The desire to create new opportunities for his people, who are still particularly affected by the impacts of the civil war, and to contribute to the reconstruction of the heavily neglected eastern coastal region of Sri Lanka, led Aravinth, along with Kishoth Navaretnarajah, to found the DreamSpace Academy in Batticaloa. This area is home primarily to the Tamil minority, who suffered greatly during the war. Through the initiative of Aravinth, Kishoth, and their team, young people from underprivileged communities in Sri Lanka are supported in building a better future through education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The goal is to build a self-sustaining ecosystem for local and international innovators in Sri Lanka. Through collaborative learning, innovation, entrepreneurship, and production, Sri Lanka aims to become the leading center for social and technological innovation in South Asia.

The DreamSpace Academy operates state-of-the-art, transdisciplinary, and regionally unique “learning labs” in areas such as software & IT, media, music, mechanics, electronics, and biotechnology. These labs are led by young adults aged 20-30 who themselves come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have been trained by the DreamSpace Academy. Their expertise is complemented by a network of international professionals.

The DreamSpace Academy offers regular workshops that provide participants from the region with in-depth knowledge and skills in the respective disciplines of the learning labs. In addition, long-term programs such as the “DreamSpace Lifecycle Initiative” are offered, enabling disadvantaged young people to turn their ideas for solving ecological or social problems into viable business models. Local entrepreneurs with existing business models are also supported in building and growing their businesses.

To foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation from an early age, the DreamSpace Academy also conducts workshops in underfunded public schools in rural areas.

To fund the free programs and activities for participants and maintain the learning labs, the DreamSpace Academy relies on donations and the creation of its own startups, which channel a portion of their profits back into the organization.

He never let go of his homeland and the fate of his fellow human beings. That is why the native Cameroonian returned to Africa in 2018 and founded Kabakoo Academies in Mali to combat the high level of youth unemployment in West Africa. Kabakoo’s students identify local problems and acquire the relevant skills to solve these problems on the ground.

Kabakoo Academies has developed an unconventional learning programme that focuses on local impact and the integration of local knowledge with modern technologies. Kabakoo’s approach is problem-orientated: Learners work on solving social or environmental challenges that they have experienced themselves. Kabakoo provides them with technology-based tools, their own app, local trainers and a global cooperation network.

A new form of learning is revolutionising the African education system. Young people are empowered with innovative learning opportunities to build thriving communities and ecosystems and to shape a new, hopeful and sustainable Africa together.

Learners acquire skills in innovative areas such as rapid prototyping, robotics, programming & web design or in areas such as biotechnology and regenerative architecture. By doing so, they create pioneering projects and sustainable livelihoods for the local population. With support from Kabakoo trainers on site and mentors worldwide, the students develop viable business models, for example the sustainable utilisation and marketing of shea butter, an easily available local raw material. Other teams are working on new solutions for an automated irrigation system in local agriculture, a low-cost tool for monitoring local air quality, a new approach to municipal waste recycling or the development of low-cost prostheses from the 3D printer.

For these and other innovations, Kabakoo was recognised by UNESCO as one of the most pioneering learning organisations and selected by the World Economic Forum as a global pioneer for the future of learning. Since its launch in 2018, Kabakoo has mentored more than 3,000 young people in West Africa who are now working to create thriving local communities and ecosystems.

They started a preparatory primary school for blind children, a medical massage training clinic for blind youth and adults, a braille printing press, and an ecological training farm in Tibet together in 1998.

In 2005, Sabriye and Paul finally founded “kanthari” in Kerala, South India – an institute that trains people who – like them – are driven by the passion to make the world a better place through concrete action.

kanthari is an international institute for “Social Impact Leadership.” What makes it unique is that all participants have faced or are currently facing the very problems they aim to solve. Former child soldiers develop ideas here on how they can contribute to peacebuilding in their home countries. Former drug addicts and victims of domestic or sexual violence work on initiatives to protect others from a similar fate. Other participants have experienced the effects of climate change firsthand and design measures for sustainable living in their communities.

A world changed by ethical visionaries, characterized by integrity, equality, and empathy.

280 change-makers from 55 countries have been trained at the kanthari institute since 2009. The unique “Journey in five acts” curriculum developed by Sabriye and Paul offers an intensive, hands-on learning experience that pushes participants to exceed their limits.

