Problem statement: stop the touristic downward spiral
Currently the total population of the island is decreasing. Both jobs and education are mainly on the lower levels such as the agriculture, retail, catering sectors and VMBO education. The lowering in total population causes that in a few years the only secondary school could close and probably by a lack of students (650) also some of the elementary schools. These students will leave Texel to study in a ‘mainland’ city and do not always return to the island. Most of the Texelaars work and study on the mainland. In short, the Texel identity is disappearing and the level of work done and education followed by Texelaars is lowering. When one has the goal of a sustainable island, of which is assumed that this requires economic competitiveness and local project initiated by local (both lower ánd higher educated) people, this is a downward spiral. This spiral towards Texel as one big tourist attraction has to be stopped.
Thus, an increased and/or maintained connection with the identity of being a ‘Texelaar’ is expected to be needed in the future. While this is so, there will be a need to have opportunities to higher levels of education and jobs. This can form a paradox: enhancing and maintaining a connection with the identity of Texel, but still increase the level of education and jobs that will for a large part need education and working outside of the island. This paradox, identity versus economic opportunities, can be seen as the major challenge towards a sustainable island. That is so because if this is not in order, sustainability of Texel will not be on any ones agenda.
The design challenge
The research question to address can then be formulated as follows:
How can we establish opportunities for Texelaars to high quality life-long education and work opportunities while at the same time enhance and maintain the ‘Texel identity’ of the local population?
In order to evaluate if the proposal meets this abstract goal, specific sustainability criteria or indicators needs to be defined. For a 100% self-sustained Texel in 2065, 'Teach your own' defines various sustainability criteria:
1) 100% of the youngsters born and raised in Texel are students at a secondary school inside the island.
2) At least 50 % of them will study at HAVO or VWO level.
3) Both VMBO, HAVO and VWO will use local projects at Texel for their active learning methods.
4) A 50 % return rate of MBO students in the mainland, who come back to live and work from or at Texel.
5) A 80 % return rate of HBO and university students in the mainland, who come back to live and work from or at Texel.
6) 75 % of all Texelaars with a job are (in)directly involved with local projects that are connected with sustainability.
Conclusion
In essence, to address the problem of ‘identity versus economic opportunities’, the criteria as described above have to be achieved. If not, Texel will become a touristic island providing no mandate for much needed sustainable projects towards a fully sustainable island.