Paris, February 12, 2024. The Learning Planet Institute and UNESCO have renewed their ambitious program for the fifth edition of the LearningPlanet Festival, which was held to coincide with International Education Day on January 24. It took place from January 22 to 27, at the Learning Planet Institute in Paris, as well as in numerous partner regions in France and in over 191 countries around the world. Every year, this global dynamic of exchanging best practices, meeting new people, promoting the value of teachers and thousands of other players involved in transforming education attracts a committed audience, passionate about continuing to learn, throughout life.
+600 events around the world,
including over 400 in France
+77 000 online event participants from virtually every country in the world
191 countries represented at the Festival
500 participants in face-to-face events at the Learning Planet Institute
Through workshops, conferences and debates, the LearningPlanet Festival has come to life all over the world. In France, the Festival of Learning, its French version, saw several partner regions get involved. This year, the City of Paris organized its Education Week in synergy with the Festival. Major cities such as Lyon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand - and many others - brought together participants from a variety of backgrounds: education professionals, students, facilitators of eco-awareness workshops, artists... In Paris, more than 15 partner venues as the Gaîté Lyrique, the House of Conversation or the Center Pompidou public information library, have opened their doors to the public to offer interactive events.
The fifth edition of the Festival was once again a high point, rich in exchanges, encounters and wonderful surprises. As every year, the Festival highlighted teachers and their mission, as well as the initiatives of our partners - and thousands of other committed players - to transform education around the world. It also lifted the veil on major issues of concern, particularly for young people, who were given a voice in the debate, such as the future of the planet, living together and peace.
The Festival was celebrated around the world and, thanks to the strong mobilization of our national partners, in many parts of France too. It's by joining forces, collectively, that we'll be able to take action and overcome the challenges we face.
Olivier Bréchard, division manager International Alliance of the Learning Planet Institute
The 5 major trends identified
1 . The central role of Peace
This year, UNESCO has dedicated the International Education Day learning for peace and combating hate speech. Among the major sessions at the LearningPlanet Festival were the role of new societal models in resolving violence, and the question of access to education in conflict zones as, for example, in Afghanistan where, according to UNESCO, 80% of school-age girls and young women do not attend school.
2 . Artivism: learning to express yourself
Placing the biases inherent in our societies at the heart of the debate, the sessions devoted to artivism reminded us that the great potential of art as a means of expression to address the major issues of our century, and to foster self-esteem and creative expression from an early age. « When I dance, I always dance collectively, facing someone. In our collective, no one has the same type of dance. We look for the interstices in our histories, in our styles... We discover things about ourselves thanks to this diversity.. » - Jade Verda, member of the creation and research collective Midnight 12.
3 . Ethical use of AI
Through exchanges on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on learning, We have learned to use AI in an enlightened and ethical way. For example, the presentation of the WeLearn, designed and developed at the Learning Planet Institute, was an opportunity to understand how AI promotes access to learning resources, particularly on Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGS).
4 . Co-construction for and with young people
At the Learning Planet Institute, the Festival opened on January 24 with the inaugural conference« Power to learn, power to act ». The conference provided an opportunity to putting young people back at the heart of the learning process, We want to listen to our customers, and in particular to their expectations, their capacity to act, and their representation in decision-making bodies. Listening to them today is essential if we are to co-construct the future with them.
« Our first duty is to stop infantilizing “these young people”; we must consider them as equals, as individuals in their own right. (...) Youth reminds us that the eye wears with age. By retaining this ingenuity in our view of the world, we see it as it is, and we also have the capacity to dream that things could be different. » - Jean-Pierre Goux, entrepreneur, lecturer and writer.
5 . Reconnecting with oneself to reconnect with others and with living things
In 2024, one of the «new »at the LearningPlanet Festival - whose motto, since 2020, is "Learning to take care of ourselves, others and the planet". was the preponderance of speeches on the themes of well-being and personal development.. Primary indicators of reconnection with the living, fostering the advent of a sustainable society. Gaël Faure, a singer committed to the living world, reminded us of this during his closing concert at the Learning Planet Institute: « Society displaces us, it makes us lose confidence, the bulk of the work is entirely personal, and taking care of the planet starts with taking care of ourselves. ».
Finally, while many themes were addressed during the 2024 edition, that of new educational models remains the raison d'être of the LearningPlanet Festival. and a new imponderable every year (collective intelligence, new factors for educators' self-fulfilment, concrete applications of learning-by-doing methodologies in the classroom, etc.).
Young people from all over the world are reinventing tomorrow's university with the Planetizen University Youth Design Challenge
For the first time ever, a global challenge brought together over 70 young people from 30 different countries,
to build the university of the future: sustainable, committed and fulfilling. In front of an international jury
made up of education experts, they were able to present their dream training program within the Planetizen University (University of Planetizens).
Planetizen University is a project of the Learning Planet Institute. Its aim is to co-construct with young people and those involved in education a learning institution that recognizes that everyone learns throughout their lives, and in a collaborative way, with the aim of meeting the challenges of our time together.
Three winners were chosen from among some twenty finalists who presented their projects.
in front of more than 100 partners and participants from all over the world:
- Pearl, South Africa, wish (re)highlighting indigenous knowledge so valuable for understanding today's challenges; ;
- Georgina, Kenya, has proposed a knowledge-sharing platform for repairing used equipment in Africa ;
- or Jay, Hong Kong, presented an interpersonal conflict management program.
« Being a member of the jury and having the chance to discover all these ideas reminds me of the true multiplicity of excellence, the plurality of ideas that are available. Given the chance, young people have so much to contribute (...) The Learning Planet Institute not only encourages ideas to come forward, but also to think about how to fund them, connect to them and amplify them. »Ji Mi Choi, Arizona State University.
Read the’article dedicated to the Planetizen University Youth Design Challenge.
Create a bridge between the worlds of education, business and society with the LP Vision
In a series of live exchanges - LP Vision - personalities from the worlds of business, innovation, politics and civic engagement spoke on the theme of Building a learning planet.
In three episodes, they give their views on the future of how we live, learn and work.
Discover recap episode online.
ABOUT THE LEARNING PLANET INSTITUTE : Since 2006, the Learning Planet Institute explores, experiments and shares new ways of learning and cooperating to meet the needs of young people and the planet. Through its activities, the Institute creates research and teaching programs based on interdisciplinarity, diversity and initiative.
ABOUT THE LEARNINGPLANET INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE : Created in 2019 by Learning Planet Institute and theUNESCO, l’LearningPlanet International Alliance leads a global community of practice dedicated to transforming education and co-constructing a learning society. It brings together diverse, complementary and committed players with a common goal: to teach individuals to “take care of themselves, others and the planet”. Together, they share their knowledge, teaching practices and field experience, to better prepare individuals and organizations to understand and collectively meet the challenges of our time.
ABOUT THE LEARNINGPLANET FESTIVAL : Since 2020, the LearningPlanet Festival has been organized each year by the Learning Planet Institute, through its International Alliance, around International Education Day (January 24), in partnership with the’UNESCO and hundreds of pioneering organizations in the fields of education, culture, science, social and environmental impact, as well as thousands of students and young activists from all over the world. Hundreds of events, both local and online, provide opportunities to share ideas and current projects, launch initiatives, and mobilize the vital forces committed to adapting our learning models to the accelerating transitions of the 21st century.
