Connecting the Dots on Global Learn Day VI:
Making the Case for a Socrates!

by Xenia Stanford, Editor-in-Chief, KnowMap and President, Stanford Solutions Inc.

(These are extracts from presentations I made to GLD VI on October 13, 2002 with some added insights and combined as one article.)

Academy Awards go to those in the entertainment field for outstanding performance as awarded by their peers. The Nobel honours people in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Economics, Physiology/Medicine with accolades from their colleagues. Sports heroes too are given awards - such as the Heisman Memorial Trophy in football. Even teachers are given awards on a local basis from their students or fellow-teachers.

Who though recognizes those making great leaps in providing affordable access to education?

That is the void the Socrates awards will fill.

Figure 1: Filling the Void

Pillars of a Society

The Socrates Academy was the concept of John Hibbs but he has turned the formation of the pillars of the institution to the Deans - a group of 17 people devoted to education - many of whom themselves would be worthy award winners.

This does not mean he is not involved - however, the criteria and process for choosing the award winners has been designated to the Deans.

Building the foundation and audience is something that John and others are spearheading.

For you see we have two visionary goals:

1. Prize with the Prestige of the Nobel
2. Audience the size of the Oscars

You might well ask "are you crazy?

If you dream small and fulfill them, you achieve small. Thus the only way to achieve great things is to have large dreams. Anyone who looks only at the difficulty of accomplishing grand goals is defeated before she starts.

Prestige of the Nobel

Figure 2: Dreaming Large

This first goal may seem to be only for self-glory for the Socrates Academy. It is not for us that we dream this large. A prize with the prestige of a Nobel is no less than our award winners deserve.

For I believe those who advance affordable access to education are the ones who truly deserve applause. They are the ones bringing peace to the world through education.

I talked on Global Learn Day VI of the visit of the Dalai Lama to Calgary when my husband invited him and his brother, who was also acting as the Tibetan Buddhist leader's assistant, to dinner.

My husband phoned me when they both accepted and I immediately left work to rush home and prepare a proper vegetarian dinner. Only the brother was able to make it to dinner, as His Holiness was too tired. As I tried to make sure everything was perfect for our guest visiting from the other side of the globe, he commented to me: "You are just like my wife, fussing over every detail to make your guests welcome."

These few words struck a chord for me - really no matter whether we are Canadian, American, Tibetan, India, Australian or from any other nation - we are all the same. We are all human and we have the same needs:

• Physical sustenance through food, shelter and clothing and
• The feeding of our soul through a feeling of belonging and doing our best to reach the goals important to our sense of achievement.

Both the Tibetan and the Canadian wives want to make their guests feel welcome.

If we can show that kinship of spirit through education, who would want to attack someone who is like them - someone who is real, has feelings, dreams and goals?

Figure 3: Feeling Kinship Across Cultures

A Sense of Purpose

We all feel the need for a sense of purpose and those whose purpose is to better the lives of others through education are among the most deserving on this planet. Yet this is not necessarily a prize for teachers as wonderful as they might be. This is an award for those who enable the work of teachers through the extraordinary ways in which they empower the same goals.

I am talking about bringing a satellite to a village in Africa so students may connect with distance education teachers. I am thinking about those who bring televisions to remote areas of India so the people can learn from experts outside their community. I am dreaming of those that bring computers and electricity to power them to the impoverished of any nation so they can learn skills to better their future.

It is because we have a world of haves and have-nots that there is so much friction. Some worry that the have-nots who are shown the world beyond their own will be jealous and angry.

I don't believe this is true. I have travelled a great deal and when we were in Fiji, a young man asked what life in Canada was like. Over several visits we explained to him all the wonders of our modern lives in North America.

When we were done we asked if he would like to come to Canada to partake of this bounty. His answer was "no thanks - it sounds too stressful."

Not everyone wants the stress. Not everyone wants the material riches. Especially not at the cost of health and happiness.

