Some takeaways:
⭐️ Non-formal and values-based development is a key part of the future of education. As the world navigates through complex and global challenges relating to sustainability, climate change and emerging technologies, it will take fundamental values rooted in collaboration, understanding and global citizenship to implement solutions effectively.
💡 Innovation thrives in crisis and comes in many forms. One particular sharing from the Head Delegate of Eswatini talked about how during the pandemic, radio channels started broadcasting educational content to reach students without digital devices. Lots to learn from this remarkable solution to overcome fundamental barriers.
🤝 Civil society organisations like AIESEC cannot act alone. To truly make an impact, the private sector, civil society and government need to come together and play their parts in financing, policy-making and reaching local communities.
Last week, I was honoured to represent AIESEC at the 10th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting hosted in London, United Kingdom. The meeting gathered Ministers of Youth and youth delegations from Commonwealth member states to discuss recommendations around youth development policies particularly around 4 themes: education, employment, engagement, environment.
As an advocate for non-formal education and education reform, I was happy to hear the conversation around addressing the global learning crisis, relevance of education curriculums and adaptation towards the digital transformation. It was particularly interesting to participate in the roundtable discussion on how to drive more cross-cultural exchange between Commonwealth member states and the barriers we face as youth, organisations and governments. Namely, accessibility to opportunities, financing, lack of integration into curriculums and lack of formal recognition.
It was also a privilege to meet with Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh to discuss ways forward for more collaboration between the Commonwealth and civil society.
Final thougths:
To the AIESECers back home, this is a call to action for you to get involved in cross-sector spaces and get youth voices heard at the table. AIESEC experiences play an important role in filling a gap often left behind in traditional formal education: practical learning experiences and leadership development.
Special thanks to the Commonwealth Secretariat (Layne Robinson, Miski Omar) for inviting me to this important dialogue and my team's PR Manager Alysha Alva for securing this opportunity. It was truly a humbling experience and a reminder for all of us that there is more to do to advance youth development in all contexts.