Innovations, creativity and live coworking for educators, parents and students of all ages: how the Education of Wonderland 2024 festival was held

Kyiv  hosted a large-scale educational festival "Education of the World 2024" with the main theme: "Personal and Shared Freedom in the Education of the Future". And for two days, the main attention of the participants was focused on this topic, UNN reports.

The festival combines two main formats: 

• the exhibition, which presented a wide range of educational opportunities: from development centers for children, kindergartens, schools, lyceums, universities, to educational courses and services for children and adults 
• and a forumdedicated to future education , its goals and prospects. 

Over the course of 2 days, the best experts from education, business, NGOs and government organizations spoke on four thematic stages of the festival. Music breaks, theatrical performances and 3D visualization created a special atmosphere. "Education Dyvosvit 24" brought together more than 50 educational institutions, 60 speakers and thousands of participants. 

The festival became a platform for a frank conversation about the changes in education that are necessary for the transformation of both individuals and Ukraine as a whole. Participants discussed practical cases, asked questions from the audience, took part in discussions on topical and often painful issues of the modern education system, and reflected on the current meanings, goals, and opportunities of the education of the future. For educators and all those who care, it was an opportunity to gain new knowledge, meet like-minded people, and join networking. As a result, the transition from competition to cooperation and mutual reinforcement for the sake of a common  goal and future. 

For conscious parents, there was also a lot of useful information - not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical advice on educational opportunities and approaches to learning. 

Among the speakers of the forum: Andriy Zelinsky, Alla Dubrovyk-Rokhova, Kateryna Terletska, Anton Liagusha, Volodymyr Kozlenko, Pylyp Dukhliy, Petro Chernomorets, Iryna Zhdanova and many more experts and professional educators - full list of speakers and program. 

The topics of presentations and discussions were very diverse: from discussing ideas, dreams and humanity to emotional intelligence, mental health, new educational paradigms, personality transformation, burnout, cultural memory, financial literacy and interaction between education and business. At the same time, the leitmotif remained the theme of Divosvit, freedom and the need to transform education for the sake of a common future. 

Andriy Zelinsky, political scientist, co-founder of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, military chaplain noted that "Dyvosvit is the homeland of a free man. Here, it is my freedom that gives meaning to events and presences, that determines the contours of the focus of my consciousness. And what matters to me becomes a resource, nourishes my heart and more. The Wonderland is the dimension of my personal being where I feel free, capable, and capable as a human being. It is the space of personal development, a journey towards a realized dream, the text of my freedom.

I call the space of individual formation, ordered by "Sofia", the wisdom of being, which at the social level can manifest itself as a set of value orientations and life principles that formed the basis of our national existence. This is Ukraine as a land of free people who formed the social system on the basis of values that are important for our national identity, such as, for example, freedom, dignity, conciliarity, justice, and so on. Education in this case becomes a tool for freeing from the clutches of the history of the fate of a free person and the future of a free nation. The Miracle World is free from ideological constructs, thanks to which one group of people is able to dominate another. Well-coordinated interaction here takes place thanks to "bridges", values that unite us into a single community of different people.

Inessa Kravchenko, philanthropist, founder of the informal educational platform "MAN IS A WONDERFUL WORLD", publisher of "Wheel of Life", co-owner of Stan Invest Holding, initiator of the forum: "This year we managed to create an event of a larger scale, involving teachers and heads of educational institutions from different cities, direct participants in the educational process. The most important thing was to find common ground in our diversity and create a community, a real live coworking space where you can exchange contacts and ideas. 

The presentations were not only innovative and creative, but also suitable for immediate implementation in the classroom. Many noted that they wanted to be in several places at once, as the program was so diverse and rich. The two-day format of the forum made it more practical, combining visions with real-life experiences and case studies of the participants. This made it possible to avoid formal approaches and outdated methods that used to dominate education. 

What's next? We are already thinking about the next year and the Education for Miracles forum. We are analyzing what has been successful and what can be improved. This path requires wisdom - the ability to create together, to find meaning in diversity, to accept differences, to follow the heart, to be true to human freedom and dignity. These are new formats of interaction that necessarily include art, which has already shown itself at the forum.

The direction in the development of Sophia's wisdom includes the search for new forms - bridges, fields, stars. Fields are our economy, bridges are our politics, and stars are our dreams and visions of the future. And the strength of the spirit will help to distinguish the darkness and create a safe space. It is sensitivity and courage at the same time, as well as honesty. We are being tempered in this direction and are open to the fact that Sophia's wisdom finds its way through us in education.