However, knowing the bounty and knowing the cost, allows a choice. This young man chose his carefree life in Fiji where all his physical needs were met waiting tables at a resort. He did not need a huge house with a furnace. He did not need to wear a big parka to keep warm in the winter. He did not need a fancy new car each year to take him where he wanted to go on the small island. Why work so hard when he already lived in Paradise?

On the other hand while I loved my life there - the warm breezes, the soft sand and the beautiful danger free waters - I longed for my life back home - the theatre, the literary groups, my family and the culture into which I had been born. It requires harder work to afford all I have but it is the life I choose.

Envious of this young man, his country and culture? Yes! Yet I chose my own knowing exactly what it was that I gave up.

Was he not a tiny bit jealous of us and our fortunes? Maybe, but he too chose his life.

That is what peace really is - appreciating what you have and respecting others enough to appreciate the choices that are right for them.

Back on Track

Figure 4: Making Choices

But now I stray from my GLD VI presentation.

Our next steps will be firming the criteria for choosing the nominees and selecting from this worthy field the one or ones who will be the ultimate winners.

We know the major criterion is the prize that will go to those who increase affordable access to education.

This is the skeleton of the award but we need to put flesh on the process, details on what we would require from nominees and particulars of how we judge the worth of one's work above that of the others to choose the winner from what I am sure will be a large and most deserving group.

We have had names suggested already and after hearing the presentations today (October 13, 2002) I know there are many awe-inspiring individuals and groups from whom it will be hard to select. I am counting on you to nominate them.

From Foundation to Walls

Honouring the work of the people dedicated to ensuring affordable access to education is the foundation of the Socrates Academy but we need more. An important step is obtaining funding to have a monetary prize worthy of the winner and deserving of world attention.

This will take dedicated effort in terms of finding sponsors. Dan Trimble has been assigned to this work. He has already presented some strategic plans and ideas for accomplishing this.

We also need to have a gathering place for the Deans to converse and formulate decisions. This will likely be largely virtual. Perhaps there will also be a physical meeting place but due to the diversity of locations much of the work will be conducted in cyberspace. Today I have gained more ideas from all of you on ways to communicate more effectively and interactively in this medium.

Figure 5: Building Foundations and Platforms

A Physical Platform for the Awards

Then we need a gathering place for the nominees to join with their peers, the sponsors, the Deans and anyone else interested in attending the awards ceremony.

This is the work of John Hibbs, Dan Trimble and Jukka Maki - building the platform for a grand ceremony, which will attract an audience the size of the Oscars. An award we hope will also have the international audience listening in through television, radio and even on the Internet, such as has been happening today.

Then we hope these awards will be covered in the media the next day with all the attention afforded to the Academy Awards for the superstars of Hollywood.

For it is only fitting that the superstars of affordable access to education be given the same media and international attention. In fact, it should be much more global since we will not just be focusing on one country's entertainment achievements but on more significant accomplishments of those from many countries from every latitude and longitude of the globe.

Figure 6: Affordable Access to Education for All

We are working toward building the physical Academy in Tampere, Finland, dubbed the city of knowledge as it is a centre devoted to building a community of practice that includes the entire city connected to the whole country and extending beyond to the world. This would give a fitting foundation for the award headquarters leaving the audience building to the Franklin Institute.

Thus we have a grand plan and a lofty vision. The next step is moving toward our first award ceremony in 2003 with the announcements made in time or even during for Global Learn Day VII. Hope to see you there as we celebrate those who enable and increase Access to Affordable Education for all.

Thank you for your attention.

Nominees Please

I will be happy to accept any nominations on behalf of the Socrates Academy and present them to the Deans for consideration. See the Global Learn Day Challenge to submit stories of those individuals or organizations you feel deserve this award. For sharing your nominee and his/her story, we will award you both an Emerald (3 issues/6 month) subscription to KnowMap.

Read more about Xenia Stanford.

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