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LEARNING TAPESTRY

THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION

Join us for a conference on
educating the heart and mind

14 May 2025, Bucharest

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Education forms a tapestry, vibrant and intricate, with every thread signifying distinct skills, talents and knowledge. Our conference aims to reveal these patterns, emphasizing the richness of learning, compassion and wisdom.

Mission

This event is designed for change-makers to engage in a series of experiences that will provide them with the tools they need to create personal and systemic transformation. Participants will engage in a series of meaningful conversations with cutting-edge educators, international experts, researchers, storytellers, neuroscientists, and renowned authors.

We partner with Emory University’s Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics. Their programs under the Compassion Shift initiative – CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion Training) and SEE Learning® – provide tools for developing greater awareness, managing emotions, building resilience, harnessing compassion, and enhancing well-being.

IMPACT

Our world is experiencing a profound shift. The rise of artificial intelligence and automation is reshaping industries and job roles faster than ever before, rendering some traditional skills and roles obsolete while creating new opportunities. In this world, what it means to be human is being lost. We are seeing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, burnout, and a lack of purpose, especially among the young. The conventional model of education, with its emphasis on standardized content delivery, is increasingly inadequate in preparing individuals for this new reality.

This conference will serve as a dynamic platform for educators, policymakers, industry experts, and innovators to convene and collectively explore the pressing need to redefine education in light of these transformative forces. We are inviting speakers to engage in thought-provoking discussions on topics such as wellbeing, systems thinking, mindfulness, compassion, resilience, leadership, creativity, and purpose. As we witness ongoing changes that have the potential to significantly alter all facets of our existence, it becomes increasingly crucial to cultivate the skills that make us uniquely human and apply them to empower future change-makers.

Meet
THE SPEAKERS

David Fitzgerald

David Fitzgerald

David Fitzgerald, CEO, Dukes Education Europe
Chris Greulich

Chris Greulich

High-Performance, Mental & Leadership Coach, Empowering Gens Z & Alpha, Creator of YourGame, Helping Individuals, Teams & Organizations Thrive in Change, Consultant for Excellence in Learning Organizations
Thea Ionescu

Thea Ionescu

Thea Ionescu is associate professor in the Psychology Department at Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education

Diana Stafie

Diana Stafie

Diana is a Strategic Foresight consultant and founder of Future Station with extensive experience in both consultancy and business.
Leo Thompson

Leo Thompson

Leo Thompson is the founder of Edsplorer www.edsplorer.com and the former Head of Educational Partnerships for learning-to-learn specialists, iCanStudy.
Cosmin Alexandru

Cosmin Alexandru

Cosmin Alexandru, Co-founder Teamology Institute

Lila Vasilescu

Lila Vasilescu

Lila is the Director of Verita International School in Bucharest. She is the embodiment of passion, dedication and an unwavering belief in the transformative power of kindness.
Richard Joannides

Richard Joannides

Richard is the founder of Verita International Schools. Verita's vision is to inspire kind and joyful learning communities that use innovative thinking to build a mindful and sustainable world.

Featured Speakers
Highlights

Key themes

REDESIGNING CURRICULUM & PEDAGOGY

We will explore innovative approaches to curriculum design and teaching methods for learners of all ages that foster critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, and problem-solving skills while nurturing soft skills such as empathy, compassion, and kindness. Facing challenges is essential for growth and transformation. A focus on experiential and project-based learning can support us in becoming more reflective and open to change. We will therefore discuss its role in developing our own and others’ ability to tackle real-world challenges with our humanity intact.

CULTIVATING SOFT SKILLS & SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Recognizing that education is not solely about acquiring knowledge, we will explore the critical importance of nurturing inner development or the cultivation of soft skills, fostering human values, and promoting social-emotional learning to create well-rounded individuals who are not just prepared for work but for life. These skills support our relationships, our sense of efficacy, and our ability to navigate the challenges we faced in a rapidly changing world.

COMPASSION

Compassion is the genuine urge to alleviate the suffering of others. Though natural to all humans, it can also be narrowly-focused or biased. When cultivated in a supportive environment, compassion can become more inclusive and wise – an enduring trait that benefits both giver and receiver and contributes to a kinder and more just world. Through the emerging scientific understanding of this core human emotion, and the inner skills that support it, we can cultivate and develop this basic capacity of the human heart.

EMBRACING AI AND AUTOMATION IN LEARNING

AI technologies are being integrated into educational settings, from personalized learning platforms to AI-powered tutors. Automation can streamline administrative tasks, making more time for people to focus on attending more effectively to those they serve, and it can enhance how we receive feedback and make informed decisions to better affect the process of transformation. What are the implications for teachers and students, and how can we ensure that AI enhances, rather than replaces, human learning?

ADAPTING TO THE CHANGING JOB MARKET

As the job market undergoes radical transformations, how can education institutions equip students with the skills and adaptability needed to thrive in this uncertain future? What role should lifelong learning play in this equation? The development of resilience is a key requirement for individuals entering the job market today. We can train to foster resilience by developing competencies related to awareness, self-compassion, systems thinking, etc.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

To overcome the challenges we are currently facing, we need to acknowledge and understand the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. Recognizing the importance of nature in shaping our individual and collective well-being is a matter of crucial importance to all of us. Promoting environmental literacy and climate action through nature-based education is essential to reducing the negative impact of climate change and enhancing personal, social and planetary well-being. By focusing on systems thinking, we can better understand the underlying complexity of the issue at hand and identify leverage points for creating structural change.

