EduSpots

Say hello to Donkorkrom Spot Ignite Equity Club members! 🎉 Ignite Equity club nurtures young leaders to become champions of gender equity and inclusivity through exploring themes like: sexual harassment prevention, healthy decision-making, gender equity, global citizenship & the SDGs, social entrepreneurship, and career exploration. History of Ignite Equity Club 🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️🔸️ In 2023, we successfully piloted the “Ignite Girls” programme, equipping communities to drive girls' empowerment aims. Following four regional conferences that trained 260 Catalysts in essential topics, 22 communities embraced the programme. Using a club-based delivery model, the programme reached over 700 girls in Junior High School (JHS) 1-3 with seven months of structured activities. These included sustainable period projects, career development, sexual harassment and abuse prevention, communication skills, gender stereotype awareness, and social entrepreneurship. One standout achievement was the creation of 22 sustainable, enterprise-focused period projects. In response to community feedback, we relaunched the programme in 2024 under a new name—”Ignite Equity”. This refreshed approach now engages both girls and boys, recognizing the importance of collaboration in challenging and transforming gender-unequal norms. A survey conducted between January and December 2024 revealed that Ignite Equity learners achieved a 5% increase in Civic Engagement Scale behaviours. This remarkable progress highlights their growing commitment to driving positive change in their communities. 🌟 #eduspots #ourcollectivefuture #igniteequity #civicengagement #communityimpact #youthleadership #impacted #positivechange

Meet Gloria Addae, one of the original Catalysts and a speaker for our UK student conference & 10th anniversary dinner, both at Corpus Christi College Cambridge on the 8th March. Gloria is a remarkable change maker, whose efforts in her community, Abofour, alongside her family and colleagues, led to the first Spot being created in December 2015. She set up the first EduSpots club, under the name 'The Readers' Club' with a mix of formal and informal activities, that introduced the first play-based learning into the network. This club paved the way for the EduLit now DigiLit strand to be created, which today involves over 30 communities in the network, involving over 600 primary level learners in digital and literacy skills activities, infused with practical, play-based and community-connected learning. Ten years later, despite living in a nearby community as a professional nurse, Gloria still plays a pivotal role as 'Spot consultant', handing leadership of the Spot to Franklin, a headmaster, showing strong local ownership of the project beyond her initial leadership. In the 2024 Ignite Programme, Abofour Spot were recognised for their remarkable commitment to the network through a 'Spot Long-Term Impact Award', with Abofour also picking up runner-up award for the DigiLit Programme. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary this year, we reflect that all the change started in Abofour, in a single Spot, created in a disused classroom. We'd never have guessed the network that would have developed since! Sign-up to hear Gloria's powerful story directly, as she joins us in the UK for the first time! ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ To sign-up for the evening dinner, please purchase your tickets on EventBrite here: https://lnkd.in/dq7a_i3q For details of the conference tickets (which targets students aged 15-21 from 10-4pm on the 8th March), please email Brittany Newfer at bnewfer@eduspots.org. Students can sign-up to share their work, related to the theme, in a 15 mins presentation on this link: https://lnkd.in/dkiVMJpX #storytelling #changemaker #eduspots

🤔 I was once told, by someone in my team, that I “wasn’t the CEO type"; that I was more of the "ideas kind". For context, this was at a time when I was on the verge of quitting my UK job to apply in an open recruitment process for the role of EduSpots’ CEO, having led the organisation for 8 years voluntarily. Though challenging at the time, I’m now grateful for this comment, because it really really got me thinking deeply. 💬 I started asking all my friends and mentors: "What is the CEO type?", and “what skills do I lack that might mean I don't fit this mould”? I wondered: can I develop these things to become the 'type', or does my character somehow preclude me from the possibility of leading an organisation through growth? 💚 🌏 THEN, I came across David Heinemann who flipped the whole question around, and said: "Well, what if you’re exactly the kind of type of CEO the world needs right now?" And this really got me thinking about things in a different way... 💭 What if living with chronic fatigue gives me an ability to deeply understand other people’s struggles and centre well-being, building our collective resilience as a changemaker network? 💭 What if struggling with day-to-day admin and concentration - I've since been diagnosed with ADHD - means I have a radar for inclusive resource design and organisational systems? 💭 What if being a creative philosophy graduate and "ideas person" means I can envision things that some can’t join the dots towards, or believe are possible? 💭 What if being personable and sometimes highly emotional means that I can convince people that active citizenship education really matters - whether you are a funder or Catalyst - because it really does! 💭 What if being relatively young means I'm more adaptable to technological changes and understand the youth perspective? 💭 What if challenging conceptions of ‘CEO-ness’ leads to the creation of an anti-hierarchical organisation where I take the lead in acting with humility, walking and working alongside anyone, at any “level”. 🏋♀️ And I reflected, what if I can teach myself all the learning gaps such as finance, budgets, policies, HR, business models, law and MEL, but all the other things are somehow unteachable? 🧗♀️ And…. what if there's someone out there, who now believes they can, because I did? 📝 The message here is not that I can do it all, oh no 😃 - I spent yesterday with my Ops leader, Kennedy, going over my task management system, with full openness in the fact that I could, and must, do better. 🧨 But I've learnt that mindset is 95% of success. And I definitely have determination. 🌳This is coming from a kid who failed the 11+ exam aged 10, but went on to be shortlisted for a £1 million Global Teacher Prize. Basically.. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ 🔥🔥🔥 Define the labels, don't let the labels define you! #leadership #authenticity #oucollectivefuture 📷 Mid Ted Talk - with my best "we can change the world!" face! 😃

