Speaker 1: You know, our generation was called the me generation because
Speaker 1: people were just so convinced that all we wanted to
Speaker 1: do is make a lot of money and work on
Speaker 1: Fall Street. And I thought that that was just so misplaced,
Speaker 1: and that I was one of thousands of people searching
Speaker 1: for something that would enable us to make a real
Speaker 1: difference in the world. I saw these investment banks and
Speaker 1: management consulting firms banging down the doors of liberal arts
Speaker 1: graduates like myself, asking us to commit just two years
Speaker 1: to work in their firms, and I thought, why aren't
Speaker 1: we being recruited just as aggressively to commit just two
Speaker 1: years to teach in urban and rural communities. Um. And
Speaker 1: that was that was really the beginning of my obsession
Speaker 1: with this idea. That was Wendy cup whose big idea
Speaker 1: was that all children, no matter where they live, deserve
Speaker 1: a good education in While she was still a student
Speaker 1: at Princeton, she created Teach for America, the enormously successful
Speaker 1: program that signs up recent college grads to teach and
Speaker 1: underserved schools for two years, a sort of Peace Corps
Speaker 1: for education. In two thousand and seven, she took her
Speaker 1: mission international by launching Teach for All I'm a land
Speaker 1: Ververe and this is Seneca's one Women to Hear. We
Speaker 1: are bringing you one hundred of the world's most inspiring
Speaker 1: and history making women you need to hear. Wendy cop
Speaker 1: has been called the leader of a revolution and education.
Speaker 1: Teach for America can boast more than sixty four thousand
Speaker 1: alumni and has created a network of leaders who are
Speaker 1: working to improve children's education in the United States and
Speaker 1: around the world. Teach for All has helped boost education
Speaker 1: and develop leaders through local partnerships with organizations ranging from
Speaker 1: Teach for India, to Teach for Peru, to Teach for Nigeria,
Speaker 1: you name it, across sixty countries. Along the way, Wendy
Speaker 1: Copp has been honored with just about every award you
Speaker 1: can think of, from the Time one hundred two Glamorous
Speaker 1: Woman of the Year to the School Award. Listen and
Speaker 1: learn why Wendy Copp is one of Seneca's one hundred
Speaker 1: Women To Hear. I'm just delighted to be speaking today
Speaker 1: to Wendy Copp, the founder of Teach for America and
Speaker 1: also the CEO and co founder of Teach for All. Wendy,
Speaker 1: it's an absolute pleasure to be able to speak with you.
Speaker 1: You are indeed an inspiration. Oh, it's such a pleasure
Speaker 1: to be here. You've started two major organizations and both revolutionary,
Speaker 1: I might add in the world of education, so Teach
Speaker 1: for America many of us know young people who have
Speaker 1: been involved in it. And then there's Teach for All.
Speaker 1: What's the overall goal that links them and how would
Speaker 1: you describe their mission? Well, Teach for All is really
Speaker 1: a global network of independent organizations in now sixty countries
Speaker 1: and growing that, like Teach for America, are all working
Speaker 1: to develop collective leadership to ensure all children fulfill their potential.