Partners

Event

Schedule

  • Schedule | May 14


  • Workshop by Leo Thompson | May 15


  • 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM
    Registration & Coffee

  • Leo Thompson
    10:00 AM - 10:25 AM
    Leo Thompson | HI (Human intelligence)
    By Leo Thompson Leo Thompson is the founder of Edsplorer www.edsplorer.com and the former Head of Educational Partnerships for learning-to-learn specialists, iCanStudy.

    HI (Human intelligence) now actually becomes more important than AI and how we can actually grow our intelligence when it is under threat.
    Where
    Radisson Blu Hotel, Atlas Conference Room, Bucharest

  • David Fitzgerald
    10:30 AM - 10:55 AM
    David Fitzgerald | Intercultural Competence – The 21st Century Superpower
    By David Fitzgerald David Fitzgerald, CEO, Dukes Education Europe

    The ability to effectively and appropriately communicate, understand and interact with people from different cultural backgrounds is needed more than ever in the world our students are facing. Students in international schools like Verita, who foster respect, understanding and collaboration will find that they leave school with a new superpower- Intercultural competence!
    Where
    Radisson Blu Hotel, Atlas Conference Room, Bucharest

  • Diana Stafie
    11:00 AM - 11:25 AM
    Diana Stafie | Studying the future, not only the past
    By Diana Stafie Diana is a Strategic Foresight consultant and founder of Future Station with extensive experience in both consultancy and business.

    While history helps us understand how we got here, foresight and studying the future can give us the tools to shape where we’re going. In a world of rapid change—climate shifts, AI, new jobs, and new social norms—both professionals and students need not only knowledge of the past, but imagination and anticipation for what lies ahead.
    Where
    Radisson Blu Hotel, Atlas Conference Room, Bucharest

  • Chris Greulich
    11:30 AM - 11:55 AM
    Chris Greulich | Perfectly Imperfect: Raised with GPS, Lost Without Directions
    By Chris Greulich High-Performance, Mental & Leadership Coach, Empowering Gens Z & Alpha, Creator of YourGame, Helping Individuals, Teams & Organizations Thrive in Change, Consultant for Excellence in Learning Organizations

  • 12:00 PM - 12:55 PM
    Lunch Time

  • Cosmin Alexandru
    13:00 PM - 13:25 PM
    Cosmin Alexandru | Educating Anti-fragility
    By Cosmin Alexandru Cosmin Alexandru, Co-founder Teamology Institute

    According to renowned author Nassim Taleb, systems can be fragile, robust or antifragile when encountering stress factors. A person is a system and so is a classroom or a school. Or a family. There are four pillars that can help any system to foster antifragility: Building trust, Learning from action, Dealing with uncertainty and Risk mitigation. In oder to succeed, all of them require a systematic approach continuously tuned to the ever-changing spectrum of stressors that challenge each individual, group or community
    Where
    Radisson Blu Hotel, Atlas Conference Room, Bucharest

  • Thea Ionescu
    13:30 PM - 13:55 PM
    Thea Ionescu | Weaving the old and the new: How to educate flexible minds
    By Thea Ionescu Thea Ionescu is associate professor in the Psychology Department at Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education

    This talk will cover ideas on flexibility and its development as passing through variability and stability embedded in various contexts, and on grounded teaching as a way forward for the future education in which we interlace the old and the new.
    Where
    Radisson Blu Hotel, Atlas Conference Room, Bucharest

  • 14:00 PM - 14:55 PM
    Panel 1 | The Present Has Now Past: Future Challenges for Young Professionals

  • 15:00 PM - 15:30 PM
    Panel 2 | Social-Emotional Learning: Resilience & Reinventing Yourself

  • 15:35 PM - 16:00 PM
    Closing Remarks

  • Leo Thompson
    10 AM - 4 PM
    Workshop By Leo Thompson | HI (Human Intelligence)
    By Leo Thompson Leo Thompson is the founder of Edsplorer www.edsplorer.com and the former Head of Educational Partnerships for learning-to-learn specialists, iCanStudy.

    HI (Human Intelligence) is more important than AI: practical methods to grow our intelligence and accelerate our learning power.

    This premium and certified workshop for educators, professionals and parents focuses on accelerating the growth of human intelligence and individual learning power using proven techniques from the learning sciences. Emerging research on the negative impact of 'cognitive offloading' through overuse of AI, suggests we need to prioritise our thinking, memory and neuroplastic potential.

    Leo Thompson will teach active learning strategies including metacognition, memory enhancement techniques, and novel new critical thinking strategies that will keep us one step ahead. By the end of the workshop, participants will have acquired little known but powerful and actionable strategies to accelerate their own learning which they can teach to their students or children. Leo's workshops are never boring so prepare for a fun, social and interactive experience.

    Curious what to expect? Hear from Leo.

    Where
    Verita International School, Bucharest


* Day 1: Simultaneous translation into Romanian is provided for the programme on Day 1.

EDUCATION ALLIES

event venue

14th of may

Radisson Blu Hotel,

Calea Victoriei 63-81, Bucharest

Embrace the opportunity to expand your knowledge and nurture your personal growth. Join us for an enlightening conference focused on educating the heart and mind.

Tickets

14 May 2025, Bucharest

Full Day Event Conference Pass 5.06

€90

Buy a Ticket

Full Day Event Pass 5.06 & 1 Workshop 6.06

€140

Buy a Ticket

Full Day Event Pass 5.06 & 2 Workshop 6.06

€160

Buy a Ticket

Leadership Masterclass -David Snowden 6.06

€1500

SOLD OUT

2024
Edition


Wanna Become an event sponsor?

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This is a charity event, sponsors support us in making the event accessible to teachers in the Romanian public system, parents and engaged communities. 

All proceeds will be used to provide social, emotional and ethical learning facilitator training and cognitive-based compassion training to empower educators, foster nurturing environments and improve the well-being of students.

Don't wait! Get tickets now


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