Nord Anglia European Conference: Shaping the Future

The conference was opened with a presentation from Sir Tim Smit who is known as a Social Enterprise Ambassador and writer of the Sunday Times 1997 ‘Book of the Year’ The Lost Gardens of Helligan but is perhaps most famous as the founder of the Eden Project in Cornwall, England.  

A focal point during the two-day event was the Sustainable Development Goals, which were established by the United Nations in 2015 as a selection of seventeen interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030”.

The International School of Moscow was also fortunate enough to not only have a team of delegates involved but also three presenters who led workshops for participants from our partner schools in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.

Sophia in Year 11 hosted sessions on the ways in which social enterprise can be used to raise awareness and provide support for charitable and environmental causes. The ideas that came out of the discussions were fantastic and students from around Europe have already started putting together their business plans to commence joint ventures.

Another Year 11 student, Egor, challenged delegates to examine their own conscience with regard to reducing their carbon footprint. Participants reflected on the challenges faced by schools and cities around Europe when it comes to going carbon neutral but also committed to taking common actions and running initiatives that will have a positive environmental impact for years to come.

Head of Krylatskoe Upper Campus, Mr. Ian Storey, engaged participants in workshops on creating broadcasting studios, made entirely out of recycled materials, to then record radio and television programmes and shows that tackle issues facing young people and provide a platform for student voice. During the sessions the groups developed on-the-spot interviews on the topics of education and world hunger and put their questions to our Principal, Mr. Paul Keach during ‘hotseat’ chats.

As with any conference, delegates leave full of ideas and inspiration but the ‘Shaping the Future’ event really has given our schools across Europe the motivation to make things happen through judicious activism and positive action.

For more information and useful resources on this and related topics please check out the following links:

https://www.edenproject.com/

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/world-youth-report/wyr2020.html

https://www.unep.org/