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Written by Gaëll Mainguy, Marie-Cécile Naves, and François Taddei.
Changes in many dimensions of our lives have been accelerating, due notably to contemporary systemic crises and technological innovation. They invite us to rethink the ways we share information, learn and cooperate to face our personal, local and global challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic epitomizes the need to generate and nurture ‘learning communities’ that develop their ‘collective problem-solving’ skills. These empowering and inclusive communities help their members to document, share, mentor, recognize, learn how to learn, and solve as a community. They therefore allow people to learn to take care of themselves, others and the planet throughout their lives. In the face of scenarios as extraordinary as the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to speed up and empower everyone – from young people and students to workers and citizens at large – with tools, methods and places to increase their agency in the access of knowledge and their ability to collaborate. From schools and universities to companies, non-profit and public organizations, we need to adapt training and jobs to break silos and lower barriers to knowledge for everyone. Access to, and sharing of, knowledge and experiences are key for the domestic, personal and democratic spheres. This chapter will present a selection of inspiring ‘learning communities’ and formulate key principles to empower everyone to take care of themselves, others and the planet.
