The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) is an initiative of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, launched in 2009 under the aegis of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Each year, WISE brings together over 1,000 thought leaders and pioneering practitioners from several sectors worldwide to encourage new collaborations and provide a platform for developing innovative solutions that inspire creative change in education.
This year, Ashesi junior Naa Ayeleysa was selected to be a WISE Learners' Voice participant. The WISE Learners’ Voice program seeks to inspire and empower young people to make their voices heard in local, national and international debates. It gives them the opportunity to pursue innovative ideas relating to education and development. Naa, together with 29 other students who were selected from a global pool of about 200 students, traveled to Qatar’s Education City in Doha to contribute to the 3rd Annual WISE.
At the summit, Naa and her team ran an advocacy workshop for how to make education more successful using technology. Her session attracted attendees including policy makers, education consultants and social entrepreneurs. The workshop was a brainstorming session to solicit ideas from the attendees to encourage further advocacy on the topic. The feedback from the session that she helped organize indicated that the workshop had been one of the participants' favourites during the week.
“Being at WISE this year was a wonderful opportunity for me," says Naa. "My network with learners across the globe has been incredibly broadened. I contributed to educational issues on a global level and that certainly boosted my self-belief. Lastly, it was great to be presented with an opportunity to visit the picturesque capital city of Qatar, Doha. This summit brought to light several ways of using education as a key to unlocking great potential in people. It was a theme I could identify well with, because I have experienced first-hand how Ashesi is empowering young people to make a big impact in Africa.”