World Savvy

School should be a place where students love to learn, where connections are made, curiosity is sparked, and joy is a priority. We know students love to learn, yet too many students today feel stressed, tired, and disconnected. When asked if they feel positive about their school culture, only 44% of 6th graders, 32% of 9th graders, and 28% of 11th graders agreed (Youth Truth). And it’s not just students who feel the strain—52% of teachers say they wouldn’t recommend their profession to the next generation. At World Savvy, we believe it’s time for a new vision of what education can be—one that fuels belonging, encourages curiosity, and prioritizes joy. We’re creating a system that prepares young people to engage in today’s diverse, dynamic world and supports educators and communities in building schools that nurture both the mind and heart. Stay tuned to learn more about how we’re transforming education across World Savvy partner schools and districts nationwide.

We had an incredible open house on October 24th to welcome Hamse Warfa as World Savvy’s new CEO! It was a wonderful event with impactful conversation with Superintendent Dr. Michael J. Thomas, Ed.D. on what our schools and systems need. During the event, Hamse emphasized the importance of empowering our youth: "Relevant education, student and people-centered, and that will provide the necessary resources for young people and then get out of their way, that's how we will protect our democracy. They are the ones who are going to inherit this world; empowering them and giving them the resources necessary is the most important intervention for us to protect our democracy in the long run." Superintendent Dr. Michael Thomas echoed this sentiment, stating, "If public ed is a dominant space where we all interact, it needs to be relevant and responsive to the needs of today and the unknown needs of tomorrow. Because our kids will compete in a world vastly different than ours!" Together, we are committed to creating an education system that not only meets today's needs but also prepares our students for the future. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion—your passion and support mean the world! Let’s continue to work together for a brighter, more empowered future for our students! #WorldSavvy #EmpowerOurYouth #EducationRevolution #Community #FutureReady

This Thursday, our CEO Hamse Warfa and Superintendent Michael J. Thomas, Ed.D. will come together for a fireside chat at our Open House in Minneapolis. They’ll discuss World Savvy's work with schools to shape the future of inclusive learning, Hamse’s personal connection to Prior Lake-Savage, and his journey to joining World Savvy. Earlier this month, we facilitated a Changemaker Hub–a learning experience for students, educators, school leaders, and community members to think critically and creatively about the role of education in the modern world–with several school districts in the Southwest Twin Cities Metro Area including Dr. Thomas’s district, Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools. Soon after, he shared these thoughts in an email with his district: “I was blown away by the conversations I was a part of. We learned that for many students, what matters is to build stronger, more collaborative relationships with adults at school, have more flexible learning environments and for us to prepare them for real-world encounters they will need to thrive in this complex world.” Join us at our Open House on Thursday, Oct. 24 to hear how our work is shaping the future of learning at districts like Prior Lake-Savage. Limited seats available! 🟡 What: World Savvy Open House 🟡 When: Thursday, Oct. 24 @ 5 p.m 🟡 Where: Minneapolis, MN (address in RSVP link) 🟡 RSVP here: https://buff.ly/3C6aCsI

Young people are leading the charge for change, and World Savvy is proud to join the YouthWave movement! Together, we’re amplifying the voices of millions of young voters advocating for critical issues that impact their communities as well as young people across the country. This work complements World Savvy's Thriving Democracy initiative, which empowers students to be active, informed participants in a diverse, multi-ethnic democracy. 🗳️ Find out more at https://buff.ly/4fcUVyp. #UYW #YouthEngagement #WorldSavvy #ThrivingDemocracy

Join World Savvy to reimagine the future of K-12 education! We are seeking a Professional Learning Facilitator in the Twin Cities Metro area to implement our work inside schools and districts. This includes workshops, coaching, and consulting on how to embed global competence into teaching, learning, and school culture. An ideal candidate has at least seven years of K-8 and/or K-12 classroom experience as well as previous experience coaching and providing professional development to K-12 educators. If this sounds like you, learn more about the role and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gwegd5YY

