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World Forum Projects
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World Forum Events
View the ISSA Meeting Photo Gallery
Working Forum for Teacher Educators
College instructors, independent trainers, and trainers in private and public organizations from six continents gathered in Auckland for an intense three days of idea sharing and brainstorming on issues and strategies in training the early childhood workforce worldwide. The outcome of this Working Forum will be a book on early childhood teacher education. This book, being edited by Colin Gibbs and Andrew Gibbons, will include the formal presentations as well as the ideas and stories generated in the discussion groups. Our goal is to launch this book at the 2009 World Forum.
European Early Learning Study Tour 2007: United Kingdom and Finland
The World Forum Foundation, in partnership with the Economic Opportunity Institute, organized a trip for Washington business leaders, politicians, and educators to study the delivery of high quality early learning in Finland and the United Kingdom in early October 2007. The purpose of the tour, funded by the Gates Foundation, was to inform a new initiative to upgrade early childhood services in Washington state. While in London and Helsinki, tour participants met with public officials, advocates, researchers, union officials and business leaders. In addition, they visited several child care programs in each country.
Orphanage Study Tour, 2007: Budapest, Hungary
A number of early childhood professionals providing services for children orphaned by crises such as the Tsunami, HIV/AIDS, and extreme poverty met at the World Forum in Kuala Lumpur with representatives of the Pikler Institute. As a result, the Pikler Institute in Budapest - in partnership with the Pikler/Loczy Fund USA, Community Playthings, and the World Forum Foundation - offered a week long training program on the Pikler method of caring for infants and toddlers for 12 representatives from orphanages in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America. Orphanage Study Tour Photo Gallery World Forum on Early Care and Education 2007: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Over 700 early childhood administrators, trainers, caregivers, public officials, and advocates from 70+ countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for World Forum 2007. The overall theme of the Forum was the Rights of Children. Plenaries and workshops focused on topics such as the Global Monitoring Report, children in poverty, curriculum options, working with parents, multicultural programming, and leadership. In addition World Forum Working groups on AIDS and Young Children, Nature Education for Young Children, Men in Early Childhood Education, Global Leaders for Young Children, and Peace Building with Young Children met and developed continuing plans.
World Forum 2007 Photo Gallery Working Forum on Nature Education: New Tools for Connecting the World's Children with Nature 2006: Nebraska City, Nebraska
In October of 2006, 250 early childhood educators, environmental advocates, architects and community planners gathered at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska. Over the course of four days this group addressed research and experience on the importance of reconnecting children with nature, and strategies for making it happen. Presentations alternated with lengthy discussion groups during which the representatives from the different fields got to know each other, shared varying perspectives on the topics being discussed, and came up with recommendations on courses of action. Throughout the event, delegates were entertained with multi-cultural meals, nature walks, and participative entertainment led by Paul Winter and BeingArt.
Working Forum on Nature Photo Gallery
Working Forum for Multi-Site Organizations 2006: Amsterdam, Netherlands
In October of 2006, 60 leaders of organizations serving children at multiple locations
from 11 nations gathered in Amsterdam met to discuss common issues in the delivery of
quality early childhood services. Participants shared their strategies for monitoring quality,
building organizational culture, maintaining creativity and spontaneity, developing
leadership talent, and developing long range plans.
Multi-Site Photo Gallery International Working Group on Peace Building with Young Children 2006: Manizales, Colombia
The International Working Group on Peace Building with Young Children met in Manizales, Colombia in May of 2007. Sixteen team members from Albania, Australia, Mali, Nepal, Northern Ireland, and the U.S. were hosted by CINDE, Fundacion Centro International de Educacion y Desarrollo Humano (The International Center of Education and Human Development Foundation). In the meetings, the group finalized the timeline, content, and structure of the Working Group's first publication, "From Conflict to Peace Building", a presentation of the stories and strategies of the group. An additional outcome for this meeting was that by convening in Manizales, the group was able to experience what life is like in an area of the world that not long ago was steeped in turmoil and violence, but has worked hard to restore peace and beauty to their country. 2005 World Forum on Early Care and Education 2005 Montreal, Canada
The Montreal World Forum was by far the largest ever, with 815 delegates from 75 nations in attendance. Major areas of interest explored at this event were HIV/AIDS and its impact on young children, adult education, curriculum models, multi-site management, family child care, technology and young children, literacy, and play. In addition, the working team from Working Forum Belfast presented several sessions on ECE as a power in reconciliation. The Global Leaders for Young Children had their second meeting, the EC eTeaching Institute evolved into a meeting focusing on best practices in distance education, and several new World Forum projects were initiated (see World Forum Projects tab).
