How the Design for Change experience changes from year one to year three
How does the experience change from the first to the third year?
“At the beginning, I was a bit… I hadn’t really understood the stages either,” says Iuliana Moroșanu, a social education teacher.
For many teachers, the first encounter with Design for Change is a mix of enthusiasm and a certain level of uncertainty. The method requires something that the system does not usually train: stepping back and allowing students to take control of the process.
“Now I have no problem at all. I know what to do and how,” adds Iuliana, now in her third year of implementation. Just as FIDS guides students through a process of identifying and addressing challenges in their communities, the Design for Change community challenges teachers to experiment with new roles, to test, and to learn year after year.
The teacher’s role – from coordinator to facilitator
In a system where the teacher is used to leading the process, Design for Change proposes exactly the opposite: to take a step back. And this does not come naturally.
“It was very difficult for me to decide whether to apply it to a class topic or to let them identify the problem themselves,” says Paul Lungeanu, a teacher of pedagogical subjects. “And it was difficult even until the end, when we identified the problem. Because you don’t expect them to see a problem in such small things.”
For teachers who adopt Design for Change in the classroom, the constant challenge in the first year comes from the temptation to intervene, to guide too much, or to correct the students’ direction. It is a reflex built over years of teaching.
“At times I felt like stepping in,” the same teacher admits. “But I let them. I let them enjoy the process.”
And perhaps most importantly, a first moment of surprise appears: students respond differently from what teachers expect.
“The children were very excited,” says Iuliana. “They ran campaigns, spoke with people in the community, went into younger classes. They were involved.”
Even when difficulties arise – such as community reluctance or a lack of confidence when interacting with authorities – students look for solutions and continue the process, showing creativity and determination to turn their ideas into reality.
“The teacher should not intervene. I think that will be the biggest challenge,” says Simona Rădulescu. Because Design for Change requires a deep shift in role: it is no longer about delivering content, but about creating context.
“You can no longer go into the classroom just to teach content. You have to adapt the lesson in such a way that you also introduce the method,” explains Iuliana. It is a transition that comes with questions, hesitation, and perhaps even discomfort. But it is also the point where transformation begins.
When do clarity, confidence, and the openness to let students be autonomous begin to appear?
The shift is not only about understanding the stages, but about how teachers begin to observe the dynamics in the classroom. Instead of focusing on “how to apply the method correctly”, attention moves towards the students: how they think, how they collaborate, and where they need support.
At the same time, the way students relate to the process also changes. “They are independent children – just outline an idea and they immediately take it further,” says Simona Rădulescu. “They know exactly what steps to follow in order to bring an idea to completion.”
After several implementations, students begin to work differently: they take on roles, make decisions, and carry initiatives forward without constantly waiting for validation from the teacher.
In some cases, the change becomes visible even from the outside. “These children are made for projects,” is the feedback Simona received from other colleagues at school. The autonomy and confidence built over time become evident in the way students work, discuss, and support their ideas.
Beyond autonomy, one of the most visible effects is the shift in relationships between students. “There was no longer that sense of competition between them. They became a whole,” observes Iuliana. Teamwork, which may be challenging at first, gradually becomes a natural way of working.
Beyond the classroom: when the method begins to generate change across the wider community
As teachers gain more confidence in the method, students’ projects begin to go beyond the classroom and have an impact within the school community. Students do not stop at ideas – they move on to implementing concrete solutions: from awareness campaigns and environmental initiatives to visible changes within the school.
“If it changes something for them in the classroom or in their small community, that is enough,” says Paul Lungeanu. “We can change the small world, and from there, maybe even the bigger one.”
In many cases, the impact appears precisely because students choose problems that affect them directly. From the lack of basic resources to behaviours in school that disturb them, solutions emerge from a very concrete understanding of the environment they live in.
“They are the ones who see best what doesn’t work for them,” is reflected in the experiences of teachers who have implemented the method in different contexts. And when they are given space, they come not only with ideas, but also with initiative.
In one class, students managed to mobilise peers and parents to raise funds, using digital tools such as QR codes. In another, they succeeded in changing behaviours within the school through campaigns created by them, addressed to other students.
Maria observes that once students understand that their ideas matter, they gain the confidence to step outside the classroom and interact with people in the community, even if there is initial hesitation. For Marina, one of the important changes is related to how students begin to relate to their own ideas – not as classroom exercises, but as real initiatives that can create change. For Aura, the value lies in the process itself – in how students learn to observe, ask questions, and build together, not only in the final result.
At the same time, these initiatives become visible to other teachers, and curiosity begins to emerge naturally. “They came to me,” says Simona about her colleagues at school. “They saw what the children were doing and wanted to find out more.”
For those at the beginning of their journey, however, the first step remains the most difficult: where do you start and who supports you?
The Design for Change Platform