More than 150 students, educators, and leaders in the Southwest Twin Cities Metro Area participated at our Changemaker Hub last week! It was an abundant day of reflection, dialogue, and brainstorming! Students opened up about their school experiences, the current state of education, and ideas for the future. Adults brought unheard perspectives from their days as students and left with so many bright ideas to bring back to their school communities. “I think the future of teaching and learning should be more relevance based, and teachers should show why it is important to learn certain skills or whatever you are learning, and why it is relevant.” - Dev Foster, 12th Grade Student at Lakeville North High School Participating districts included Prior-Lake Savage Area Schools, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, Lakeville Area Schools ISD 194, Shakopee Public Schools, and Jordan Public Schools. This Changemaker Hub was funded by a generous grant from New Pluralists and is one of the culminating events of our “Youth Reimagining Education” collaborative effort with our partners at Youthprise and Bridgemakers, designed to bring together students and educators across generational difference to imagine a new path forward for education. This event was also organized in collaboration with our partners at Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools. We want to thank everyone who helped bring this event to life, especially thought partners like Michael J. Thomas, Ed.D., Sambath Ouk, and so many others. Our Changemaker Hubs are a cross-generational learning experience that elevates student voice, and spurs youth and adults alike, to think creatively and critically about the role of education in our modern world. Learn more here: https://buff.ly/3SEnaxX #WorldSavvy #ReimaginingEducation #StudentVoice

The general election is one month away! Don’t forget to register to vote, check your registration, and learn more about how to make your voice count at https://buff.ly/3zbBnv5. And please share with the young people in your life and encourage them to engage in our democracy and make their voices heard this year! Because we believe that young people have incredible potential to shape our democracy, we’re leaning in through our Thriving Democracy Initiative to support young people and the educators who inspire them daily. It’s our mission to ensure all students are prepared to actively engage–and lead–in our democracy through collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. In line with this commitment, in this election year, we are thrilled to partner with Rise Free Org, HeadCount Org, and America's Promise Alliance on the "Unleashing the #YouthWave" campaign to amplify the voices of over 40 million young voters across the U.S. and ensure their concerns are heard. Check your voter registration today and get ready to vote next month!

We're #hiring! World Savvy is looking for a Senior Executive Assistant to join our team in Minneapolis, MN! This full-time role will provide support to our Executive Team with high-level administrative tasks such as managing complex schedules, coordinating travel, preparing board materials, and facilitating internal and external meetings. If you’re detail-oriented, a flexible team player, and enjoy keeping everything on track, this could be the perfect fit! Apply today or share with your network! https://buff.ly/3TIHxtq

It was an honor to represent World Savvy at the Turn Up and Turn Out Civic Education Fair hosted at Menlo School in Atherton, California alongside families, students, educators, and other nonprofits. Engaging youth in our democracy is so important right now, and this was the perfect forum to talk about our K-12 work to prepare students for active engagement in our democracy, part of our Thriving Democracy initiative. Plus, we got to attend a thought-provoking panel and inspiring breakout sessions as well as hear from CA-15 Congressman Kevin Mullin! A big kudos to event sponsor NosTerra Ventures for delivering on its promise to inspire and educate the next generation of voters and civic leaders. And thank you to Meg Nibbi for inviting us! #WorldSavvy #GlobalCitizens #ThrivingDemocracy #NextGenVoters

What an incredible time at our AI in Education: A Critical Conversation event! ✨ From student-led discussion tables to thought-provoking panel conversations, we dove deep into how AI can transform education. Themes like intentionality, building capacity rather than depleting it, and the concept of slowing down to speed up guided our discussion of AI's evolving role in the learning process. As Ezinne Nwankwo highlighted, “The predominant conversation surrounding AI in education is surrounding using it to cheat. However, when I think about it, I think about inequalities in education, I always think about access. What students have access to technology? Which students are able to use it and have the infrastructure to adequately equip teachers to use it as a companion in their teaching? How can it be utilized in the classroom fairly amongst all students?” Additional key insights from our speakers focused on co-creating with AI as a tool, not a replacement, and making learning more durable, equitable, and project-based, along with the importance of age-appropriate AI and how to build future-ready students. Together, we’re shaping communities that will move this work forward, not just in education, but in life. A heartfelt thank you to our event sponsors, Google, Marin Community Foundation, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, for making this possible, and thank you to everyone who is part of the World Savvy community. 💙