Speaker 1: I think what brings everyone together in this network is
Speaker 1: a belief that the fact that the circumstances of children's
Speaker 1: birth predict their outcomes in life is a very big
Speaker 1: systemic challenge and and that requires you know, it requires
Speaker 1: collective leadership. It requires people exerting leadership at every level
Speaker 1: of the education system and policy around the whole ecosystem
Speaker 1: around kids. Um, if if we're going to change that
Speaker 1: and actually build a world where all kids have the
Speaker 1: chance to thrive. And so each of these organizations shares
Speaker 1: an approach to cultivating that leadership UM. As you say,
Speaker 1: by enlisting promising leaders and committing at least two years
Speaker 1: to teach UM in in in under resource communities and
Speaker 1: investing in their leadership, UM knowing that those two years
Speaker 1: fuel a lifetime of leadership and advocacy. UM. And uh,
Speaker 1: you know, in pursuit of the systemic changes that are
Speaker 1: ultimately necessary. Do the member countries and Teach for All
Speaker 1: do they have programs comparable to Teach for America. They
Speaker 1: should maybe back up and explain how this all came about,
Speaker 1: how Teach for All came about, because, as you say,
Speaker 1: I mean I started Teach for America and I really
Speaker 1: had my head down, fully focused on tackling the massive
Speaker 1: inequities in in the US. I wasn't thinking at all
Speaker 1: about the rest of the world. UM. But there was
Speaker 1: something in the water about fifteen years ago, and within
Speaker 1: one year I had met thirteen people from thirteen different countries,
Speaker 1: from India to Chile to China to Lebanon, etcetera, who
Speaker 1: were just determined that something similar needed to happen in
Speaker 1: their countries. And so that is really and they were
Speaker 1: looking for help. And that seems very overwhelming, given that
Speaker 1: I had my hands full in the US. But ultimately
Speaker 1: that led to the idea of launching Teach for All
Speaker 1: is a network of independent, locally led, governed funded organizations
Speaker 1: that would all share this common purpose to common approach
Speaker 1: um and and that would have a global organization to
Speaker 1: help us all learn from each other. Terrific. Uh. That
Speaker 1: makes a whole lot of sense to a network in
Speaker 1: that way and enhance what each is doing. So I
Speaker 1: know that you've written that what is behind all of
Speaker 1: this is the need to rethink the purpose of education too,
Speaker 1: if you will reimagine education. What do you mean by that?
Speaker 1: You know? About five years ago, I think we had
Speaker 1: grown from Teach for America in the US and Teach
Speaker 1: First in the UK, which was the first kind of
Speaker 1: adaptation to then having forty of these independent organizations, from
Speaker 1: Teach for India to Teach for China, etcetera. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: and and there was such a push across our network
Speaker 1: to say, ultimately, what do we mean? I mean, we
Speaker 1: started with a vision that one day all children would
Speaker 1: have the chance to attain an excellent education, and I
Speaker 1: think there was just such a healthy push from all
Speaker 1: across our network to say, what do we mean by
Speaker 1: excellent education. And so we came together in this process
Speaker 1: probably five years ago now, to ask ourselves what are
Speaker 1: we working on together, like what's our twenty five year vision?
Speaker 1: And that process really brought to all of us the
Speaker 1: reality that if if our students today are not developing
Speaker 1: as leaders who can shape a better future for themselves
Speaker 1: and for all of us, meaning navigated changing economy and
Speaker 1: pursue meaningful careers and solve increasingly complex problems that face
Speaker 1: their communities and our global society, then then there's just
Speaker 1: no hope for reaching any of our aspirations. And so
Speaker 1: that became, you know, our vision to say, you know,
Speaker 1: we want to reach the day when all kids have
Speaker 1: the education and support an opportunity to shape a better
Speaker 1: future for themselves and all of us um And and
Speaker 1: that led us to spend a lot of time over
Speaker 1: these last five years really thinking about what that means
Speaker 1: for all of us. You know, what does that mean
Speaker 1: for teachers and for schools and systems, Like what would
Speaker 1: we have to be doing in order to develop students
Speaker 1: in that way? And so when we say we really
Speaker 1: need to reimagine education and reinvent the system, it's because
Speaker 1: you know, we've really come to think that we will
Speaker 1: need to do that if we're going to in fact
Speaker 1: develop students, you know, to that end. And when you
Speaker 1: started Teach for America, was that in your uppermost mind
Speaker 1: already back then? Actually, I you know, I started Teach
Speaker 1: for America because I had become disillusioned of the idea
Speaker 1: that that my country is a land of equal opportunity.