The twelve-month, scholarship-funded programme takes place primarily on the beautiful green kanthari campus in Trivandrum. There, participants from around the world grow into leaders for social and environmental change in creative workshops facilitated by international mentors. Through innovative learning modules, such as “Tansalesea,” a fictional country, the kantharis’ projects are rigorously tested. They must defend themselves and their projects before a critical audience and respond to fictitious sponsors, preparing them for real-world challenges.

As a result, over 180 sustainable initiatives have improved the lives of 50,000 people so far. The “kantharis” are committed to positive change in their communities as activists, founders, or inventors. They establish social enterprises, create relevant educational opportunities for their communities, invent sustainable products that simplify the lives of people with disabilities, or use art as a means of promoting peace.

In 1996, she developed an innovative educational concept with a focus on inclusion, student-centredness, and interdisciplinary learning. Her concept brought to life a new school in Essen , which Margret headed for 10 years. She quickly gained nationwide recognition. In 2007, she founded the Evangelische Schule Berlin Zentrum (ESBZ), which became a role model for the urgently needed transformation of the education system.

To support schools nationwide in this transformation, Margret founded the ‘Schule im Aufbruch’ initiative together with Gerald Hüther and Stephan Breidenbach in 2012.

Schule im Aufbruch (SiA) has set the goal of supporting as many schools as possible across Germany in introducing a new, sustainable learning culture. By developing and implementing creative learning formats, the initiative enables children and young people to acquire relevant skills to make our society more sustainable and fair. Through individualized transformation support, schools are helped to develop into democratic and holistic educational institutions of the 21st century.

All schools in Germany see the individual development of children and young people’s potential as their core task. The educational process takes place in learning landscapes and is characterized by self-determination, being active, participatory, and applying a sense of reality. The learning experience takes place in a community in which diversity and participation are a matter of course.

The ‘FREI DAY’ programme focuses on developing creativity, holistic thinking, and a sense of responsibility. Pupils devote at least four hours a week to topics of their own choice for the future, which are based on the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations. They develop innovative solutions and implement them directly within their communities. Schule im Aufbruch supports schools with materials, workshops, and network meetings during the introduction and implementation of the new learning format.

With its transformational support, the initiative offers schools the opportunity to realize their own vision of a future-oriented educational institution. During the two-year support program, school management and teachers acquire the tools, structures, and skills that are helpful and necessary to introduce innovative learning formats, an appreciative team culture, and democratic decision-making processes. Step by step, schools can realize their vision of a new school and learning culture.

The Schule im Aufbruch network brings together schools, teachers, and other stakeholders within the education system who seek and offer courage, role models, exchange, and community. The network enables all members to shape the school of the future with a united voice.

In search of alternatives, Manish and his wife Vidhi founded the ‘unschooling movement’ ‘Shikshantar’ in Udaipur, which is committed to a holistic approach to education. The term ‘unschooling’ refers to a learning philosophy and movement in which learners of all ages take their education into their own hands and decide for themselves what, when and how they learn, instead of following a traditional curriculum or school system. Instead, the learners’ natural thirst for knowledge and individual curiosity take centre stage. Since the birth of their daughter Kanku, Manish and Vidhi have been following the path of self-determined learning together with her.

Today, Manish is a leading global voice for the revitalisation of local knowledge systems and the design of holistic educational programmes. One example of this is his Farmversity initiative, which trains indigenous youth in rural India to become leaders in organic farming through hands-on training and the acquisition of social skills. As such, it is part of the Ecoversities Alliance, a trans-local community of over 200 transformative learning spaces from around the world.

The “Farmversity” enables disadvantaged young people in the Jhadol region to become pioneers in organic farming and social entrepreneurship. By revitalising local agriculture through organic farming methods, providing hands-on learning opportunities tailored to the local context and restoring healthy ecosystems, the Jhadol region has the potential to become a model region for sustainable change across India. The Farmversity is laying the foundation for this.

Through its comprehensive programme, the Farmversity provides the younger generation with valuable knowledge, expertise and a deep appreciation for the principles and practices of sustainable agriculture. Participants acquire skills in areas such as native plant cultivation, soil and water regeneration, animal husbandry, healthy nutrition, food processing, marketing and communication, and social entrepreneurship.

After the three-month programme, they can return to their family farms and convert them to organic farming. In doing so, they benefit from the contacts and new sales markets established through Shikshantar and the Farmversity programme. For other participants, various career options are available, such as managing ‘gaushalas’ (specialised facilities for the protection of old and ‘unproductive’ cows), event management, cooking and catering, water management, sustainable tourism and the operation of tree nurseries or bioresource centres that offer organic pesticides and fertilisers as well as training for local farmers.

