Superheroes and their hidden superpowers – Empowering Uneducated Immigrant Women Through Storytelling and discussing the possibilities of new learning approaches
This project aims to empower and give recognition to uneducated immigrant women (Superwomen) by highlighting their superpowers, what they are capable of, and what they can add to the society if given the right opportunity. It also aims to achieve sustainable change through discussing informal education and andragogy learning approaches to the existing educational system.
“A person capable of conceiving the possible always thinks that “things might be different”: “So the sense of possible could be defined as the ability to think of everything that also could be and, conversely, not to regard the given as more important than the non-given”
Why this? (What is):
The Swedish employment agency organizes integration plans and programs for refugees. These programs include social studies classes, field trips, meetings with locals, and much more, all requiring Swedish language. Though the curriculum of these programs is updated regularly, the programs themselves are not well-suited for the integration of all immigrants.
Uneducated immigrant women who migrated to countries with totally different societal structures, mainly reliant on formal education, are not able to fully utilize these opportunities like the rest of refugees. The learning process becomes especially challenging for them, as they are not only unfamiliar with the new language but also lack familiarity with formal education itself. Using the same pedagogy learning approach for all students, regardless of their educational background limits its ability to produce significant results. Most of these women have been attending schools for years without making any significant progress, if any at all.
Lastly, these programs are created without consulting with people about their needs or abilities. Consequently, these women feel disregarded, and their skills and abilities are overlooked leaving them with the misconception of not being easy to integrate.
Tetrahedron map (Project brief)
My role as a +Change agent
In this project I was driven as a +change agent to seek social justice. I gathered data and was actively co-designing with my target group through meetings and hosting workshops to understand and analyze the issue firsthand. I also went in several field trips to SFI schools to collect more information and opinions from the pedagogue seeking an all-around understanding of the situation to design a process that archives recognition for these superheroes and discuss different learning approaches.
During one of the meetings, discussing, presenting, and collecting data
What if & Final product
“What if uneducated women were seen as superheroes, with their skills, talents, and resilience recognized as superpowers? What if traditional education wasn’t the only solution?”
I am creating a zine that tells the story of a “superwoman,” highlighting her superpowers and what she can contribute to society if given the right opportunity. My goal is to propose informal education and andragogy approaches to the existing educational system. Andragogy, coined by Alexander Kapp and popularized by Malcolm Knowles, emphasizes that adult learners are self-driven and motivated by their own experiences, seeking practical knowledge.
By recognizing the superpowers of uneducated women and integrating andragogy, we can drive social change and enhance Swedish society. This approach will empower women to explore their possibilities of becoming whatever they want and serve as an effective plan for refugee integration programs.”
Final cover for the zine (Front and back)
Highlights of the process
workshops, meetings, process
Double diamond map (process clarification)
Physical cards created from a workshop for physical questioners and opinions
From one of the meetings with my collaborators and my target group
Exhibiting the zine
Together with my collaborators FIFO, we organized a multi-cultural food event where my target group participated. I exhibited a zine teaser and presented my project to them to achieve a reach for the zine.
Exhibiting the zine to collaborators and target group in Örebro
From the exhibition in Örebro