CIES 2018 Gem

Education Diplomacy ideally provides an opportunity for all voices to be heard at the table in making decisions or shaping agendas for education. However, the space for inclusive participation isn’t always open for those diplomatic interactions to happen – particularly for grassroots actors and youth. Advocacy creates opportunities for deeper diplomatic engagement to advance education so that those who are directly impacted by education challenges have a say in finding a solution.

For ACEI’s pre-conference workshop at the Comparative International Education Society’s 2018 conference in Mexico City, Madge Thomas of Global Citizen recorded a video on grassroots advocacy’s role in opening up South-North Dialogue. She discussed the role advocacy plays in providing grassroots education stakeholders a pathway to engage more deeply in South-North dialogue, challenging power dynamics to shape education agendas, and using innovative ways to address education challenges. A strategic advocacy campaign is critical for education stakeholders to transition into positions of Education Diplomacy, bringing them one step closer to solving the many complex education challenges of the 21st century.

Watch the Global Citizen video.