WHAT I'VE LEARNT

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 Yasmine Sherif, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the United Nation’s global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises – she is spearheading a global movement that delivers education to those left furthest behind in crisis settings. 

Under her leadership, in just a few short years, ECW has mobilized over  US$1.5 billion dollars, and reached more than 7 million crisis-affected children with holistic, quality education – putting foundational learning outcomes, such as literacy, at the center of our mission. 

Yasmine is a human rights lawyer with 30 years of experience with the UN working in war zones and crises. She works at ECW’s HQ in NY and regularly conducts missions to the field to take stock of needs and ECW’s responses in crisis-affected countries.

As a global advocate for the right to education, a thought-leader in her sector and global advocate, Ms. Sherif is regularly featured in the media. She is the author of the book, “The Case for Humanity: An Extraordinary Session.” 

In 2020 she was awarded the Global Educator Award in the United States, and in 2022 she received on behalf of Education Cannot Wait, the prestigious Mother Teresa Award.

Background on Education Cannot Wait (ECW)

ECW  was created at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016 to reposition education in emergencies at the top of the international agenda, under the leadership of the ECW Chair and UN Special Envoy for Global Education, the RT Gordon Brown.

As a global UN fund, ECW works to generate greater shared political, operational and financial commitment to meet the educational needs of the millions of children and adolescents affected by crises, with a focus on more agile, connected and faster response that spans the humanitarian-development continuum to lay the ground for sustainable education systems.

When ECW was launched in 2016, 75 million children and youth did not have access to the safety, protection, hope and opportunity of an education due to crises worldwide. That number has spiked to well over 222 million, according to a new study released by ECW last year.

With COVID-19, the crisis in Ukraine, rises in climate-change related displacement, and other wars and conflicts raging across the globe, this number is expected to continue to rise.  

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Silva McLeod 

This is the life story of Silva Mcleod, the first Tongan woman to become an airline pilot. She’s still one of only a handful. Told by Silva with frankness and wit, it’s quite a story. Silva takes us on a journey of cultural change from her beginnings as a poor island girl to her marriage to an Australian. The challenges of pursuing a flying career and its impact on her family are set against the backdrop of the love story of her life with her husband and his battle with cancer.

Silva McLeod as she launches her memoir “Island Girl to Airline Pilot” in the Virgin Australia Lounge at Melbourne Airport Domestic Terminal.
Copies of Silva’s book Island Girl to Airline Pilot, detailing how she went from a small island in Tonga to the cockpit of Virgin’s Boeing 777. 

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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330

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Madi Franquiz 

Youth Ambassador 

At just 25 years old, Madi Franquiz stood on the floor of the United Nations 77th General Assembly to advocate for kids who missed the same benchmark as her: the 3rd Grade Literacy Benchmark. The “3rd Grade Benchmark,” is indicative of future success a child will have in school. It was a benchmark that I missed. 

Living in poverty during her 2nd grade year, Madi's family struggled with access to basic necessities of life, including books. She never dreamed that someone like her could one day attend college, much less write a book, or compete for Miss Texas.

 Madi's father came into the country with a Spanish-English dictionary and struggled to learn English as a second language. The literacy journey happened generationally for her family. 

Today, Madi is living the American Dream. Madi is a graduate student who is on track to begin her PhD in International Public Policy and Economics. She is an author, having self-published eight children’s books. She even delivered an address at the World Literacy Summit in Oxford, England. In 2022, Madi was named an ambassador for the World Literacy Foundation and

the youngest founding member of the World Literacy Task Force operating under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4. 

She currently serves as its first Youth Ambassador. Her advocacy work has been recognized internationally. She has spoken to over 40,000 people around the world and served as a U.S. Delegate at the 2023 World Literacy Summit. Madi beat the statistics.  

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Hi, Welcome to the What I’ve Learnt podcast

From food to fashion and art to music we’ve got you covered. We wanted to highlight some amazing moments of the podcast from March to April.

This Episode Features

Elia Donati: A passionate young entrepreneur who has a deep appreciation for his Italian heritage and the power of food to bring people together.

Having spent the past nine years in Australia, he has blended his cultural background with his experiences to create a unique approach to food service and entertainment.

Ilana Maizels: one of the honoured Witchery White Shirt campaign ambassadors to campaign to raise awareness and funding for the ongoing development of an early detection test.

Ilana discussed her very personal journey towards recovery and healing .

