Future planetary and regional societal challenges will require a joint utilisation
of explicit, implicit and transcending knowledge - a 'Transformative Literacy',
which needs to be transdiciplinary by nature. Many concepts and models in
Applied Community Psychology - sense of community, empowerment,
community resilience - are contributing to 'transformative literacy'. Yet,
transdisciplinary competencies and development goals will require innovative
formats of collaboration between (1) academic canon of knowledge and
research, (2) the experiential knowledge of society and (3) disruptive artistic
thinking opening up surprising and serendipitous options.
Hence, a developmental challenge for applied community psychology is arising:
Developing transformative skills means learning and experiencing how
cooperation and co-creation may be performed successfully, and how new
relationships between social partners in a region (university - society - economy
- art - politics) maybe established and used. Values and skills needed to
establish system's oriented approaches will also require new types of learning
institutions and opportunities.
Similar to Sustainable Development Goals which will need Inner Development
Goals etablishing new mindsets, developmental goals for communities will need
to establish a 'complex systems mindset'.
Contrasting traditional models of academic knowledge creation, universities of
the future will have to do more than provide disciplinary answers to scientific
challenges.
Transformative Literacy will go beyond being a new toolbox: the art of active
listening; learning to ask questions thoughtfully; and the ability to cross
disciplinary boundaries are in-depth moves toward sustainable solutions aiming
at transforming our individual and collective mindsets.