Using Data to Combat Social Issues

Using data effectively means going beyond the numbers and thinking creatively. A recent project in the Grade 12 Challenge & Change in Society class encouraged students to design unique solutions to social problems based on statistical information and demographic data. In their “Canada and the World” unit, they have been focusing on how these types of data relate to social change; with this project, they got to apply these concepts.

They had to choose a problem in modern society and determine the demographic group most affected by it. From there, they worked on developing a practical solution that could help create change for and by people within their target demographic.

The project prompt was left purposefully open, so students would have the freedom to use their critical thinking skills and design their project from the ground up. Because of the open prompt, the topics they chose were wide-ranging, from environmental sustainability to homelessness to racial profiling to mental health support.

The approaches they took were just as diverse. They created websites, phone applications, bus-shelter advertisements, programs for purchase, school curriculum, photo essays, and elevator pitches in the hopes of remedying their chosen social issues.

Students learned about the importance of tailoring the presentation of a product to a specific target audience. They also learned how to include only the most relevant and remarkable data to persuade that market. Thinking as a social scientist, each student had to analyze how and why their product would successfully address this problem.

For example, for Charlotte Keating examined how Toronto’s cultural enclaves like Chinatown and Little Italy are contribute to Toronto’s wonderful diversity, but can also create cultural isolation. She proposed an app that would help Torontonians and tourists learn about and explore the city’s diverse cultural enclaves and promote cultural exchange and understanding. Lauren Kennedy developed a program to help Toronto schools become more environmentally sustainable, targeting both staff and students.

From their data analysis, they came up with unique, practical, and inspiring ideas to make the world a better place. Who knows where they will take these ideas next!