Tell us a little bit about yourself
Hi; My name is Romayne and I am currently working as a Project Manager for HundrED.
This year, I’ll be working with the HundrED Funders List, which is a collection of the top K-12 education funders around the world. Our goal is to identify and connect with a community of global funding organisations, who share our mission to help empower every child to flourish.
I have a background in Accounting, a Masters in International Business & Entrepreneurship, and over 5 years working in international roles within non-profit and private sectors. I recently conducted a study on how for-profit businesses can borrow leadership practices from non-profit organisations, and most recently explored the role of stakeholders in the diffusion of social innovations. I have always had a passion for bridging the gap between the interests of for-profit and non-profit organisations; and strongly feel that both would benefit from borrowing practices from each other.
Why do you like to work at HundrED?
Having studied in Zimbabwe, UK, USA, Australia and Finland; I have had the opportunity to experience diverse education practices. I have also seen how these practices have shaped not only my view of the world but also my view of self and what I am able to achieve. Because education has played such a significant role in my own empowerment journey, I would like to advocate for the same opportunities to be afforded to children around the world.
I also get to work with some INCREDIBLE humans, who are passionate about education and who are equally passionate about their individual areas of expertise. Also, have you seen our office? You would work for HundrED too!
Why should we change our schools?
As a child, one teacher told me that I would never be able to achieve beyond a certain grade in her class, and sure enough, I struggled to do so. 2 years later, another teacher told me that I was an A grade student and that I would never achieve below that; sure enough, I didn’t; and almost never achieved below that since. Education matters! How we develop our children matters, because it informs their perception of self and what they are able to do in this world.
While having great teachers is crucial, it’s equally crucial that we re-examine our education practices and whether or not they are adequately preparing our children to flourish. Schools should change because our world is changing; meanwhile our education systems are lagging behind. If we want to see our children better equipped, not to merely survive, but flourish, then we must all advocate for this change.
Why is innovation in education crucial today?
Traditional education practices tend to be limited to a specific set of skills, hence limiting the extent to which children are able to explore their unique and full potential. Additionally, the world is changing in a way which requires children to adopt new set of skills in order to flourish. We need new and creative ideas of how we can prepare our children, not only to acquire the skills that reflect what the world looks like today; but to also inspire them to become life long learners; continuously and independently pursuing new skills in order to keep flourishing and prepare for what the world will look like tomorrow.
Three HundrED innovations you love.
Project DEFY: A system of learning that believes anyone can teach themselves anything by using the internet and the community around them to find solutions.
PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs: SRL transforms classrooms into newsrooms to produce youth-focused stories on important issues with a civic purpose.
Trix and Trax: Helping students discover and develop talents in arts, music, dance, and sports.