Kate Legge: An writer, who for many years worked at The Weekend Australian Magazine, has now published a book about her experience. It’s called Infidelity and Other Affairs (Thames and Hudson) and it is not fiction. 

All of life is here’ … Kate Legge’s portrait of her marriage to Greg Hywood tells of love, infidelity, pain and healing

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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330

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Mona Jolly and Mussarat Quereshi 

PwC New York 

Guided by  purpose to build trust in society and solve important problems, the PWC community in NYC know they have an obligation to the communities in which they live and work. At a time in which establishing trust is more important than ever, they work to not only support communities directly but to empower their people to promote initiatives that align with their personal values.

 As they work to build that trust, they recognize that collaborating with other responsible business leaders striving for similar goals helps to benefit society as a whole.

Literacy and financial literacy is critical to empowering communities ..

As an organization, one of their capability areas is around upskilling the workforce to be prepared to handle organizational transformations and market trends impacting the future of work, so for them it was a natural connection to be a part of the taskforce given our focus in these areas (as well as the personal connections that PwC partners Mona Jolly and Mussrat Quereshi  have.. they join me on the Beyond Words global literacy taskforce to discuss the PWC support for the World Literacy Taskforce and how their helping drive the literacy revolution.

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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330

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Revered Melbourne artist Kate Ceberano’s ruby anniversary finds her at the dawn of a new era. 

Kates 30th album, My Life Is A Symphony, released this month is a breathtaking celebration of her songwriting, featuring her most iconic songs, Brave and Pash, and personal favorites from across her four-decade recording career, reimagined with Kate at a new peak of command amid the grandeur of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Unfolding on orchestral stages nationally, the epic musical setting is an apt reflection of an assured rise to the pinnacles of rock, pop, soul and jazz. 

Kate’s 11 platinum albums, 10 Top 10 singles and countless awards speak for themselves. But it's over 8000 performances on every concert, theatre and festival stage in the country and beyond that her unassailable distinction was forged.

Her new album is a perfect title capturing her passion and her essence as the quintessential queen of Australian music. It aligns with her live tour with the Melb Symphony Orchestra and other feature dates many of which are already sold out 

Kate is quite simply, one of the country’s most celebrated voices and songwriters. A force of nature and huge personality! 

I remember first meeting this beautiful talented hilarious woman back the 80s when she was playing in the main room and I was performing in the piano bar at the renowned “Underground” nightclub then owned by Tottie Goldsmiths father Brian. It was a blast and she was always a standout. 

We often joke we’ve had parallel lives in some way .. I went onto be a journalist for the Melbourne Age with Kate being one of my first cover stories with a huge double page spread I actually had framed I was so thrilled.

Meanwhile Kate toured the country and sang her heart heart and 40 years later she’s still doing what she does best!

She was always warm, and creative and we have fond memories of those wonderful years in Melbournes Kings St nightclub district then a hub for so many young inspiring talented artists like Kate and Jon Stevens both of whom went on to star in the stunning production of Jesus Christ Superstar with the legendary John Farnham -I think I saw it 5 times.

Her famous rendition of “I don’t know how to love him “ still makes me cry ..

So I’m very excited to have her join me on the what I’ve learnt podcast 

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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330

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Well fresh from joining the powerhouse World Literacy Summit at Oxford in the UK featuring speakers and guests from over 85 countries and hundreds of literacy advocates.

Her passion grew out of her concern for illiteracy and the lifelong impact on young people especially if they become an adult and are unable to read and write.

Samantha recognised digital was fast moving and changing the world, and particularly young people and their attention span to sit down a read a book.

These issues have sparked a journey for her to understand more and dig deeper.

A successful entrepreneur She also a co founder of global digital media company called Limited Space based in the UK.

She is passionate using her business skills and connections to make a real difference both in the UK and around the world.

In 2022, she joined the board of WLF. In September that year she was the driving force to launch the World Literacy Taskforce in New York during the 77th UN General Assembly.

The initiative brought together business leaders from around the world to offer their brainpower, skills and resources to help eradicate illiteracy in 50 cities by 2030.

Rather than just giving money, these business leaders work together to provide their expertise.

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Ilana says “My birthday was coming up and I never celebrate my birthday normally, but for my 50th I said, ‘This is one I want to spend with my friends and family’. We started thinking about a nice gathering as well as an overseas trip. We had so many plans, I don’t even remember them now.

Then cancer came and changed things.

