Doha, Qatar – The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), has announced 12 finalists for its 2018 WISE Awards. Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote innovative projects from across the world that address global educational challenges.

The chosen projects tackle pressing educational issues including girls’ education, early childhood education, refugee crises, cultural exchange, citizenship values, mother tongue literacy, youth employment, entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities, deaf education, enhancing teacher motivation, and stimulating critical and creative thinking.

Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO of WISE, said: “Each of the 2018 WISE Awards finalists has constructed an effective and tested solution to a global educational challenge. Whether it’s ensuring fundamental education for refugees or creating the next generation of empathetic and conscious leaders, each project is already transforming lives, and provides an inspirational model for others to adopt. This is vital to our mission at WISE, which centers on collaboration.”

The 2018 WISE Awards finalists are: Safe Space Club for Girls, Nigeria; Technology-Based Deaf Education, Pakistan; 1001 Nights Life Skills and Citizenship Education Program, Canada; Generation, USA; Life Project 4 Youth, France; Ghata, Lebanon; TAK-TAK-TAK, Mexico; African Children’s Stories, Australia; Partners for Possibility, South Africa; ANEER (Action National pour l'Éducation de la petite Enfance en zone Rurale), Morocco; StoryWeaver, India; and One Village One Preschool, China.

The finalists were evaluated according to strict criteria. They must be established, innovative educational projects that have already demonstrated a transformative impact on individuals, communities, and society of their context. They also need to be financially stable, have a clear development plan, and be scalable and replicable.

The WISE Awards winning projects will be announced in July 2018 and celebrated at WISE@NY in New York, USA, on September 22. In addition to publicity and networking opportunities, each will receive $20,000 (US).

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About the WISE Awards:

Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote six successful innovative projects that are addressing global educational challenges. Since 2009, WISE has received more than 3,200 applications from over 150 countries. Up until now, 54 projects have won the WISE Awards, from a wide variety of sectors and locations for their innovative character, their positive contribution and their potential for scalability and adaptability. These projects represent a growing resource of expertise and sound educational practice. Year by year, WISE is building a community of educational innovators which offers a fertile environment for groundbreaking collaborations. Today the WISE Awards network comprises pioneering projects that are helping bring real change to societies and communities.

For further information, visit www.wise-qatar.org/wise-awards

About the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE):

The World Innovation Summit for Education was established by Qatar Foundation in 2009 under the leadership of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. WISE is an international, multi-sectoral platform for creative, evidence-based thinking, debate, and purposeful action in education. Through the biennial summit, collaborative research and a range of on-going programs, WISE is a global reference in new approaches to education.

For further information about WISE, visit www.wise-qatar.org

Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond by providing specialized programs across its innovation-focused ecosystem of education, science and research, and community development.

QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Emir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who shared the vision to provide Qatar with quality education. Today, QF’s world-class education system offers lifelong learning opportunities to community members as young as six months through to doctoral level, enabling graduates to thrive in a global environment and contribute to the nation’s development.

QF is also creating a multidisciplinary innovation hub in Qatar, where homegrown researchers are working to address local and global challenges. By promoting a culture of lifelong learning and fostering social engagement through programs that embody Qatari culture, QF is committed to empowering the local community and contributing to a better world for all.

For a complete list of QF’s initiatives and projects, visit http://www.qf.org.qa

© Press Release 2018