International partnerships
International study tour, October 2019
Mulberry Schools Foundation intends to have international reach, providing opportunities for young people and adults in our communities to experience new countries, contexts and challenges and to work with others internationally to build mutually beneficial networks, programmes and development projects that lead to lasting change.
The Foundation’s first international study tour in October 2019 took Tower Hamlets students and staff to Singapore and Malaysia with a focus on women and young people’s leadership and voice. The study tour piloted anticipated starting points for the Foundation’s future international partnership work which we hope will always stem from the sharing of ideas, experiences and needs on a study tour.
The study tour aimed to: engage students with their role as global citizens; develop students as ambassadors; share priorities for girls’ education, voice and leadership and approaches to meeting them; conduct an educational enquiry into voice and leadership; and explore ideas for mutually beneficial partnership work in the near future.
Through the study tour, students and staff met, heard from and worked with young people and staff from: a range of schools and colleges meeting very different needs; the British High Commissions in Singapore and Malaysia; the Malaysian Parliament and Deputy Minister for women; young people’s campaigning organisations addressing climate change and suffrage; networks that give girls and women a voice. See the programme here.
A range of potential partnership activities between the Foundation and schools, colleges, campaigning organisations and advocacy networks in Singapore and Malaysia were identified through the tour. The pandemic has put these on hold for the time being but we look forward to including our new partners in Foundation conferences and forums and to exploring possibilities for launching Girl2LeaderUK, developing a leadership learning programme for overseas students and establishing a CPD offer for international partners.
