Luisa Gockel

Think Equal has won the 2020 WISE Awards. Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote six successful and innovative projects that are addressing global educational challenges.  

These projects represent a growing resource of expertise and sound educational practice. Every year WISE is building a community of educational innovators that offers a fertile environment for groundbreaking collaborations. Today the WISE Awards network comprises pioneering projects that are bringing positive change to societies and communities. 

The virtual awards ceremony will take place on 28^th October. The theme of the event, ‘Building the Future of Education’ reflects on the idea of thinking about education innovation proactively and not reactively. The discussions will highlight the efforts undertaken by educational innovators to ensure they provide access to quality education from birth until adult learning and everything in between. You can register for the awards ceremony here. 

About Think Equal 

Think Equal works with education ministries globally to adopt its free programme mediating value- based, experiential, social and emotional learning for children aged 3-6. The curriculum covers age appropriate lessons in empathy, emotional literacy, resilience, self-regulation, critical thinking, gender equality, peaceful conflict resolution, self-esteem, etc. – a total of 25 competencies and skills which we deem to be critical as the foundation for positive outcomes in life. 

The Lightbulb Trust funded Think Equal’s first pilot in London during the 2019/2020 school year. According to Think Equal’s founder, Leslee Udwin, “the partnership with the Lightbulb Trust allowed them to bring their transformatory social and emotional learning programme to some 500 children throughout the borough of Kensignton and Chelsea, in public and private early years settings. These classrooms are now equipped to transform some 5,000 children over the next ten years, with no further investment required. Without the Lightbulb Trust, this could not have happened.”

Football Beyond Borders launches ‘Beyond Lockdown’ campaign to highlight why children missing school is a critical issue for society. During lockdown, Football Beyond Borders travelled the country, meeting young people outside their homes to discover the impact the lack of school was having. The result is a stunning photographic record of our nation’s school children through this dramatic period.  

The images and quotes in the book demonstrate the incredible potential and positivity of young people; alongside their realisation of what school means to them – that school is not just about education and learning but, crucially, it is about socialising with friends and a sense of connection. 

The book is available to buy from Football Beyond Borders website. As part of the book launch, for every copy of the book purchase, Football Beyond Borders will gift a copy to a secondary school. 

About Football Beyond Borders 

Football Beyond Borders exists to change the lives of young people. It supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are passionate about football but disengaged at school in order to help them finish school with the skills and grades to make a successful transition into adulthood. We do this by providing long-term, intensive support, built around relationships and young people’s passions, in the classroom and beyond. 

The Good Things Foundation has launched the 2020 update of the Digital Nation infographic that gathers together the facts and stats about digital inclusion and exclusion in the UK. It uses new analysis of the latest Ofcom data by Prof. Simeon Yates, alongside key sources such as Lloyds Bank UK Consumer Digital Index 2020, external research and their own data insights. 

This year, it also highlights how COVID-19 has changed the dial on digital – in our families, businesses, communities and our economy. Together with their revised Blueprint for a 100% Digitally Included UK, the case for action is clear.  

According to Helen Milner OBE, Good Things Foundation Chief Executive, “the COVID-19 lockdown has reaffirmed that we must work together to ensure we leave no-one behind in an increasingly digital world. In the UK, there are 9 million people who struggle to use the internet independently and it’s important that we act now to ensure they are not further disadvantaged”.  

The Lightbulb Trust has been working with the Good Things Foundation since May 2020 through the DevicesDotNow campaign. The partnership was part of Lightbulb Trust’s COVID-19 emergency response that focused on providing devices and basic need products to the most vulnerable families in London during lockdown.