Speaker 1: You know. I had, I think, as a concerned college student,
Speaker 1: um and as a public policy major, had just come
Speaker 1: to understand that the circumstances of kids birth, their economic background,
Speaker 1: their racial background, um, really predicts their their outcomes, um
Speaker 1: and and I wanted to do something about that. And
Speaker 1: I realized I wasn't alone. I mean, I really felt
Speaker 1: that I was one of just thousands of people out there,
Speaker 1: pragmatic ideal you know, who wanted to be part of
Speaker 1: something that would actually address that reality. And so that's
Speaker 1: what inspired the idea of Teach for America. And I
Speaker 1: think it lad me early on to think in terms
Speaker 1: of equity, you know, um, like we need to catch
Speaker 1: kids up, Like you know, kids don't have equal opportunity
Speaker 1: to excel, and thus we have these massive you know,
Speaker 1: achievement caps um. But ultimately, I think, and it didn't
Speaker 1: take too long to start realizing that catching kids up
Speaker 1: in an in an outdated system, you know, isn't enough,
Speaker 1: and that ideally we would be developing students who could
Speaker 1: actually ultimately challenge the very roots of inequity. Um So
Speaker 1: I think those thoughts were bubbling up that Teach for
Speaker 1: America and really all across our network, and it's it's
Speaker 1: really what led us to then say, we need to
Speaker 1: rearticulate what we're working towards. You know, it's it's just
Speaker 1: stunning to think about the fact that you were only
Speaker 1: twenty one years old when you really uh incubated Teach
Speaker 1: for America. That was some thirty years ago, now, I guess,
Speaker 1: and and in the process not only worked to address
Speaker 1: these massive iniquities, but also to inspire a whole host
Speaker 1: of young people to pay their own experiences forward, if
Speaker 1: you will, to really engage in this way, both idealistically
Speaker 1: and pragmatically. So it's it's quite an achievement, you know,
Speaker 1: here on a hundred women to hear, we're we're really
Speaker 1: interested in what catalyzed the kind of leadership that you
Speaker 1: and so many others manifest. Was there something in your
Speaker 1: childhood or in your upbringing that set you on this path,
Speaker 1: you know. I think one the thing was that, you know,
Speaker 1: my parents, who had you know, grown up in in
Speaker 1: in rural communities and Midwest and had kind of put
Speaker 1: themselves through college and had started a very small business,
Speaker 1: you know, really prioritized education of my brother and I
Speaker 1: and and you know, moved into a community sort of
Speaker 1: on initially the edge of a community that that had
Speaker 1: really strong public schools. And as a result, um, you know,
Speaker 1: I you know, I experienced what it is to have
Speaker 1: a strong public education. And and then I went off
Speaker 1: to Princeton and and I was very conscious of the
Speaker 1: fact my senior year in college that I felt like
Speaker 1: the whole world was open to me. I literally thought
Speaker 1: I could do anything. And that thought made me want
Speaker 1: to put my energy into education. I think just realizing
Speaker 1: how much freedom I felt because of the opportunities I
Speaker 1: had had, and and recognizing that not everyone had those
Speaker 1: same opportunities, um is what led me in this direction.
Speaker 1: And I will say, I mean I kind of knew myself,
Speaker 1: you know, I knew that I was just kind of
Speaker 1: wired to work incredibly hard at whatever I was doing.
Speaker 1: And I wanted to make sure that I didn't work
Speaker 1: on something that wasn't going to make a meaningful difference.
Speaker 1: Like I really was very clear on that by the
Speaker 1: time I got to my senior year in college, like,
Speaker 1: I want to make sure that I'm doing something that
Speaker 1: will actually make a meaningful difference in the world. UM.
Speaker 1: So I think those things came together to lead me
Speaker 1: to this sense that I was just searching for something
Speaker 1: I wasn't finding. And you know, our generation was called
Speaker 1: the me generation because people were just so convinced that
Speaker 1: all we wanted to do is make a lot of
Speaker 1: money and work on Wall Street. Um And I thought
Speaker 1: that that was just so misplaced, and that I was
Speaker 1: one of thousands of people searching for something that would
Speaker 1: enable us to make a real difference in the world.
Speaker 1: Um and, And that's really what led me to this
Speaker 1: particular idea. You know, I saw these investment banks and
Speaker 1: management consulting firms banging down the doors of liberal arts
Speaker 1: graduates like myself, asking us to commit just two years
Speaker 1: to work in their firms, And I thought, why aren't
Speaker 1: we being recruited just as aggressively to commit just two
Speaker 1: years to teach in urban and rural communities. Um, and
Speaker 1: that was that was really the beginning of my obsession
Speaker 1: with this idea. Well, it was a very noble obsession
Speaker 1: and continues to be in And clearly you touched a nerve.
