World innovation summit for education learners’ voice programme begins its second session in Madrid

The second residential session for the 2014-2015 WISE Learners’ Voice Programme is taking place this month in Madrid, Spain.  Part of a year-long Executive Education programme, the session engages a group of 33 learners, including a number of Qataris, in a series of dynamic workshops on social entrepreneurship and disruptive thinking led by faculty from Babson College, Boston, USA, and the Madrid-based Studio Banana. The WISE Learners’ Voice programme is supported by Banco Santander, through Santander Universities, whose headquarters is in Madrid. The first residential session in the 2014/2015 WISE Learners’ Voice Programme took place earlier this year in Doha.

WISE was inaugurated by Qatar Foundation in 2009 under the leadership of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. The youth-empowerment initiative helps bring the voice of young people to the building of tomorrow's education, and is a testament to QF’s commitment to support the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the country’s journey toward establishing a knowledge-based economy. 

The WISE Learners’ Voice Programme brings the perspectives of young people to the challenge of rethinking education, and equips them to take on leading roles in their fields and in the world of education. The initiative is based on the idea that when learners are co-creators of their learning environments, they become active participants invested as stakeholders in the progress of their communities. The programme focuses on building their knowledge of education and social entrepreneurship, as well as their leadership and communication skills.

In a key component of the programme, the learners form teams to conceive and design grass-roots projects that address critical education challenges. The students collaborate with the Learners' Voice team and visiting faculty to support the development of their projects. This year, the projects address challenges as diverse as accessibility and special needs education to character-building and mobile learning methods. 

"When I first heard about the WISE Learners' Voice Programme and its objectives, I knew it was something I had to pursue. As a constant seeker of knowledge and a strong believer in the power of education, I have always wanted to give those who do not have the basic right of education a chance to have one, but I never knew how.  The WISE Learners’ Voice Programme gives me the ideal venue to take an active part in the debate and do what I have passionately believed in for a long time," said Ahmed Fahad Al-Qahtani, a Qatari participant from the 2014-2015 programme.

Selected projects will be presented at the 2015 WISE Summit, from 3 to 5 November in Qatar.