Important topics were also raised in her speech by Kateryna Terletskaya, doctor of physical and Mathematical Sciences, head of the laboratory of Applied Mathematics of the National Center of Manu, senior researcher at the IPMS of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Here are her thoughts on the Education Divosvit Forum and the purpose of education today:

"War makes the world black and white. It simplifies everything down to the most basic concepts: there is only "we" and "they", Truth and falsehood. In this context, our lives become particularly clear. We live like warriors and Titans, defending our longed-for freedom every day. And this forum "Education of Divosvitu" for me is not just a discussion of the future of Education. This is a symbol of our struggle for what should become the basis of this future – for our free Ukraine.

The presence of the military at the forum was a constant reminder that we are in danger. They stand on the front line not only physically but also mentally, protecting our right to a free future. And the freedom we dream of, for which we fight every day, is not just an abstract word. It is a vital necessity. Without it, we will lose not only the opportunity to learn and teach, but also the very essence of our dreams, our children, and their future. Education today is the frontline. And in my opinion, education today has a single goal: the victory of our Ukraine.

Larysa Andriychenko, co - founder and head of the Britannica School, teacher, co-initiator of the community of Ukrainian teachers - on other education: "let's look at every child who is in front of us as the main and central person who wants to be educated and wants to find this connection with himself. And then we will definitely get the education that we need. 

We are talking about a different education, and it probably makes sense to figure out what makes it different. What do we lack or what is superfluous and harmful? What should we keep and nurture, and what should we remove? And here everyone will have their own answers. 

What is the orientation of the education we create? My colleagues and I have now set a course for education for the individual - based on internal educational needs, interests, psychological characteristics, and the individual's life situation. This is not about fulfilling only "wishes"; it is a complex work about feeling the moment now and at the same time looking into the future. This kind of work requires skill from teachers - the ability to take off the role of a teacher and look at a child as a person, not a "student." This will open up new horizons, areas of interest, and spaces for all participants in education to realize and test themselves. And then we can only talk about the desired Individual Educational Trajectory of a person.

In today's world, financial skills are critical, and financial literacy for children is one of the key aspects of raising a conscious, responsible citizen. The NBU has developed a national strategy for raising financial awareness.  Thus, starting from 2025, financial literacy will become a compulsory subject in schools starting from the 8th grade. This topic also aroused great interest among the audience.

According to the forum speaker Anna Sharamko, Head of Mass Business at PrivatBank: "PrivatBank and Mastercard actively support this initiative and continue to develop their own programs for young people. Financial literacy in childhood helps to avoid many problems in the future. Children who learn how to use money from an early age grow up to be more conscious consumers and avoid mistakes such as uncontrolled spending. They will also have an understanding of how to effectively distribute their income and save for important things, and even invest.

This year, a large-scale educational exhibition for parents and future students was held for the first time as part of the festival . Various educational institutions of preschool and Secondary Education, online platforms and dozens of extracurricular projects that present modern and non-standard approaches to learning were presented here, as well as  several  projects that  presented opportunities for admission to universities will be presented abroad.   

Visitors had the opportunity to communicate with school representatives, learn about new technologies in teaching, get acquainted with various extracurricular programs, evaluate the advantages of different educational institutions and make their choice. A lot of interesting things were also prepared for children - from entertainment with animators and competitions - to the interactive area of the Science Museum with fascinating scientific exhibits. 

In total, during these two days, the festival "education of Divosvitu" was attended by more than 5,000 guests. The geography of visitors is also impressive - it was not only Kiev, but also Kryvyi Rih, Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Konotop, Cherkasy, Dnipro, Lviv, Uzhgorod, Pereyaslav, Bila Tserkva, Zhytomyr, Belogorodka, Poltava, Kagarlyk, Kropyvnytskyi, Aleksandrovka, Rivne, Nikopol, Irpen, Korosten, Odessa, Dolina (Ivano-Frankivsk region), Zavalie (Kirovohrad region), Boryspil and even Prague!

Organizers - informal doslidnitskaya platform Lyudina Divo Svit, servis z pidboru osvitnih pawn School Navigator, Pochayna Event Hall, Gorodok Gallery shopping center.

General partners: PrivatBank and Mastercard.

спеціальний семінар: Школа життя для дітей.

Partners: Morshynska, Me and My School, Krayina Mriy (Dreamland) network of children's entertainment centers.

General television partner: ICTV2.

general information Partner: Освіта.UA.

Моя сторінка: В, Oboz.ua, граю, навчаю, Вечірній Київ, Громадське радіо, Вомо, Ділія стількома, Депо, Київ 24, радіо першим, Освіта Нова, Стад Пойнт.

The festival is over, but the work of the informal research platform Man Wonderland continues! Follow the project news at  https://liudyna.com/

and in social networks:

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