Speaker 1: Why do you think so many young people across America
Speaker 1: responded the way they did back when and continue to
Speaker 1: do So? What what is it about a teach for
Speaker 1: America that's been so successful and and so catalyzing? And
Speaker 1: you know, I'll even broaden that because we're seeing that
Speaker 1: this is really a worldwide phenomenon. I mean to see
Speaker 1: young people all around the world clamoring to to apply
Speaker 1: for you know, teach for Indie out or teacher for
Speaker 1: Nigeria or the Senior Peru, etcetera. UM. And I think
Speaker 1: we're tapping into an instinct that's already there. Meaning, you know,
Speaker 1: there's always a certain percentage of real leaders out there
Speaker 1: among our kind of you know, recent graduates who are
Speaker 1: who really want to do something that makes a real
Speaker 1: difference in the world, who want to be part of
Speaker 1: something much larger than themselves, and yet there are many
Speaker 1: pressures on them, you know, to to channel their energy
Speaker 1: in one direction or another. Um. Financial pressures, you know,
Speaker 1: kind of paranal pressures, whatever it may be. And I
Speaker 1: think we're making it possible for them to make this choice.
Speaker 1: And I think what even from the very beginning, you know,
Speaker 1: I was so obsessed with this, not only because of
Speaker 1: what the impact could be during the two years, but
Speaker 1: because of what I thought the impact would be long term,
Speaker 1: you know, because people can commit just two years, but
Speaker 1: you know, they commit to two years to banks that
Speaker 1: they never leave the banks. So that was the real idea,
Speaker 1: was to say, let's ask people to commit to years,
Speaker 1: but those two years will change everything, their priorities, their
Speaker 1: understanding of the realities of our country, their commitment to
Speaker 1: this work, and ultimately, I thought at the time, the
Speaker 1: consciousness you know of of our country. So explain to
Speaker 1: us how an individual who is interested in Teach for
Speaker 1: America goes about it? What is the process? Uh? And
Speaker 1: then what do they commit to doing? Uh? What do
Speaker 1: they get for it? If you will, how does that work? So,
Speaker 1: you know, for Teach for America or for any of
Speaker 1: these other network organizations, UM, people from all different academic
Speaker 1: majors and backgrounds and career interests apply and and the
Speaker 1: organizations look for people who who have demonstrated real you know,
Speaker 1: leadership and UM and and and a commitment to these
Speaker 1: issues UM. And then they invest a lot in their
Speaker 1: development through very intensive, essentially two year programs of professional
Speaker 1: and development starting before the teaching commitment. And then you know,
Speaker 1: the teachers are clustered in schools and receive ongoing coaching
Speaker 1: and professional development during the two years, and then beyond
Speaker 1: the two years, UM, there's quite an investment in kind
Speaker 1: of fostering the ongoing leadership of these folks, UM, supporting
Speaker 1: them as they either continuing classrooms or become school leaders,
Speaker 1: or work in their government ministries or launch social enterprises
Speaker 1: UM or just really think as individuals and collectively about
Speaker 1: what more they believe needs to happen to take to
Speaker 1: take the issues on that that they saw play themselves
Speaker 1: play out in their classrooms. And are they accepted the
Speaker 1: same way as schools except the teach for America teachers
Speaker 1: is similar in India, in the UK, etcetera. And each
Speaker 1: of these organizations has has kind of adapted this approach
Speaker 1: to their particular context. UM. And in each case, UM,
Speaker 1: though I mean I think I think you we could
Speaker 1: say yes, I mean, there are new teachers coming into
Speaker 1: their school buildings. UM, and you know, they commit two
Speaker 1: years and in some cases they stay longer, in some
Speaker 1: cases not. But one of the biggest keys to success
Speaker 1: is learning from and with and alongside the students and
Speaker 1: their families and the other teachers in their schools and
Speaker 1: so UM there's quite a focus and investment on UM
Speaker 1: you know, really developing the teachers so that they are
Speaker 1: you know, developing relationships and working in true partnership with
Speaker 1: the others in their schools, and that typically leads to
Speaker 1: a really mutually beneficial relations you know, just really strong
Speaker 1: relationships at at the school level. Well, I know so
Speaker 1: many young people who went in to teach for America
Speaker 1: and truly it has been life changing for them. Some
Speaker 1: have remained committed to education, others have gone on to
Speaker 1: UM really do extraordinary work in their communities or UM
Speaker 1: in other ways. So it is it is, it is
Speaker 1: truly life changing. I think that's a real big component
Speaker 1: of it. We've really seen that, and you know, just
Speaker 1: to give you to bring that to life a bit. UM.
