From October 21-23, more than 450 members of Teach For All's global community came together in Yerevan, Armenia to collectively consider the question "How can we prepare students to shape a changing world?" 

Co-hosted by Teach For Armenia, the three-day conference convened staff, teachers, alumni, supporters, board members, and—of course—students, from over 50 countries to explore ideas and practices for developing students as global citizens who can navigate and lead the future they'll inherit, and the world of today.

On Monday,  through an inspiring Opening Plenary and more than 20 optional workshops, we learned from practitioners within and beyond the network about innovations that are helping students develop the skills and mindsets they need to be empowered leaders in their schools and communities. Highlights included an interview with the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan by a Teach For Armenia student, and  a discussion with Global Teacher Prize winner Peter Tabichi and his former student Teresia Mwema about his holistic approach to supporting his students in rural Kenya. In the evening, Themis Christophidou, Director General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission, gave the keynote address at the conference's opening dinner in which she highlighted the importance of the network’s commitment to inclusive education. Later, Teach For All's CEO Wendy Kopp presented the annual Tiger Award to Omidyar Network for their ongoing support of the network's efforts.  "We believe in leaders who understand that true change comes from working in partnership with the community," said Teresa Mbagaya, a Principal at Omidyar, upon accepting the award on behalf of the firm.

In small groups, nearly 400 attendees spent Tuesday visiting 25 different schools and communities in which Teach For Armenia works. Each group visited a school and spent time learning with and from Teach For Armenia Fellows and their students, other teachers and administrators, and families and community members, who shared their aspirations for the future and their perspectives on the kind of education they need to thrive in and lead a more inclusive, sustainable, and peaceful world.  Back in Yerevan, 50 students and adults from across the network spent the day engaged in an education "Hackathon" during which they worked together to develop solutions to the question, "How can students and adults work in authentic partnership to shape a changing world?" 

Participants spent the final day of the conference  reflecting on what they'd learned from the experts, the Teach For Armenia community, and each other, and condsidering how they would bring these learnings home to their organizations, callssrooms, and communities.  Among the day's highlights was the annual Network Breakthroughs presentation, a Global Conference tradition in which staff, alumni,  and students of 10 network partners shared exciting innovations they've successfully pioneered this year.  The event came to a close on a joyous note, as the Teach For All community celebrated the five partners that joined the global network in 2019: Teach For Morocco, Teach For Portugal, Teach For Tanzania, Teach For Liberia, and Teach For Italy.

Watch the video above for highlights from the 2019 Global Conference, and visit our Video Archive to experience many of the sessions, discussions, and events that took place. We'll be adding new videos to the archive regularly over the coming weeks, so be sure to return for more content from the event. Follow Teach For All on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more highlights shared by our global community.