At the time I was going through menopause and there were a lot of changes happening to my body. My period was getting lighter and lighter, but it hadn’t stopped completely. I sometimes felt bloated and I’d lose my appetite; I’d forget to have lunch. Those kinds of things. But I started to realise that I had some few symptoms, like unusual bleeding, that I thought maybe I should actually check with my gynaecologist.   

Now in remission Ilana is speaking as one if the honoured Witchery White Shirt campaign ambassadors to campaign to raise awareness and funding for the ongoing development of an early detection test - I spoke with head scientist Dr Maree Blaszic last year on this pod!

Ilana discussed her very personal journey towards recovery and healing .

I think one of the most important things when you go through something like this is to not disconnect yourself from your community, your family or your workplace. It's very important to your wellbeing.

The one thing I didn't want was to be an outcast or labelled with ‘Oh, she's got cancer, she's sick’. Because as soon as people think like that, they talk to you differently. So, I said, ‘No, I'm not going anywhere. I didn't give up on my life. So, don't give up on me!’ That was my attitude the whole way through it. 

I don’t usually talk about these experiences, it’s not something I tell everyone. I think, yes, I had cancer and it consumed my life for a little while, but in the end, I’m not defined by my cancer. It was just something that happened to me.

Welcome to the WhatIveLearntPodcast podcast 

We Ilana you have been on quite a journey tell us about your story and what you’ve learnt about yourself along the way 

You said 

“I had cancer and it consumed my life for a little while, but in the end, I’m not defined by my cancer. It was just something that happened to me.”

Deborah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/what.ive.learnt/

Mind, Film and Publishing: https://www.mindfilmandpublishing.com/

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330

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Elia Donati is a passionate young entrepreneur who has a deep appreciation for his Italian heritage and the power of food to bring people together.

Having spent the past nine years in Australia, he has blended his cultural background with his experiences to create a unique approach to food service and entertainment. 

Elia believes that food is not just about nourishment but also about evoking emotions and creating memorable moments.

He takes pride in using his culinary skills to create dishes that not only taste amazing but also have a story to tell. Whether he is catering for a small gathering or hosting a large event, Elia is committed to providing his guests with an unforgettable culinary experience that brings people together meaningfully.

Deborah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/what.ive.learnt/

Mind, Film and Publishing: https://www.mindfilmandpublishing.com/

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330

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Amazing people inspire us to challenge ourselves. This Literacy story went global in many media outlets as it was so inspiring.

Amazing People Schools UK supports young people, in both primary and secondary schools, to harness these innate character strengths, believe in themselves, and flourish.

An example of this the global literacy success was featured in many international media outlets. It highlights the power of literacy!

Jason was born and raised in a council estate in South London. At the age of three he was diagnosed with autism. He also had global developmental delay meaning there was a delay in his brain and physical development. This led to him not learning to speak until he was 11 years old. He didn’t start reading and writing until he was 18 years old.

He left school with two GCSEs in PE and Textiles. His self-belief urged him forward to continue his studies. 

He worked in several shops to fund himself through several degrees and a PhD. 

His main area of work is looking at the history curriculum that is taught in the UK and how it often leaves out the contribution of Black British history. He has called for the decolonisation of the curriculum to reflect the diversity of today’s society.

Amazing People Schools has a wide range of resources to support Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for people like Jason.  These include Amazing Neurodiverse People and Amazing Black Britons.

Whilst studying for his PhD, Jason wrote on the wall of his bedroom “One day I will work at Oxford or Cambridge”. In 2023 this became true, and Jason is now the youngest ever Black professor at Cambridge University.

He said “I knew I didn’t necessarily have huge amounts of talent, but I knew how badly I wanted it and I knew how hard I wanted to work”.

Jason is now using his position to encourage others and to help change the system to collectively support equality, diversity and inclusion, especially of Black and ethnic students.

Strength of character is everything. We all possess amazing potential; Amazing People help students recognise their own strengths and understand what they are truly capable of - just like so many before them. Let’s empower the trailblazers of tomorrow!

Albert Einstein used wildly creative ideas in his scientific work. Character strengths such as empathy, perseverance and gratitude greatly improve the odds that our young people will thrive, regardless of the challenges.

Character strengths also play a vital role in student wellbeing, social emotional learning, and positive personal development.  And they’ve never been more important. 

Amazing People Schools supports young people, in both primary and secondary schools, to harness these innate character strengths, believe in themselves, and flourish. 

Selena and Frances give us a wonderful insight into how they’re Amazing People School platform  is making a difference.

Deborah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/what.ive.learnt/

Mind, Film and Publishing: https://www.mindfilmandpublishing.com/

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330

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