Analyzing the familiar...

 

The first unit of Social entrepreneurship started off a little slow but picked up its pace pretty nicely with the introduction of "the tragedy of the commons". The tragedy of the commons is a scenario in which the source of a shared resource, or a common, is depleted by the greed of an individual. After talking about that, we got into how some companies are contributing to ensuring that the tragedy of the commons takes place, and a way to help these companies better themselves to evolve the company and commit to ensuring the economy can stay as plentiful with resources as possible. That's when we researched and stumbled upon S.W.O.T analyses.  S.W.O.T analyses are tests designed to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of any company. Identifying these traits is key for becoming a bigger, better, and stronger institution. This analysis model refers to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, (Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, Self-Actualization), to provide a proper example for what an institution needs to think about in terms of functionality, improvement, necessities, and overall success. This AP focuses on this method while testing our understanding of S.W.O.T analyses, while also providing honest opinions and feedback about GCE as an institution. 

    The concept of GCE stems from the need to expand the minds of young Chicago students. Young minds need nurturing and the curriculum of large public schools doesn't work effectively for cultivating a unique method of thinking that is required to change the world. GCE is a medium for achieving that goal. Pushing students to use their minds, gifts, and creativity to find unique and innovative solutions to real-world problems. These are all some of the goals that GCE has, but in order to achieve those, GCE has to evolve, and with that requires honest feedback on both its problems and strengths from its staff and students. 

    One of the biggest problems that GCE has is the division of its student body. I've attended GCE for all four years of my high school career and I will say that it has had its ups and downs. During my freshman and sophomore years, GCE met the expectation of having a student body with all different types of people as well as a diversity of thought. Each student had at least three friends of each cohort and got along pretty well. We had interesting clubs started and led by students as well as many school events and classes that were really fun and brought the community together.  And then... there was COVID. After COVID-19 hit it seemed that social morale was at an all-time low. Students stopped communicating with one another as frequently outside of the classroom, and cohorts became divided because our cohorts were the only people we really had classes with, it seems. After coming back to in-person learning this year, it doesn't seem that the social connection between students has gotten any better than when we were online. The only difference is that the upperclassmen and underclassmen are the most obvious divides in GCE's social framework. I think that GCE is not only divided between the upper and underclassmen, but also by another prominent detailing. Students that come for the unique curriculum, and students that come for an opportunity to get into a space where they are no longer seen as "alternative" (Social/Intellectual rejects). These are just my thoughts, which, I must admit, could be biased, so I turned to some teachers and students who've been with GCE for some time, as they could provide feedback that incorporated thought on how GCE has changed throughout their time here. I then took these responses and put them into a S.W.O.T analysis format on the slideshow below.

I've identified the problems, but how exactly can they be fixed? Coming up with solutions is difficult, especially when the solution is for the future of an institution. That's why through careful thought and consideration, I've identified the problem within the problem, which will make it easier to implement the solution. The issue within the issue of the division of the student body is that when seeking admission of students, GCE didn't pitch the curriculum as strongly as they did to current seniors. My senior class had the curriculum pitched perfectly enough to get us interested, primarily in how GCE executed education. The current underclassmen don't have a similar reason for being here. Theirs is for a community that will accept them as they are, which also fits the love/belonging and esteem categories of the hierarchy of needs; And for that reason, it causes a divide in the simple way that we interact. With the problem within the problem identified, the solution is as clear as day. Advertise GCE's unique curriculum and allowance of creativity into the learning, in order to appeal to those seeking more challenging and less restrictive learning.