Speaker 1: If we look across the Teach for All network, about
Speaker 1: like seventy people have completed to your commitments to teach
Speaker 1: and seventy percent of them UM are still full time,
Speaker 1: long term in education, with others doing similar you know,
Speaker 1: maybe they're working in policy or law, but they're focused
Speaker 1: on improving the quality of life in low income communities.
Speaker 1: So we've seen it be really transformative in terms of
Speaker 1: the priorities and careers to jactories of the participants. But
Speaker 1: even beyond that, you know, there's there now is a
Speaker 1: growing body of research that looks at what happens to
Speaker 1: these teachers during the two years and and this research
Speaker 1: shows and right now it's across five different countries. It
Speaker 1: shows that, you know, first of all, the teachers believe
Speaker 1: much more in their students and in their potential and
Speaker 1: in the students families at the end of their two
Speaker 1: year commitment even than they did at the beginning UM
Speaker 1: And and also it shows that they shift from viewing
Speaker 1: the problems as kind of a technical problem to understanding
Speaker 1: the problem and it's full complexity, so that ultimately they
Speaker 1: understand the nature of the problem and the solutions in
Speaker 1: a way that's very similar to the way people with
Speaker 1: the lived experience of the the inequities view the solution.
Speaker 1: So what we're seeing is that this experience really shapes
Speaker 1: them into the leaders we need, you know, people who
Speaker 1: have a sense of possibility, who believe in their kids,
Speaker 1: who understand the complexity of the issue and the complexity
Speaker 1: of the solutions, and who are who have deep commitment
Speaker 1: to this work long term. So very true, and what
Speaker 1: a tremendous investment it makes beyond education, going to the
Speaker 1: root of other issues that have to be addressed because
Speaker 1: of these inequities. Senecas one hundred women to hear. We'll
Speaker 1: be back after the short break. So some seventeen years
Speaker 1: after you started Teach for America, you started Teach for All.
Speaker 1: You told us a little bit about what it does.
Speaker 1: Can you tell us what went into that process and
Speaker 1: how it came about and maybe how it works. Each
Speaker 1: of the organizations in the Teach for All network are
Speaker 1: united by certain principles. We have, you know, ten unifying
Speaker 1: innciples that you know or you could write on half
Speaker 1: a page of paper, but they say a lot um
Speaker 1: and they're there. They represent commitments to as I said before,
Speaker 1: I shared purpose and and theory of change and vision
Speaker 1: um and also to the kind of high level programmatic
Speaker 1: principles and organizational principles. So there's a lot that brings
Speaker 1: us together, but it's at the level of principles and
Speaker 1: commitments UM, and and nothing is prescribed in terms of
Speaker 1: how to live into those principles. So each of these
Speaker 1: network partners are are you know, deeply rooted in in
Speaker 1: their own contexts and and you know, work to adapt
Speaker 1: this approach in ways that make the most sense UM.
Speaker 1: And then we have a global organization that is just
Speaker 1: all about supporting those network partners to learn from each other.
Speaker 1: And so I think what we've seen over time is that,
Speaker 1: you know, is just the power of of a of
Speaker 1: an approach like this to lead to deeply rooted you know,
Speaker 1: locally rooted but also globally informed UM to practice. And
Speaker 1: we see that at the organizational level, but now also
Speaker 1: at the level of the teachers and the alumni of
Speaker 1: these organizations, who are you know, again both locally rooted
Speaker 1: but also part of networks of of you know, teachers
Speaker 1: and alumni pursuing similar agendas in different communities around the world.
