WHY
Why this Erasmus+ project?
Many organizations focus on improving education with 21st-century skills, but they often work in silos, limiting their impact. This fragmented approach leads to underutilized resources, duplicated efforts, and inefficiencies, hindering the sharing and scaling of innovative solutions.
Working in isolation prevents a holistic understanding of education challenges, making it difficult to develop comprehensive, sustainable solutions. The future of education is learner-centered, collaborative, and globally connected, aiming to equip learners with the skills to thrive in a changing world. Reaching marginalized communities with high-quality education remains a significant challenge.
To address this, like-minded organizations must break down silos, foster partnerships, and engage in collective action. By leveraging collective strengths, we can create a more connected and effective ecosystem for education reform and improvement.
How the BCORE21 Community of Practice is connecting educators, changemakers, and children across four continents to co-create a more inclusive future for education.
Birgit O'Driscoll, Green Schools
How BCORE21’s structured methodology transforms educational innovation.
Joos Van Cauwenberghe, RHIZO
How BCORE21’s mission-oriented approach drives scalable and lasting educational change.
Joos Van Cauwenberghe, RHIZO
How the BCORE21 team turned cross-country collaboration challenges into stronger connections and a shared vision for the future.
BCORE21 Team
Exploring why child and youth participation is vital for education and sustainable development.
Tijana Petrovic, KidHub
Innovation is a proces, not an event. We need better processes for structured collaboration.
Joos Van Cauwenberghe, RHIZO
Why five organisations across Europe joined forces to start the Erasmus+ BCORE21 project.
Joos Van Cauwenberghe, RHIZO
How children, parents, and educators co-created future outdoor learning spaces in Belgrade through the Scientific Playground workshop.
Tijana Petrovic, KidHub
Key insights from the Changemaker Visionary session, fostering changemaking, sustainability, and real-world problem-solving.
Tijana Petrovic, KidHub
Key insights from the Interculutral Sensitivity Visionary session, inclusive education through multilingualism, storytelling, and cultural representation.
Vithika Yadav, Designathon Works
Key insights from the Right To Participate Visionary session, exploring challenges, solutions, and impact gaps in child participation.
sibel Çetingöz, çocukistanbul
HOW
Our Approach
At BCORE21, we developed and pioneer a unique three-step methodology to foster grassroot innovation in education through leveraging collective expertise.
Our approach is inspired by many other innovators' work, noteworthy to credit are Mariana Mazzucato's mission-oriented innovation ideas and Erasmus+ Una Europa's alliance Future Unilab approach.
We begin with mission-oriented planning, where we set clear, actionable goals. By framing challenges as 'missions' rather than problems, we ensure our objectives are both aspirational and grounded, tailored to meet BCORE-21 team's ambitions and the real-world needs of educators and learners.
Once our missions are defined, we convene visionary sessions. Here, visionaries drawn by the core BCORE team explore these missions with freedom and creativity. This stage is crucial for generating innovative ideas without constraints, allowing participants to think beyond traditional educational frameworks.
The ideas from the visionary sessions are then handed over to our designer sessions. In these sessions, the core team, comprised of representatives from our five partner organizations, works to translate visionary concepts into practical, scalable projects that can be implemented across educational settings.
WHAT
Our Missions
At BCORE21, we are dedicated to addressing key educational challenges through clearly defined missions that align with our organizational ambitions and long-term vision. Our team convened for an intensive two-day meeting to identify and outline three critical missions. These missions reflect our commitment to transformative change and are designed to inspire new approaches and solutions for learners worldwide.
Each mission statement has been crafted with the intent to spark innovation and invite collaboration. We believe that by focusing on these specific areas, we can significantly impact education. Explore our missions, consider how they resonate with your own goals, and perhaps join us in pushing the boundaries of educational possibilities. Together, we can contribute to shaping a future where every learner thrives.
How might we ensure that cities and communities will have active child participation initiatives, enabling children to contribute to sustainable development.
How might enhance teachers' capacity for intercultural sensitivity, creating significantly more inclusive classrooms cultures.
How might enable children to contribute to solving real-life problems through high-quality, meaningful, interdisciplinary learning.
We are five partner organizations from across Europe. United by our commitment to future-proof education, we aim to make learning relevant, accessible, impactful, and engaging for young learners aged 5 to 18 from diverse backgrounds.
Our three missions blend each partner's ambitions, strengths, and needs. We plan to co-create impactful learning concepts through insights from world experts, resulting in ambitious, realistic projects. Our goal is to inspire teachers, students, policymakers, and education enthusiasts with innovative initiatives in education.
The Netherlands
Designathon Works empowers children as changemakers, aiming to reach 1 million by 2030 through project-based curricula addressing SDG challenges. They use a method combining design thinking and STEAM, enabling children to design and present ideas, fostering skills like creativity and collaboration. Their global partnerships amplify social and environmental impacts.
Belgium
RHIZO is an innovative secondary school in Kortrijk, known for avant-garde education. Serving students aged 12 to 18, they focus on democratic citizenship and support for learning disabilities. RHIZO collaborates on research and innovation projects, enhancing education through partnerships with businesses and government.
Ireland
An Taisce's Environmental Education Unit runs programs like Green-Schools, focusing on sustainable development and global citizenship. Operating in over 94% of Irish schools, they address issues such as climate change and biodiversity, aiming to foster a fairer world through attitude changes.
Serbia
KidHub, established in 2018, is an educational center and social enterprise focusing on SDGs through maker education. Their KidMaker club and social enterprise, Koba Yagi, produce recycled textile dolls. As ambassadors of "Social Innovation Education" in Serbia, they specialize in innovative programs and eco-friendly practices.
Turkey
Founded in 2011, Informal Education-Çocukistanbul provides workshops on global issues, scientific thinking, and children’s rights. They focus on renewable energy, climate change, and sustainability, offering programs for pre-school to secondary students. They also conduct teacher training and participate in international education projects.