How Do Disruptive Innovators Prepare Today's Students to Be Tomorrow's Workforce?: Scholas' Approach to Engage Youth

This paper explores the "Scholas Occurrentes" pedagogical approach to addressing dropouts. "Scholas" focuses on the voice of students. It seeks to act positively on their motivation by listening to them, creating spaces for discussion, and strengthening soft skills and civic engagement. This paper presents "Scholas" work with three examples from Paraguay, Haiti, and Argentina. It analyzes the positive impacts that the "Scholas" intervention had on the participants. Then, it focuses on future challenges regarding the scalability and involvement of the institutions in the formulation of new public policies. The approach highlights the participatory nature of education and the importance of all actors' engagement.