would learn the skills
of citizenship that involve being a leader,
a negotiator and a participant. – WG
shamiso.design34 THE CHALLENGE