World Forum 2005 Photo Gallery Working Forum Belfast 2004: Belfast, Northern Ireland
In November 2004, the World Forum Foundation partnered with NIPPA - the early years organisation to host the first-ever Working Forum (the idea is to conduct regional, interactive forums focusing on a single topic). Working Forum Belfast - entitled, "Building Bridges: Healing Communities through Early Childhood Education" - focused on the power of early childhood education to bring communities together after conflict. Early childhood leaders from organizations involved in reconciliation efforts in Northern Ireland, Croatia, Albania, Rwanda, Mali, South Africa, Israel, the Philippines, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, and the United States gathered in Belfast to learn from each other's experiences and to share their lessons learned with the European early childhood community. Working Forum Belfast also served as the launching pad for the World Forum Global Leaders for Young Children project.
Working Forum Belfast Slide Show 2003 World Forum on Early Care and Education: Acapulco, Mexico
Acapulco, Mexico hosted the 2003 World Forum on May 13 - 16. Over 600 delegates from nearly 40 nations gathered to share ideas on a wide range of critical issues. The program featured an in-depth exploration of indicators of quality, curriculum models, Latin American initiatives, health, and managing large organizations. Once again many delegates arrived early to participate in EC eTeaching - A Distance Education Institute and First Hand...an International Exchange (opportunities for delegates to work side by side with their peers in Mexico and Southern California).
World Forum 2003 Photo Gallery 2002 World Forum on Early Care and Education: Auckland, New Zealand
Despite a weakened worldwide economy, over 500 representatives from 53 countries gathered April 9 - 12, 2002, in Auckland, New Zealand, for the fourth annual World Forum. In addition to the many innovative aspects of the event developed during the first three years of the World Forum, delegates enjoyed a number of enhancements and extensions. First, to provide the opportunity for participants to explore a topic in-depth, themes were threaded throughout the program. The second innovation was the introduction of First Hand...An International Exchange. This unique program offered participants the opportunity to extend their stay in New Zealand and live and work with a member of the New Zealand child care community. The third innovation was a three-day pre-conference, Effective Strategies for Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Early Childhood Faculty Institute 2002.
World Forum 2002 Photo Gallery 2001 World Forum on Early Care and Education: Athens, Greece
The 2001 event, held in Athens, Greece, April 24 - 27, reached new heights with 510 delegates from 80 nations in attendance. Many participants deemed it the best conference they had ever attended. Over the course of four days of intensive networking, attendees shared their ideas, perspectives, and life stories in sessions, discussion groups, and informal gatherings. Participants listened to presentations from 150 delegates from 70 nations; they joined follow-up discussions; danced to the music of delegates from El Salvador, Greece, Fiji, Bolivia, and Malaysia; visited exemplary centers in Athens; learned about quality programs for children all over the world; shared their challenges; and learned to see their work from new perspectives.
World Forum 2001 Photo Gallery 2000 World Forum on Early Care and Education: Singapore
The second World Forum took place May 16 - 19, 2000, in Singapore. Building on the success of the 1999 World Forum in Honolulu, attendance was well over 500. It was a highly diverse group: attendees came from 40 nations on 6 continents and 18 time zones; they spoke 68 languages; they were teachers, administrators, trainers, researchers, public officials, and advocates all sharing a commitment to the young children of this world. Most impressively, they shared over 6,000 years of experience in early childhood education. World Forum 2000 Photo Gallery 1999 World Forum on Early Care and Education: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
The first World Forum, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 6 - 9, 1999, was attended by 525 delegates representing 36 countries, including China, Kenya, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nepal, Hungary, Russia, Uruguay, Finland, Croatia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, England, and Slovenia. Delegates arrived with high expectations and immediately began to exchange stories of their lives and work, the challenges they were striving to overcome, and the opportunities they need to explore. Over the course of the four-day event, there was much talk and laughter, many tears, lots of hard work, even a little dancing and play. The strangers who arrived in Honolulu returned home as colleagues and friends; energized by ideas and relationships that continue to inform and sustain their work. |
The World Forum Foundation was the co-sponsor of the ISSA Annual Meeting in Budapest in November 2008. Bonnie and Roger Neugebauer gave opening and closing remarks to attendees. Prior to the conference the 2007/2008 class of Global Leaders had their final meeting. After the close of the conference the Leadership Team of the International Working Group on Peace Building for Young Children had a planning session.
In October, 2008, leaders from 200 early childhood organizations providing services to over 500,000 families on five continents convened in Hawaii to share ideas on how to grow an organization with integrity. The following themes will be explored:
In May 2008, 150 early childhood professionals from 12 nations gathered in Honolulu Hawaii at the first ever Working Forum on Men in Early Childhood Education. Throughout the event delegates shared ideas through plenary presentations, workshops, discussion groups, story telling and informal conversations. Issues explored during the Working Forum included...