To support their chosen pathways, Shikshantar offers further learning opportunities through its extensive partner network. In addition, selected participants receive seed capital to start their own organic farming initiatives.

Soon after, Nomawethu joined the team of our partner AMANDLA to coordinate activities at the first safe-hub in Khayelitsha. Since 2012, she has held various positions and helped building signature programmes such as life skills training and the PlayMaker programme. Today, she leads national operations across 11 Safe Hubs across South Africa, enabling disadvantaged young people from the townships the opportunity to realise their full potential.

Education, entrepreneurship, sports and health: the AMANDLA Safe Hubs in South African townships will create fair opportunities and new possibilities for up to 200,000 young people in the coming years. The model focuses on holistic support and helps disadvantaged children and young people to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and transforms neglected communities into places of hope.

A world of equal opportunities in which young people can realise their full potential and achieve their dreams – regardless of their background.

Safe Hubs are more than just educational and sports campuses – they are places of equal opportunity where young people can realise their full potential. Through integrated programmes in the areas of education, health, entrepreneurship and employability, Safe Hubs address the root causes of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

The Safe Hub model brings together partner organisations from the education, social enterprise and health sectors to provide participants with free opportunities to flourish and develop. These include psychosocial support, the special ‘EduFootball Programme’ to teach values and soft skills through sport, and business incubation courses that serve as a springboard for start-ups from the townships.

Another important part of the Safe Hub infrastructure is the Digital Lab, where young people not only develop relevant media skills, but also learn programming languages or receive further training in online marketing.

In addition, the safe hubs contribute to social and economic inclusion at community level by supporting health, environmental protection and local economic development.

Etienne’s Social Innovation Academy (SINA) enables disadvantaged young people – including refugees, orphans, former child soldiers and young people from extreme poverty – to set up their own social enterprise. Through individual learning modules, personal development and independent action, the participants launch sustainable businesses that solve social and ecological problems. The 23 SINA communities (22 in Africa, 1 in Nepal) are now run largely independently by the participants, who are aged between 16 and 27, according to the principle of ‘freesponsibility’ (freedom and responsibility).

Young people can realise their full potential and become the change they want to see in the world.

Each ‘SINA Scholar’ creates their own curriculum based on the roles they have taken on in the SINA community. Participants take on responsibility, make decisions and manage accounting, logistics or public relations. As a result, they gain valuable practical experience and grow personally and professionally, which will help them to manage their own social enterprises.

In the community, new ideas and teams for setting up social enterprises gradually emerge. Traumatic experiences and successfully overcome challenges often serve as the impetus for the foundation of a social businesses to solve social and ecological problems. SINA supports the participants with mentoring, design thinking, the lean startup approach and target group development. Former SINA participants who are already successfully running their own social enterprises pass on their practical knowledge.

The aspiring entrepreneurs then refine their ideas in boot camps in order to develop resilient business models and qualify for the SINA Accelerator programme. Here they receive training and seed capital to maximise business growth, job creation and the social and environmental impact of their startup.

To date, SINA Scholars have founded over 120 social enterprises and created 1000+ jobs.

As head of the university, she combines her entrepreneurship with her academic creativity to create a new educational centre that does both – criticising the existing education system as well as creating a counter-design to it. This idea is not to create a another academic ivory tower, but a breeding ground and inspiration for the reorganisation of education and society everywhere.

„Give your life meaning!“ With this motto, the Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung is revolutionising education. It is a young, state-recognised and ideologically independent university that organises teaching and research democratically. Its concept of transformative learning enables people to ignite and nourish the fire of change for the common good. The HfGG researches and tests new ways of thinking and acting in times of crisis and shares its educational innovations with other universities, schools, organisations and civil society groups.

Education empowers people to protect nature and strengthen democracy. Instead of greed and selfishness, it teaches people to focus on the common good, cooperation and meaningful work in the economy. This gives rise to ideas for a future worth living, which are increasingly becoming a reality.

The HfGG offers one Bachelor’s and two Master’s programmes, all of which combine personal development with the strengthening of vision, new thinking, community building, project work and commitment. A key focus is on the new economic education, which enables students to work for the common good and overcome egoism and systemic injustice. The HfGG is not a university in the traditional sense, but a ‘think and do tank’ that initiates and supports hundreds of projects, activities and networks together with young people. It shares its education and research programmes with other universities and schools and brings them to companies and the public sector. In this way, the HfGG acts as a meaningful place of change for education, science and society as a whole.