EduSpots: A Collaborative Ecosystem for Community-Led Transformation! At EduSpots, these are the key stakeholders driving impact at the community level in a 'Spot: 💡 The Catalysts – A dynamic mix of local teachers, students, and Changemakers symbolized by a glowing light bulb. They are the heart of our model, where ideas are nurtured and led by the community itself. While inspiration comes from many sources, the initial spark to create a Spot always begins within the community. 🌳 Community Committees – Each Spot is encouraged to have a diverse committee, including PTA representatives, traditional leaders, headteachers, students, and more. These committees ensure inclusive decision-making and support the Spot's development. Like any engine, a Spot thrives on the contributions of many and impacts the community in meaningful ways. Here’s how: 🧨 Sparks – Young learners engaged in EduKidz, DigiLit, Ignite Equity, EcoSTEM, and other community-led clubs. These future Catalysts bring fresh energy and ideas. 🔥 Wider Spot Users– Community members of all ages who benefit from mentorship, study spaces, learning resources, and books, while participating in broader Spot activities. 🌠 Community Supporters – Parents and other members who, even if not direct users, contribute through their support, with some activities extending into homes and beyond. 💦 Staff & Peer Mentors – Mostly drawn from the Catalyst network, they provide technical guidance, encouragement, and resources to help local Catalysts bring their educational visions to life. Currently, EduSpots staff play a role in sparking creativity through monthly challenges that model play-based, team-oriented, and practical learning. However, we are shifting toward greater local leadership—some monthly challenges are already designed by Catalysts, and all offer flexibility for adaptation to the local context, fostering greater community-driven educational innovation. The dotted line in our model reflects our belief in co-creation. Beyond a few core requirements, we are collaborators—not supervisors—working together to ignite education-led transformation. #educaton #community  #ourcollectivefuture 

How do you cultivate happy and motivated teams? If you missed our insightful session with guest speaker Stephen Senyo Tettegah, the recording is now available on YouTube! A huge thank you to Stephen Senyo Tettegah for sharing such valuable insights and actionable tips during the session. You can access the recording via this YouTube link: https://lnkd.in/d_7NQV3k It is packed with insights to keep your team thriving. 🙌 #EduSpots #TeamLeadership #WorkplaceCulture #TeamBuilding #LeadershipTips #TeamSuccess #TeamCulture #LeadershipDevelopment

📣 Students are invited to apply to speak at EduSpots' UK conference, exploring the theme of 'conversations in community-led change: exploring power, agency and ethics'. ➡️➡️➡️ Apply today here: https://lnkd.in/d-K2NFuj This is the chance for students (aged 15-21) to apply to become speakers at EduSpots' 10th anniversary UK student conference, held at Corpus Christi College Cambridge on the 8th March 2025. 💬 We are looking for up to 5 speakers, with a passion for exploring ethics, agency and power, either through: 1. Their own ideas in relation to the theme 2. Sharing a piece of related research 3. Sharing learnings from a practical project they've started or are involved in. 4. Something else! The talks will be up to 15 minutes long, with 5 minutes for questions, and should aim to get other students in the room thinking, leaving them with new ideas or approaches in relation to this area. Wider guest speakers for the event include Cormac Russell, Dr Amjad Mohamed Saleem (PhD), me and two EduSpots' Catalysts! All those who are selected will need to purchase tickets to the event. Details on the vent and how to secure a ticket can be found via the Eventbrite link in comments or through emailing Fundraising Manager, Brittany Newfer at bnewfer@edsupots.org. Send in your application today, and give your ideas and work an exciting and supportive platform! #students #speaker #eduspots

