Hello, It is delegate number two Emma Powell writing today. I thought I would give an update on what I have been up to over the summer. A couple of weeks ago I attended the Impact Conference put on by Teachfirst in Leeds, where I attended sessions on everything from parental engagement with children's education to commonly misunderstood myths about teaching. However, the highlight for me was the introductory speech from Dr. Sakeena Yacoobi. She spoke on starting up schools in the midst of Taliban control within Afghanistan, and her never wavering belief that Education is vital for every child.
I heard Dr. Yacoobi speak about not only education but how important it is to stand up for what you believe in even when the odds are against you. Since starting up her first school in a basement, Dr Yacoobi is the CEO of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) after founding it in 1995 in response to the lack of education and skills among the young people of the country after years of war and difficulty. Since founding her schools and the AIL Dr Yacoobi has directly or indirectly affected the lives of more than 12 million Afghan people. She has also been nominated for a Nobel peace prize.
I felt incredibly lucky to be able to hear her words, even to be in the same room as someone who has fought so relentlessly for what they believe in. I am even more lucky to be able to expand my understanding of globally impacting people by hearing them speak at the One Young World summit.
She was just one among many amazing speakers who came to Leeds for the two day conference, I learnt so much which I hope to benefit from both at the summit and in my future prospective career in teaching. The words Dr. Sakeena finished on were the same ones I will leave you with; 'Education is the key issue for peace'. Once we achieve global education, many other goods will shortly follow.
Until next time!
Emma 🙂
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