(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fazeena Saleem | The Peninsula
Young changemakers will take centre stage and be heart of discussions at 2021 WISE Global Summit, to reclaim their future through education.
They will join leaders and education innovators who will work on resetting the education agenda during the 10th edition of the Summit to be held between December 7 to 9, under the theme 'Generation Unmute: Reclaiming our Future through Education' in Doha.
“This year's WISE theme recognises that we must include our youth in discussions on our future. Even now, as the world looks ahead to the end of the pandemic and deliberates how to build back better, the voices of the young and underprivileged are conspicuously absent from the discussion,” Dr. Ameena Abdul-Majeed, Director of Programs and Chief Curator of the Summit, told The Peninsula.
“We therefore invite top experts and youth voices to empower this 'muted' generation to fully harness their energy and enthusiasm in order to address the multiple crises facing our societies, so that we can together reclaim our future,” she said.
Aiming to create a platform for youth, the Summit will introduce a new 'Youth Studio' as a key stage for dialogue and discussion, curated by young changemakers to facilitate intergenerational dialogue. By addressing issues including climate education, fake news, students' wellbeing and transitioning to the job market, WISE 2021 aims to provide the next generation with agency to find innovative solutions to today's key global challenges.
“We introduced the new Youth Studio to WISE 2021 as a key platform for dialogue and discussion, curated by young changemakers in education. This feeds into our overall theme of 'Generation Unmute' and our aim to give youth a voice to speak to the most pressing issues in education – as well as to assume their own agency in finding innovative solutions,” said Dr. Abdul-Majeed.
Since 2009, WISE has emerged as a global platform for creative, evidence-based thinking, debate and purposeful action in education. Driven by its mission to serve as a global reference in new approaches to education, WISE has continuously evolved and grown to include not only the biannual Summit, but programs such as our year-round research, the WISE Books, and the EdTech Accelerator, which, for over six years, has supported founders from around the world to build and scale innovative edtech solutions.
“In fact, our EdTech Accelerator start-ups have raised more than $24m in investment to date.”
Over the years, the Summit has brought together more than 12,000 participants from over 150 countries, 5,400 organisations and over 950 speakers.“Today, we are proud of a WISE community of 55,000 members and 150,000 social media followers that spans education stakeholders — from students to decision-makers — from about 200 countries, who share ideas and collaborate to seek creative solutions to solve challenges facing education.
“While research, mentorship and development form an important part of our ongoing contribution to education, the WISE Awards stand out as one of our key initiatives that fosters innovation on a global scale. Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote six successful, innovative and impactful projects that address global educational challenges. Since 2009, WISE has received more than 4,500 applications from over 150 countries and has recognized 78 projects,” she added.
In reply to a question about the future for WISE in continue putting education on global agenda, Dr. Abdul-Majeed said,“Following the immense education disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries, there is an urgent need to rethink current systems and identify innovative solutions for the future. We must work together and find ways to protect education and bring as many learners as possible back into the classroom, either physically or virtually.
“Now more than ever, there is an urgent need to prioritize dialogue that leads to workable, innovative and imaginative education models that serve learners worldwide. For the coming years, WISE will continue to serve as a leading global platform for youth, global experts and key decision-makers to address some of the toughest challenges facing communities around the world, from the pandemic to poverty, conflict, inequality, unemployment, environmental sustainability and future challenges.”
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