Sky School enters funding partnership with Catalyst Foundation
We are delighted to announce that Sky School has entered a funding partnership with the Catalyst Foundation for Universal Education. The Catalyst Foundation is contributing towards the development of the Sky School Diploma Programme, a modular curriculum which will enable refugee learners to access quality secondary education and gain the competencies to thrive.
Module development will take place through through so-called “curriculum hackathons”, which are intensive workshops which bring together subject area experts, refugee educators and learners to develop new modules for the Sky School curriculum. Over the next fifteen months, Sky School will develop ten modules in different subject areas, from maths to peacebuilding and from global politics to STEM and innovation. The support of the Catalyst Foundation will enable the Sky School team to significantly accelerate the curriculum development process, and launch the full Sky School Diploma Programme in autumn 2019.
The Catalyst Foundation was established by John Sexton, President Emeritus of New York University, who was responsible for the university’s global expansion. The Catalyst Foundation supports educational initiatives in regions of the world where schools for children of all ages are inadequate or non-existent, especially in areas of armed conflict. The Catalyst Foundation is committed to supporting refugee education and has previously funded the development of the IIE Peer platform, a marketplace where displaced and refugee students can connect with educational opportunities so they may continue formal and informal higher education.
Mia Eskelund, Co-Executive Director of Sky School said: “We are honoured and incredibly excited about our partnership with the Catalyst Foundation for Universal Education. The Catalyst Foundation’s aims to support global and refugee education align so closely to our own, and we are thrilled that the Foundation sees the potential of Sky School in transforming refugee education. We are grateful for the Catalyst Foundation's support in helping us to bring quality secondary education to young refugees around the world, giving them the opportunity to get back into learning and empowering them to become forces for good in the world.”
Emily Daughtry, Senior Programme Manager of The Catalyst Foundation said: “The Catalyst Foundation for Universal Education is proud to support Sky School’s innovative model for refugee education. Catalyst funds projects that provide educational opportunities for those young people who would not otherwise have access to them. We believe Sky School exemplifies this “ladders up” approach with its vision for a blended-learning secondary school degree for refugee youth, tapping into the immense potential of these bright minds. Catalyst is particularly enthusiastic to support the development of Sky School's modular, online curriculum, including the piloting of its 'curriculum hackathon' model in sites around the globe. We look forward to collaborating closely with Sky School to bring this exciting concept to fruition.”
More information on the Catalyst foundation can be found here.