GLOBAL EDUCATOR EXCHANGE
& TRAINING SUMMiTS
This principle is the heart of the Big Picture Learning Kenya Educator Exchange. Founded and directed by Elena Aguilar and Carol, these innovative learning exchanges were built as a profound, two-way partnership.
This is not a “service trip”; it is a partnership for mutual liberation, where we connect as equals committed to healing our world through education.
The BPL Kenya
Leaving to Learn Summit
In partnership with Big Picture Learning (BPL), the BPL Kenya Leaving to Learn Summit is our annual international program demonstrating that student-centered, liberatory education is not bound by geography.
These educators have witnessed firsthand the power of personalized learning thriving in a vibrant African context.
Highlights from Recent Exchanges
Our 3rd and 4th annual exchanges welcomed a new cohort of international educators, bringing them together to learn alongside local Kenyan educators, students, and leaders.
Program Experience
Following Big Picture Learning’s student-centered design, the Summit is an immersive experience where participants:
BUILD COMMUNITY:
Participants are grouped into advisories to foster community and share diverse professional experiences.
LEAVE TO LEARN:
We explore the real world by visiting students at their internships, observing local educational practices, and engaging with cultural centers.
WITNESS LEARNING:
Kenyan students demonstrate their deep learning by proudly sharing their interest-driven projects and how student-centered practices thrive in their local communities.
EXPLORE KENYA:
Throughout the week, we explore Kenya through the critical lenses of leadership, community development, women’s issues, and inspiring stories of resilience.
The power of these transformational journeys cannot be overstated. Read about the participants’ experiences in our news page.
A WITNESS
TO THE IMPACT
I have known Carol for a few years now. We met during our Big Picture Learning Big Bang conference where Carol brings hundreds of pounds of goods made by Cheka Mamas to fundraise for them and her schools. After every interaction, I leave saying, “Dang, this woman is incredible.”
Fast forward five years and I am in her community witnessing the breadth of her work and impact in real time. There are no words that can accurately capture her impact.
By Dr. Sonn Sam, National Director of Partnerships,
Big Picture Learning.
Educator & School Leader Training (OUR ORIGIN STORY)
While KNLA is our flagship program, our work originated with the training of teachers and school leaders. This remains a moral obligation for us. As Kenya moves to a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), schools serving the neediest youth are often unprepared. Teachers lack the tools, skills, and knowledge to offer quality education.
OUR APPROACH:
We make schools more relevant to the lives of students by training school leaders to flip the typical bureaucratic hierarchy on its head. Our principals stand at the bottom, like the trunk of the tree, holding up the entire endeavor, providing empathy, strength, and vision to support the many branches represented by teachers and staff.
In turn, these strong limbs provide the energy and resources to help grow the fruits of self-confidence, success, and excitement in their students. Mentored by their teachers, students create projects, internships, and training programs based on their interests, community partnerships, hands-on skills, and deep inquiry.
Young people who are supported to pursue complex and challenging projects in real-life settings outside the classroom gain real-world competencies, leading to self-reliance, maturity, experience, and a sense of place in the greater global community. Passion-driven work rekindles the innate fires of curiosity which have historically driven all human endeavor.
Since 2019, BPL Kenya has partnered with Bright Morning Consulting, Big Picture Learning USA, BPL Australia, and international educators to offer this much-needed support. To date, more than 200 educators have benefited.