Speaker 1: And we've just seen that, UM, We've seen the tremendous potential,
Speaker 1: let's just say, of UM of that approach in fostering
Speaker 1: and fueling innovation and the spread of innovation and ultimately
Speaker 1: accelerating progress. So it has this extraordinary ripple effect that
Speaker 1: goes on to exponentially affects so much more so in
Speaker 1: the process of doing all of this, you're clearly developing
Speaker 1: leaders who bring change to their communities and beyond. You know,
Speaker 1: at Seneca, where so focused on women's leadership, does teach
Speaker 1: for all go about developing girls and women as leaders
Speaker 1: in any particular way. We do. We have developed over
Speaker 1: time Girls Education Initiative because you know, many of our
Speaker 1: network partners are are working in countries where you know,
Speaker 1: girls are are some of the most marginalized in the world.
Speaker 1: You know, from Afghanistan to Pakistan to Sierra Leone and
Speaker 1: Nigeria and Nepal, etcetera, where um, you know the the
Speaker 1: I guess you know, we just see girls attending school
Speaker 1: and persisting through school and the expectations of girls just
Speaker 1: at a totally different level. And what we've seen is that,
Speaker 1: you know, whether girls have the chances they deserve has
Speaker 1: everything to do with whether there is a local leader
Speaker 1: and advocate in that local community who is working towards
Speaker 1: as ends um. And I've personally seen you know, so
Speaker 1: many of the teacher leaders across our network have have
Speaker 1: a truly transformative effect on the expectations and possibilities for
Speaker 1: girls in their community. So seeing that scene, you know,
Speaker 1: I think about some of the villages in Nepal. At
Speaker 1: one point a few years ago, I was able to
Speaker 1: meet with successive cohorts of teaching fellows in a particular
Speaker 1: village in Nepal who had had taught over a period
Speaker 1: of seven years in this village, and they shared what
Speaker 1: the expectations of girls were when the first cohort arrived
Speaker 1: versus when the last you know who was still there
Speaker 1: it was was there and it's just like complete transformation.
Speaker 1: You know, they watched their girls go off and get
Speaker 1: the most prestigious scholarships in the country after you know
Speaker 1: when when in the beginning, they weren't even thinking that
Speaker 1: their girls should attend school. So we've just seen the
Speaker 1: transformative effect and that led us to create a Girls
Speaker 1: Education Fellowship. So we've you know, really invested in hundreds
Speaker 1: of the teaching fellows across our network who are working
Speaker 1: in these settings in exposing them to the knowledge, the mindsets,
Speaker 1: the understanding to pursue essentially gender sensitive education UM and
Speaker 1: and we're working to to expand that effort now as
Speaker 1: we speak. In fact, you do unlock so much. You know,
Speaker 1: as you were speaking, I was thinking about the fact
Speaker 1: that talent is universal, that opportunity is not, and you
Speaker 1: really are an opportunity provider in so many ways in
Speaker 1: what you do, and it makes such a difference. I'm wondering,
Speaker 1: since we're all still recovering and others are still going
Speaker 1: through the brutal consequences of the pandemic, how has it
Speaker 1: affected teach for all operations around the globe. You know, first,
Speaker 1: I would say, I think you all to state the
Speaker 1: obvious that the situation has just compounded and exacerbated the
Speaker 1: inequities that that we're addressing. It has also, I think
Speaker 1: been very affirming for our network in the sense that,
Speaker 1: you know, we saw the teachers and alumni educators across
Speaker 1: our network just lean in to keep their own students
Speaker 1: safe and learning, and then very quickly, you know, be
Speaker 1: enlisted by their government ministries and others to keep many
Speaker 1: other kids learning, whether through leveraging radio and TV or
Speaker 1: creating the kind of digital school houses, the libraries of
Speaker 1: videos and podcasts and all that any teachers and students
Speaker 1: and parents could access to you know, literally training tens
Speaker 1: of thousands of other teachers in digital learning strategies. UM.
Speaker 1: So I think on the one hand, it's been very
Speaker 1: affirming for the kind of types of people like the
Speaker 1: leaders our network partners are developed being UM and and
Speaker 1: at the same time it's it's really shown us the
Speaker 1: value and the impact of having a network that enables
Speaker 1: those local leaders to learn from each other. I mean,
Speaker 1: we just saw solutions flying across our our network. UM.
Speaker 1: Back in March when when the pandemic became a truly
Speaker 1: global phenomenon. You know, we had overnight teachers and teaching
Speaker 1: without internet, WhatsApp groups in four different languages just sharing solutions. UM.
