Last month, Teach For India convened their community for inspirED 2020, a virtual conference that brought together students, educators, policymakers, parents, and supporters to reimagine education. On their Medium blog, Teach For India shared highlights from the conference and reflected on key learnings that emerged. The following is an excerpt:

In our continued efforts to be agile and adapt to the changing dynamics of the ed-sector while staying true to our mission—One day all children will attain an excellent education—inspirED 2020 was a collaborative, global space that brought together various stakeholders and more than 35+ partners to discuss ideas, listen, and learn from each other. How important student voice and partnership between students and adults is, was also highlighted at inspirED 2020. Special care was taken to listen to our most important stakeholder—the students—by having them conduct sessions, participate in panel discussions, and be part of masterclasses. For we are clear, reimagining education is impossible without recognising the role students play in their own education and the education of others. Sessions on Courage, and Critical Thinking, which constitute some of our 8 C’s—the skills that prepare our children for the 21st century—were big hits as they saw [student] leaders like Padmashri Sunitha Krishnan and Harsh Maheshwari impart their learnings from over the years. Live masterclasses were also featured by teachers and students, which are an excellent source for valuable practical insights around themes such as art, creativity, recreation, and math.

No matter the circumstance or reason, there is something magical about seeing a whole community of people of varied ages, backgrounds, designations and motivations come together to dream and create a better world. And that is exactly what inspirED 2020, did. It highlighted the problem, offered solutions, held space for different perspectives and enabled participants to think of actionable ideas that can be implemented in their own individual worlds, be it schools, communities, or government. For the truth is, this is too big a problem, affecting too many of us, for us to work in silos. Putting new systems in place will need all of us to be a part of the solution—we need to hear from our students, from our teachers, those in policy, donors, investors, and people in government if we hope to bring about change, real change, that will serve all children and not just a select few.

5 days, 35+partners, 170+ speakers and panellists,12 white papers, 70,000+ viewers and a curriculum resulted in participants listening to diverse perspectives from stakeholders across the globe, picking up tips by entering virtual classrooms, learning from world renowned experts as they shared their vision for education, being challenged and inspired to make a difference, and having thoughts and ideas spark around a reimagined education.

We invite you to join this movement and keep the conversation going. In just a few simple ways you too can contribute—invite students to share their perspective whenever possible, amplify student voice as much as you can, connect with a child and listen deeply, have open and honest conversations with diverse stakeholders about what needs to change and how those changes can be made. If all of us do just a few of these, we will be a step closer to making this world better, safer, and more equal for ALL children.

Read the full post on Teach For India’s Medium blog.