OpenIDEO
Cancel
OpenIDEO is an open innovation platform. Join our global community to solve big challenges for social good. Sign Up / Login or Learn more
Phase: Ideas Missions: Fix What Exists

Home Ec or Home Economics?

If we could create a 4 year Home Economics high school program, what would it look like?

Photo of Darrick Hildman
11 6

Written by

Who does this idea benefit, who are the main players and what's in it for them?

This would help high school students as they transition to adulthood and living on their own as financial citizens.

How is your idea specifically using the power of communities to improve financial opportunities and resources?

This is using schooling systems that are already in place, but focusing more on the bigger picture of success outside of highschool.

What early, lightweight experiment can you try out in your own community to find out if the idea will meet your expectations?

There are a few programs out there that are already successful. Looking at the best practices would help. This is also a school budget and community will issue.

What skills, input or guidance might you be seeking from the OpenIDEO community to help you build out or refine your idea further?

Imagining what a successful program would include and intail.

This idea emerged from:

  • A student project or collaboration

For many, Home Ec (I didn't even know that the Ec stood for Economics till later in life) is a fun class where you learn how to sew and cook a little meal. For others, it is a class that prepared students for life outside of high school. 

So what if Home Economics could be more? Financial literacy and empowerment, home maintenance, car repair and driver's education, education on the local living economy, professionalism and career skills and exploration, interpersonal relationship skills, health and wellness including food, nutrition and cooking, shop, making and repairing, etc. 

This could easily be a 4 year program with the curriculum geared toward the students as they get closer to graduation. 

What are your thoughts on what this could look like?

Inspired by (1)

Automate Me!
Automate Me!
View more

This inspired (2)

ParentsToChildren: Creating a Sustainable Community-Based Financial Literacy Educational Program
ParentsToChildren: Creating a Sustainable Community-Based Financial Literacy Educational Program
Libraries as Financial Literacy Hubs [Update: Fall and Spring Workshops Planned]
Libraries as Financial Literacy Hubs [Update: Fall and Spring Workshops Planned]

11 comments

Join the conversation:

Comment
Spam
Photo of Darrick Hildman
Team

Here is an interesting article about Home Ec. It appears that it is still going fairly strong. Some of the main issues are lack of qualified teachers, the class may not be required, lack of data since it is not a priority, Family and consumer science finding it's place and message in the 21st century.

Curriculum does not seem to be a problam and classes seem to conver financial literacy.
https://www.aafcs.org/res/newsroom/JFCS_105-4_Werhan.pdf

link
Spam
Photo of Shane Zhao
Team

Great conversations going on here Darrick! As this idea progresses, perhaps you might consider helping people better grasp how this idea could play out by describing some example scenarios which describe user journeys through some of the proposed activities you've outlined. Check this example: http://www.openideo.com/open/e-waste/concepting/neighbourhood-e-waste-champion/ where a few simple scenarios were created in an attempt to explain the goodness on the idea in a human-centered way. (You can update your entry at any time by hitting the Edit Contribution button at the top of your post.)

link
View all comments