Speaker 1: You know, we saw the teacher for Nigeria teachers go
Speaker 1: to their government and say, the only way we're going
Speaker 1: to keep our kids learning is if we can take
Speaker 1: over the government radio station, and and we sent that
Speaker 1: out across our network, and soon many other folks, I
Speaker 1: mean the Chilean alumni, sixty of them came together and
Speaker 1: said that's what we're gonna do. And and now they've
Speaker 1: they've built a lasting radio you know, programming that's on
Speaker 1: two hundred radio stations. So we just really saw how
Speaker 1: my which we can accelerate progress through through you know,
Speaker 1: having both locally rooted leaders who are also who also
Speaker 1: have platforms to learn from each other. Um But I
Speaker 1: would also say this has been an era of so
Speaker 1: much learning and so much innovation, just as as all educators,
Speaker 1: including those across our network, you know, stepped out of
Speaker 1: the box that has defined education for you know, decades
Speaker 1: and decades and and had to resort to new means
Speaker 1: to keep kids learning. And I think we've seen just
Speaker 1: new mindsets about the power of leveraging technology, the power
Speaker 1: of engaging in a still deeper way with parents, and
Speaker 1: the importance of integrating at every stage social emotional learning
Speaker 1: and focus on student well being. UM So we're very
Speaker 1: focused as we go forth on both thinking about what
Speaker 1: we can do to continue growing a force of extraordinary
Speaker 1: leaders committed to this issue, you know, developing a still
Speaker 1: more interconnected and learning global community, and essentially anchoring those innovations.
Speaker 1: You know, how can we not go back to a
Speaker 1: status quo that wasn't meeting the needs of all kids?
Speaker 1: How can we leverage the new mindsets and and the
Speaker 1: new innovations to come back differently in a way that
Speaker 1: really sets kids up, um, you know, to shape a
Speaker 1: better future for themselves and for all of us. Yeah,
Speaker 1: And I think it's going to be really important because
Speaker 1: in in so many poorer countries in particular, girls in
Speaker 1: the lockdown obviously left school, and it's calculated that millions
Speaker 1: and millions of them may not go back, and so
Speaker 1: your network, I think it's also going to be extremely
Speaker 1: essential and trying to find those innovative ways to ensure
Speaker 1: they're back in the classroom. Yes, and whether they do
Speaker 1: come back will again have so much to do with
Speaker 1: whether there are local you know, teachers and and and
Speaker 1: others in their communities who were determined to bring them back.
Speaker 1: You know. I think about a conversation not too long
Speaker 1: ago with the teacher for Afghanistan Fellows, these women who
Speaker 1: are working in the Nonger Horror and our One regions
Speaker 1: of Afghanistan, and they were talking about their experience, and
Speaker 1: I was realizing how much time they spend essentially in
Speaker 1: working to you know, convinced families, inspire families to send
Speaker 1: their girls to school. And I remember just talking to
Speaker 1: them and saying, how often are you successful? Like I
Speaker 1: was thinking, cush, is it like half the time or
Speaker 1: and they looked at me so confused. They said, of
Speaker 1: course we're always successful. Like we're from the communities, people
Speaker 1: trust us. And that was so striking to me. You know,
Speaker 1: we have our perceptions from from Afar, but with I've
Speaker 1: just really come to see that with enough local leaders
Speaker 1: admitted to ensuring that opportunity is equally distributed, we really
Speaker 1: can change mindsets and and and and change the reality
Speaker 1: for for a whole you know, for future generations of kids.
