Network Building at the 2023 AL for Education Gathering
The enke team attended the very inspiring AL for Education Gathering of leaders from around the world including leaders, teachers, heads of schools, entrepreneurs, funders, innovators, policymakers, and ecosystem builders, all gathered on the African Leadership Academy campus on the 11th and 12th of August.
The spotlight of this year’s gathering was on “Learning Leadership,” delving into the pivotal role of leadership in catalyzing transformative changes within our education systems across Africa. We explored the power of teaching leadership in classrooms, fostering its growth within communities, and nurturing it throughout educational systems to shape the future of education.
The first day of the conference was themed “Why learn leadership’’ and day two was “Enabling Learning for Leadership”. The objectives of the gather included:
- Reignite old connections and forge meaningful new ones with members of the community.
- Connect with peers to build your continued practice in education.
- Consider why and how teaching leadership in schools can be an important lever for addressing major social challenges in the world.
The gathering had reflective sessions and interactive activities that made internalizing the knowledge very welcoming and easy.
An intriguing feature was the Little Bets Challenge
Every year, the AL for Education gathering offers a “Little Bet Challenge” – a small grant to invest in an idea that might prove to enable significant change in a school over time. Here, we will brainstorm together. The prompt for 2023 was: What little bet can you make to enable leadership learning in your classroom, community or system?
Everyone who was keen, went on stage to pitch their ideas after a brainstorming session. Winners of the challenge would receive $2,500 to implement their ideas and share their findings back to the community after a year!
Congratulations to the winners who will be working on their ideas over the next 12 months – we’ll hear back on the results at the next Gathering!
This is what the CEO of ALA Hatim Eltayeb said in his presentation – “With high expectations and high support we can create powerful, whole and purposeful students”
He said one of the purposes of teaching leadership is because “Teaching leadership equips young people with skills and knowledge to make their own way in the world, to access opportunities and to create value”
Our CEO Rufaro was one of four sector experts will share varying perspectives on why we should emphasize leadership education – and what the positive implications of investing in it might be. She delivered a well-thought-out presentation titled “Why Leadership Development is essential for achieving Employment outcomes” that inspired many conversations afterwards. She asked “Are we too narrow in our conceptualisation of employment as the outcome/aspiration? The point is… young people need sustainable Livelihoods”.
Conclusion
It was an enriching experience that ignited a powerful ripple effect, setting the stage for a brighter and more progressive future for education in Africa. Together, we will continue to sow the seeds of positive change and empower the next generation of leaders.
