From the Times, MENAFN.com, the Jordan News Agency, the Financial Express, La Nación, Simon Williams, the Park Paradigm, Hafez of Arabia, edusupport, Davos Conversation, and BuzzMachine. Thanks to all for those articles.
2 comments January 29th, 2007
The BBC have covered our session at Davos, and there is an article on The Register.
7 comments January 26th, 2007
Read quotes from our session this morning with Queen Rania and Gordon Brown here
4 comments January 26th, 2007
The video introduction to our session (which was hit by WEF gremlins) in now on YouTube
2 comments January 26th, 2007
Her Majesty commended the World Economic Forum and the British Council for bringing young people to Davos. “This is a generation of content creators,” she said, “active agents…people we have to bring into the conversation.”Gordon Brown said that he had come to listen. He hailed “the youngest ever platform at Davos…apart from me.”
Reacting to our presentation, the Queen described the proposal as ‘very doable’.
“We have to look for quality…The thing that brings education to life are quality teachers…It’s about bringing honour back to the profession.”
Gordon Brown praised the proposal for a Global Fund for Education as “idealism combined with a plan for action.”
He called on all the major countries to come together to support quality education, while underlining the need to teach students to be global citizens.
Supporting the formation of a virtual or real world fund for education, he warned that “if we don’t make this effort, there will be a very heavy price to pay because others will do what we should have done years ago.”
A fund needs “a mobilisation of resources and energy…it’s something we could do.”
Her Majesty, the Queen told the team how proud she was to be part of the panel. “You are potentially a politically transformative force,” she said.
Closing the session on behalf of the Greenwich 60, Yoo-Sun Andrea Choi thanked the world’s leaders for their attention.
“We hope you will jump into the boat we have created,” she told them.
Add comment January 26th, 2007
Sixty people aged between 20 and 25 came together in Greenwich, London on 18 January 2007 to talk about education and its role in developing active global citizens for the future. Six of these young leaders were chosen to present their vision for a Global Fund for Education at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
On 26 January, the team became the youngest ever panel at Davos, when they set out their ideas for an international Fund that would focus not simply on access to education for all - but on ensuring a high quality education for every student in the world.
Sharing a platform with Queen Rania of Jordan and the British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, they emphasised the importance of delivering well-trained and motivated teachers, as well as developing curricula that equip students to live and work in a global society.
Read the text of their remarks here (Presentation) or you can watch video of the whole session.
1 comment January 26th, 2007
You can watch live footage of our panel discussion with Queen Rania and Gordon Brown, British Chancellor of the Exchequer at 11.15 CET, 10.15 GMT here.
Add comment January 26th, 2007
Today’s press release detailing the call for a global fund for education by our team at Davos:
Six young people, aged between 21 and 24, will today challenge the World Economic Forum to establish a Global Fund for Education that will focus on ensuring the quality of education for all.
The team, who come from Australia, Egypt, Israel, Mauritius, South Korea, and Switzerland, will set out their ideas in a session at Davos called Wisdom of Youth, to be chaired by Jonathan Charles of the BBC. They will share the platform at 11am on Friday 26 January with the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and Queen Rania of Jordan.
The Global Fund for Education would work on a similar basis to the highly successful existing Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria, co-ordinating the efforts of private and public donors worldwide. The group believes a focus on developing the quality of what is taught in schools is vital, if education is to play a full role in ensuring that students are equipped to live and work in increasingly complex and diverse societies.
Speaking about her hopes for making the Global Fund for Education a reality, Yossra Taha, 22 from Egypt said:
“The Global Fund for Education can help the world address one of its greatest challenges, building active global citizens through education. I believe we can create generations that are socially responsible and active participants in their societies, and that have awareness and respect for other peoples’ civilizations, cultures, religions, and race.”
Chanda Ghoorah, 24 from Mauritius added:
“Our goal, as young leaders of tomorrow, is to create a common platform that will focus on quality education. We believe that schools should prepare students to respond successfully to the challenges of an increasingly diverse society and global economy.”
The representatives of the Global Fund for Education were brought together by the British Council in a unique meeting held in Greenwich, London last week. Selected from a group of 60 people aged between 20 and 25, from 49 countries, the team plans to represent not only their colleagues, but their whole generation at Davos. Armin Stähli, 21 from Switzerland commented:
“Although we’re young, we are full of potential. Challenging today’s leaders, and using international forums like WEF to set out our concerns and solutions is just the beginning of a shift in the power equation.”
Martin Davidson, Deputy-Director General of the British Council, who is attending Davos, and who will also participate in the Wisdom of Youth session said:
“I believe the six young people behind the Global Fund for Education have focused on an extremely important issue for education and its impact on our societies. Ensuring the quality of what our children learn is vital if education is to play a full part in helping us develop societies where we make the most of diversity.”
1 comment January 26th, 2007
1 comment January 25th, 2007
Late in January more than two thousand of the world’s chief executives, politicians, economists and generally well connected make the ascent to Davos high in the Swiss Alps for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). With them go the heads of NGOs, socially aware pop and movie stars and, this year for the first time, six young people selected by their peers to conduct a session called “Wisdom of Youth” at he the WEF.
Their journey to Davos began last week in Greenwich in south-east London. Rising to the challenge of the WEF’s Director, Klaus Schwab, that those gathering at Davos this year should focus on education and its role in building understanding between cultures, the British Council had brought together 60 19- to 25-year olds from 49 countries to debate the issues and, more importantly, propose solutions.
During their four days together, the participants worked in geographically diverse teams of six. The plan was that, at the end of the meeting, the participants would choose one of the teams to take up Klaus Schwab’s invitation to the British Council to bring to Davos concrete proposals that would challenge the thinking of the world’s leaders. The 60 young people who gathered in Greenwich last week were firm in their belief that the educational quality and global citizenship were vital issues on which the citizens and leaders of today’s world need to focus.
After developing an analysis of the issues, the teams worked on proposals for action. Their thinking was stimulated by a programme of visits that included the community education and anti-racism programme of Charlton Athletic Football Club and, for one group, a broadcast on community-based Radio Peckham. They were supported with training in public speaking, media relations, and the use of social technologies such as blogging and internet radio. A highlight was a reception at 11 Downing Street, the residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.
On Saturday, January 20th, the teams presented their ideas as part of a great balloon debate. Over a number of rounds, the group as a whole voted for the team that they felt could best represent them at Davos.
The winning team, “Greenwich 7″, draws members from Australia, Egypt, Israel, Korea, Mauritius and Switzerland. The virtual seventh member, according to the group, is the other participants at Greenwich who can’t be physically present at Davos.
Greenwich 7 proposed a Global Fund for Education (click to view a 2-page brief) to address these issues, building on the Education for All initiative and the Global Campaign for Education.
Greenwich 7 will present their challenge on Friday in a “Wisdom of Youth” session to the Queen of Jordan and Gordon Brown, with Jonathan Charles ofthe BBC moderating.
The Wisdom of Youth session will be broadcast live on http://gaia.world-television.com (look for “Wisdom of Youth”) and will be available as a podcast.
1 comment January 23rd, 2007