On January 12, 2022, about 40 people gathered for an online event organized by Unity Foundation on the theme of education. They were able to listen to presentations by Hou Sopheap, Executive Director of CORDE (Cambodian Organization for Research, Development and Education), Unity Foundation’s partner organization in Cambodia, as well as Marianne Barboni, a member of the team at the Community House in Differdange, Luxembourg.

The interventions of these two panelists, who presented the educational work of their respective organizations, emphasized the importance of considering each child and each human being as a noble being, “a mine rich in gems of inestimable value”, and education as playing a unique role in revealing the treasures of each mine and allowing humanity to benefit from them. In addition, the positive impact that education must have not only on the individual but also on the collective is a concept that was at the heart of the approach of our two special guests, as well as the role of service as an arena of selfless engagement where everyone can develop individually while participating in the betterment of society. 

Following the interventions, participants were divided into two groups, in which they were able to explore the attitudes and values that children and youth need to reinforce to guard against the forces that would prevent them from reaching their potential. The importance of understanding the very purpose of education and values and attitudes such as cooperation, honesty, truthfulness, perseverance, inclusiveness, and well-being were some of the responses offered by both groups on this theme.

Then, in the first group, participants explored how to enable children and youth to be active agents of their own learning rather than passive recipients of information, and how to cultivate a thirst for knowledge. 

On this topic, participants shared:

“Very often, our Luxembourg schools look at mistakes a lot… A mistake is seen as a sign of weakness, instead of seeing it as part of a learning process. It is very important to change our vision, because mistakes can paralyze and make us lose the joy of learning. We need to strive for excellence, but accept that as we move forward we will make mistakes, but that it’s okay, we reflect, we keep going and we will do better.”

“Another way to encourage thirst for knowledge, which we saw in the example of Cambodia, is that the youth know that whatever they are going to learn is going to help the community. The fact that while you are studying you are also serving, that you don’t need to wait for five years to put what you have been learning into practice, is one strong element that encourages thirst for knowledge.”

“Knowing that every concept learned, every skill acquired, every quality developed through education will be used to help improve some aspect of the community or society [helps enhance the joy of learning].”

Participants also explored how teachers, parents, extended family, and other community members can work together in the education of children and youth, for as a well-known saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child.”

In the second group, participants explored how the strict separation between theory and practice can hamper learning and how to allow the knowledge students acquire to be connected to their lives and to the challenges and needs of society. One view shared by the entire group was that this disconnect between theory and practice impacts young people’s motivation to learn and their very understanding of the role of education. How do we overcome this challenge?  

One teacher shared the importance of using concrete, everyday examples to help students understand some of the concepts taught, as well as the role of student clubs and associations in allowing young people to use the concepts of language, math, economics and other subjects studied in class. 

Another participant, the executive director of Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education, the Uganda-based partner of Unity Foundation, also shared the positive experience of teachers trained by this NGO in engaging in ongoing, in-depth conversations with students to enable them to gain a broader perspective on the role of their education beyond financial gain. Ongoing conversations with students allow them to learn about the  questions they have and answer them, reinforcing the vision that their education is a valuable tool for transforming the world and that the service projects they participate in play a crucial role in applying their knowledge on a daily basis to create positive change. 

Finally, curiosity and love of knowledge were mentioned by one of the participants as important sources of motivation, which, although natural in children, can be diminished if not cultivated through encouragement from parents and teachers and the accompaniment of children and youth towards activities that provoke their thinking rather than make them passive.

After sharing a summary of their discussions in the large group, the President of Unity Foundation concluded the evening and invited everyone to the next event! 

A big thank you to the speakers for their rich presentations and to all the participants for their presence! Follow us on our social media to be informed of the next conferences in this series on equally exciting topics! 

To watch the event, click here (password: 7*O*%4cm) and find the recording of the exchanges!