REF’s Charrette, a gathering of innovators and change makers from around the world, working together to transform education for Roma communities in Europe
Between May 21st and 24th, 2024, our teams from Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Slovakia engaged in a transformative learning journey alongside internationally acclaimed educational innovators. During the first edition of REF’s Charrette, together with the SPARK team, we delved into ground-breaking practices that are creating tangible positive effects in communities worldwide.
The central focus of Charrette 2024 was to map out REF’s future goals and mission, emphasizing innovative educational approaches customized for our Roma communities.
REF’s Charrette 2024 stood out due to the participation of six esteemed international experts who are celebrated for their ground-breaking educational approaches and inspirational leadership.
During their enlightening talks, Stephen Harris | Jan Owen AM | Dom Sharpe | Franco Mosso Cobián | Chris Harte and Adithya Narayanan shared their remarkable educational initiatives and the profound impact of their work across diverse regions like Peru, Cambodia, India, Australia, and Spain. Their presentations offered a wealth of knowledge, demonstrating how innovative educational practices can be customized and applied to enhance local communities worldwide.
Stephen Harris is the Co-Founder and Director of Learning at Learnlife, Barcelona. The Learnlife Urban Hub is in the centre of Barcelona and has full and part time programmes for teenagers. The Learnlife Eco Hub for younger learners is located at Castelldefels, Barcelona – in a location immediately linked to the beach and the neighbouring forest. The Learnlife Home Hub caters for learners interested in learning from anywhere and anytime.
Jan Owen has spent twenty-five years growing Australia’s youth, social-enterprise and innovation sectors. In 2000, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia. Jan is CEO of the Foundation for Young Australians an organisation that for more than 40 years, FYA has backed young people and youth-led initiatives to create change. In the early 2000s, FYA pioneered ‘venture philanthropy’ in Australia, investing in more than 60 high-impact programs that involved strong youth participation.
Dominic Sharpe is country director of the Liger Leadership Academy. The Academy offers a holistic academic program that provides all students with a rigorous educational foundation with tailored learning experiences that maximize student engagement, achievement, and impact. Through project-based learning modules, students have frequent opportunities to collaborate in discussing, dissecting, and proposing possible solutions to complex, real-world problems. The academic program is based on two separate, but related styles of coursework.
Franco Mosso finds, connects and develops leaders to transform education together. His passion is student leadership. Enseña Perú was founded in 2009 and based on the vision of collective leadership to boost educational transformation across the country and close gaps in education, the association runs experiential leadership programs for teachers, school principals, local leaders, student leaders, and professionals from various backgrounds; who apply their learnings to impact the lives of students in their communities.
Chris Harte is a former teacher and now government and academic lead for Google in APAC, Chris brings expertise on Ed Tech and also education initiatives centered on indigenous communities. The Northern Territory Learning Commission is an initiative placing students at the centre of leading research and providing evidence-informed recommendations alongside their teachers and school leadership teams to improve practice within their own school, across regions and the entire system.
Adithya Narayanan started his career as a teacher, and taught Math, English and History to grades 4 and 5 as a Teach For India Fellow in Mumbai. He told the story of Riverside School. Since 2001, Riverside has designed, implemented and shared a unique user centered curriculum that is providing schools with an alternative model which focuses on quality of learning and student well being. Riverside School is a uniquely innovative school that places the focus of developing a child’s agency and character at the heart of education.
At Charrette 2024, the expert panel covered a range of educational topics. Stephen Harris delved into how technology can be integrated into classrooms to enhance learning experiences. Jan Owen emphasized the importance of youth engagement and leadership, highlighting young people’s role in driving educational change. Dominic Sharpe explored innovative curriculum design tailored to diverse student populations. Franco Mosso showcased community-driven educational initiatives, while Chris Harte focused on developing critical thinking skills and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in schools.
A significant milestone of this event was the active participation of the entire REF team in the strategic planning process. For the first time, REF members were deeply involved in crafting the action plan for the organization’s new strategy. This inclusive approach ensured that every member’s ideas were considered, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to the shared goals. The collaborative environment encouraged open dialogue, allowing team members to express their visions and align them with the organization’s mission.
Charrette 2024 also provided a platform for networking and building partnerships. Participants had the opportunity to connect with peers, share experiences, and establish relationships that could lead to future collaborations with the educational experts. The event’s atmosphere was one of solidarity and mutual support, with a common goal of enhancing educational opportunities for Roma communities.
REF’s Charrette was the culmination of two years of intensive strategic and organisational redesign, and a six-month program called SPARK which was designed in collaboration with a group of international innovators with backgrounds in education and transformation. The SPARK Program included:
A virtual learning and engagement program, exploring strategic themes of relevance including global education movement, community, work and leadership. The program showcases inspiring and innovative education initiatives from around the world that will inform future REF pilot projects.
In April, REF’s Educators Congress brought together passionate and committed Educators from five countries to share their experiences first hand the challenges and opportunities they witness in their work.
The SPARK team:
VALERIE HANNON, specialized in inspiring systems to re-think what ‘success’ will mean in the 21st century and the implications for education. She is co-founder of the Innovation Unit. Valerie advised the OECD on its Education 2030 project and is now working on its High Performing Systems for Tomorrow program. Her most recent publication is A New Politics for Transforming Education (CSE Melbourne March 2023).
DOUGLAS ARCHIBALD, specialized in the role of networks to support education transformation. He is Executive Director of Whole Education and was a Partner at the Innovation Unit, where he contributed to the early formation of the Global Education Leaders Partnership. Prior to this, Douglas was a manager in Accenture’s Human Performance practice in London, before leading the development of the Knowledge and Innovation Network at Warwick Business School.
ELEANOR KELLY brings 20 years of experience working at the intersection of transformation, innovation and advocacy. She is currently Head of Strategy at UCD Innovation Academy, an organisation that provides transformational learning experiences to learners of all kinds around the world. Prior to this, Eleanor was director of regional communications at the Open Society Foundations and a regular collaborator with the Roma Initiatives Office.
JULIE TEMPERLEY is a Senior Associate with the Innovation Unit since 2010 with a background in research and evaluation. As a learning partner in innovation projects and programmes, Julie makes data and evidence of different kinds inspiring and useful to practitioners and leaders working to transform the lives of the people they serve. 2019, Julie has been part of an international team supporting the redesign of education in Bermuda’s government schools.
SARAH WARD works across Innovation Unit’s International Education portfolio, lending inclusive and culturally responsive approaches to research, service design methods, and innovation adoption and implementation. She is deeply committed to supporting programmes of work that close inequality gaps in areas affected by colonisation and challenge the status quo of systems to work in the best interests of the people they serve.
In memoriam, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the late David Price, the visionary behind REF’s Charrette 2024. David was Lead for Culture at the Power of Us Agency and a long time education reformer who has led on numerous education transformation initiatives around the world, including Learning Futures (which introduced highly innovative ways to enhance student engagement in the UK) and Learning Frontiers (an Australian initiative to develop innovative pedagogy in K-12 schools).
As REF moves forward, the insights and ideas cultivated during Charrette 2024 will serve as a cornerstone for future initiatives. The event exemplified REF’s commitment to continuous innovation and collaboration, ensuring that the organization’s efforts are aligned with the evolving educational landscape. By harnessing the collective wisdom and creativity of its team and partners, REF is poised to make significant strides in improving educational outcomes for Roma communities.
Charrette 2024 was a transformative experience that reaffirmed REF’s dedication to educational excellence and equity. The knowledge shared, the strategies developed, and the connections made during these four days in Belgrade will undoubtedly have a lasting impact.