Speaker 1: That's a wonderful story. You know. Given that, uh, and
Speaker 1: the operations that you're involved in, the network, the extensive
Speaker 1: network around the globe, do you think you're creating in
Speaker 1: some ways a more effective model for foreign assistance, a
Speaker 1: better way, for example, for richer countries to be more
Speaker 1: supportive of poorer countries, particularly in education. I've thought so
Speaker 1: much about this over time. UM. You know, I guess
Speaker 1: what I've seen through our work is just the power
Speaker 1: of really intentional efforts to cultivate local leadership. UM. And
Speaker 1: you know, I think so much about what it would
Speaker 1: take to shift our international aid paradigm from one that
Speaker 1: is intervention lad meaning like people from of our think
Speaker 1: of and see evidence that interventions work and they work
Speaker 1: to spread them to both developing context Like, what if
Speaker 1: we shifted from that towards an approach that was you know,
Speaker 1: people first, that first decided to prioritize the investing in
Speaker 1: the agency and the leadership development of the people in
Speaker 1: developing contexts so that they can can actually develop the
Speaker 1: contextualized solutions. And you know, from what I've seen, that's
Speaker 1: the path to truly sustainable change. UM. So we're in
Speaker 1: fact working with a group of other like minded organizations,
Speaker 1: UM you know, and and donors and other kind of
Speaker 1: stakeholders in the in the international aid system too. Really
Speaker 1: think about what it would take to shift in that direction,
Speaker 1: what it would take to sizeably increase our focus on
Speaker 1: advancing the leadership of of the people who themselves are
Speaker 1: um are are in the in the local communities. I
Speaker 1: mean to me, that's that's the promise of this effort
Speaker 1: at an even bigger level. You know, this has been
Speaker 1: such a rich conversation, Wendy, and I'm so grateful to you,
Speaker 1: But let me ask you one final question, since we've
Speaker 1: already exhausted our time together, it would be really wonderful
Speaker 1: to know what gives you hope. What makes you optimistic? Obviously,
Speaker 1: you have developed these extraordinary programs that have such impact
Speaker 1: at home and around the world, and you've seen much
Speaker 1: that has come about because of them. What gives you
Speaker 1: great optimism? You know? Um, I feel so lucky to
Speaker 1: see every day, Um, just a group of people who
Speaker 1: are who are just so deeply committed to pouring everything
Speaker 1: they have into creating a more equitable world. And I
Speaker 1: think that's what gives me optimism to see you know,
Speaker 1: young people, recent college graduates and allies you know, all
Speaker 1: over the world lamoring to put their full time energy
Speaker 1: into the communities in their country where their energy is
Speaker 1: needed most. And then in turn, to see you know,
Speaker 1: the students and young people growing up today who have
Speaker 1: so much leadership potential and and are already exerting that
Speaker 1: leadership which I think we've seen during this pandemic era
Speaker 1: in spades. Um. So that's what gives me optimism. Um,
Speaker 1: this is just to be surrounded by so many people
Speaker 1: with just infectious, deeply you know, deep commitment. Well, thank
Speaker 1: you so much, Wendy Cup. You have certainly enabled so
Speaker 1: many to have that potential you just talked about be
Speaker 1: tapped because of the work that you've done over at
Speaker 1: least three decades now to make a difference. We are
Speaker 1: so grateful to you. May it continue and may you
Speaker 1: continue to prosper well. Thank you so much. So appreciate
Speaker 1: your vote of confidence. Um and yeah, really appreciated the conversation.
Speaker 1: That's the kind of bold vision that gives us all
Speaker 1: hope for the future. There are three things I took
Speaker 1: from that conversation with the remarkable Wendy cop First, no
Speaker 1: matter where you go, people want to create positive change
Speaker 1: in their own communities. As Teach for All shows, local
Speaker 1: people and governments working together will find the most effective
Speaker 1: ways to make education and opportunity widely available. Second, education
Speaker 1: is transformative and not just for students. Wendy says that
Speaker 1: after two years and a Teach for All program, the
Speaker 1: teachers believe much more in their students and their potential,
Speaker 1: and they have a greater understanding of the possibilities of
Speaker 1: the educational system. In essence, they transform into true leaders
Speaker 1: and champions of children. Finally, when a country educates its girls,
Speaker 1: everyone benefits and mindsets change. Wendy told about communities and
Speaker 1: a pall that used to believe girls did not be
Speaker 1: long in school. That changed after girls started attending classes
Speaker 1: and winning the most prestigious scholarships in the country. Education
Speaker 1: is the key to opening up so many possibilities for girls.
Speaker 1: Tune in next time to hear about our next featured
Speaker 1: woman and discover why she's one of Seneca's one hundred
Speaker 1: Women to Hear. Seneca's one hundred Women to Hear is
Speaker 1: a collaboration between the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I
Speaker 1: Heart Radio, with support from founding partner PNG Have a
Speaker 1: Great Day.