In 2024, an impressive 98% of Catalysts expressed agreement (with 63% strongly agreeing) with the statement: "As a result of being part of EduSpots, I feel more optimistic about the future of my community." This statistic reflects the significant positive impact that EduSpots model has on local Catalysts, reinforcing their belief in the potential for community-driven change. The exceptionally high level of optimism among Catalysts confirms that when individuals are equipped with the tools, support, and platform to drive local change, they become powerful advocates for sustainable community transformation. #eduspots #ourcollection #impact #sustainability #changemaker

Yesterday, a dream came real - 10 years on from when this journey started, in a thunderstorm of many forms, we finally told our collective story. 🥹 ⛈️ 📺 The Ted Talk will be on the TedX YouTube channel in a few weeks time - no phones were allowed during the actual talk, but here are some behind the scenes vibes… You will understand the clapping when you see the talk…. 😃 🙏A massive thank you to the @tedxacity team and @acitygh for believing in the EduSpots concept and giving this platform to share our work! #tedtalk #tedxspeaker #education #community #eduspots #ourcollectivefuture

🌦️ What if the thunderstorms we are passing through today, are clearing the skies for tomorrow? ⭕ On Saturday, I braved my 1st TedTalk, on the theme of “How to build a movement for community-led education." The talk is suffused with play-based claps as I aim to emulate the philosophies we practise. 🤔 Weaving in the 'rain clap' led to a reflection that EduSpots was born in a thunderstorm in more than one sense. ⛈️ It was December 2014. I was in Abofour with the Addae family and Francis, a local driver. There was thunder and lightening, and the lights were out. A thunderstorm of another kind was also passing through me. My dad had recently died, and I was sitting in my own kind of darkness. ⚡ In that very storm, as the rain and hail pounded the roof, we decided to create a Spot - the first Spot - known between us, to be in memory of dad. 🌅 And 10 years later, the Spot is open every day and night. It's lit by solar, symbolically, so that the light never goes out. 🌧️ The Spot concept gained its own life, building a new kind of educational firestorm that we think may spread far beyond its origins in Ghana. ☂️ Yes, I hear you: we shouldn’t have to suffer the fiercest storms to reach a new future. And sometimes no brighter sky is worth the thunderclap that hits. 🌪️ But as I stood on the TedX ‘Spot’ doing the 'rain clap', on the anniversary of my dad’s death, in a country far from my original home, I realised that sometimes you have to let life play out, and own your story, accepting its twists - and 'twisters'. 📝 Here are 3 other examples of how 'storms' have led to new beginnings: 1. The 1st Spot was hit by a big storm a year after its creation. Remarkably, this led to the rebuilding of the school, and a much bigger Spot within it, all through the support that grew from seeing the disaster. 2. During the Covid years, we went through an 'internal storm' of being unsure of EduSpots' direction, making me (and likely others!) feel a deep sense of anxiety; this led us to clarifying the Spot model, bringing Catalysts across the network together. When Covid cleared, we were reborn! 3. Being hit by severe illness in 2021 and moving through a long period of genuine hopelessness - the biggest storm I've been through - led to me quitting my UK job and going all in with EduSpots, a decision I never regret, not even a tiny bit; my energy is now returning, and today I feel a sense of rebirth. And a fun fact - I was born during one of the biggest storms the UK has faced! Hopefully I played a role in clearing the skies 😊. 🤗 And the advice? Reach out and tell others about the weather that is passing through you. 🌩️ They can’t help you until you let them feel the thunder bolts. 🙏 And we can only hope that the turmoil the world is moving through today, will lead to some kind of reset. How have you used a storm to rebuild? Comment ⬇️ 📸 Rain clap @ TEDxAcademic City University #tedtalk #education #community

Team Akumadan spreading the EduSpots spirit with joy and fire! 🔥 Watch them chant our slogan ‘Our Collective Future’ and embrace the playful spirit of learning, through the wow clap. A playful reminder that learning can be full of energy, movement, and cultural expression! #eduspots #wow #learning #LearningThroughPlay #ourcollectivefuture