155. Lord Mayor’s Coffee Colloquy: Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education How can we educate for a sustainable future? 9 April 2024
There are
about 46,640 Air Cadets and it was very encouraging to hear how they and their
leaders are committed to and contributing to sustainability in education. There were strong messages on:
·
Social
mobility
·
Employability
·
Youth
development
·
Leadership
and collaboration
As well as a
focus on STEM subjects we heard about the importance of community engagement
and sustainability thinking. Of the 4.7
million children in primary schools there is a strong need to address their
mental health. £635million is spent on
the mental health and wellbeing of children. In parts of the country we have
second and third generations out of work. 16 milllion adults have savings of
less than £100.
We heard how
learning can be combined with gaming, raising financial awareness and
understanding. It was noted in the
margins of the meeting that the importance and future of education is not
featuring on the political agenda yet is the building block of future
generations. Rather it has become a political football with many claiming to
know more about education than the professionals including the teachers. Too many are seeing education as a way to
improve finances rather than improve young people.
It was a
very interesting morning with grounds for optimism in the sustainable education
of our young people. It was also
depressing as we have heard many of these ideas about a holistic education
before yet we still seem to judge everything on exam grades, determined by an
hour or two of exams and an ability to remember information.
The Chair
for the Q and A was Sally Bridgeland, Chair Strategic Advisory Board, Centre
for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University.
The speakers
were:
Commandant
RAF Air Cadets- Air Commodore Tony Keeling
Enthused by
his time in the Air Training Corps, Tony enlisted into the Royal Air Force in
1987 as an Apprentice, originally training as an airframe and propulsion
technician before commissioning in 1999 as an Engineer Officer. After many
years in a wide variety of appointments at home and deployed, including command
of Royal Air Force Wittering, he returned to the Royal Air Force Air Cadets in
September 2020 as Commandant.
Air Cadets in London – OC London Wing- Wing
Commander Cameron Braddy-Green
Wing
Commander Braddy-Green overseas London Wing which includes 27 squadrons, 1700
cadets and 220 adult volunteers, in and across London. He is an avid educator
and enjoys delivering leadership training to the senior leaders in his team, as
well as first aid courses. Outside the RAF Air Cadets, he is a Consultant
Gastroenterologist and Physician at Whipps Cross Hospital, Barts Health NGH
Trust.
Cadet Force
Adult Volunteer – OC 1147 (Barking) Squadron- Flying Officer Sulaiman Faisal
Flying
Officer Faisal has recently taken the challenge of command despite being
relatively new to a uniformed role within RAFAC. Having previously been a
cadet, reaching the senior rank of Cadet Warrant Officer, Flying Officer Faisal
has brought new ideas and enthusiasm to the role. The squadron and cadets have
gone from strength to strength under his new leadership. Outside the RAF Air
Cadets, he is a first-year dentistry student at Kings College London.
Cadet – Wing
STEM Advisor- Cadet Warrant Officer Mariam Mohsin
Cadet
Warrant Officer Mohsin is one of London Wing's most senior cadets and a great
role model for younger cadets. In 2022 she was Greater London Lord Lieutenant’s
Cadet and winner of the ATC75 Sword. She is currently completing an
apprenticeship with Jaguar and Land Rover and despite still being a cadet, is
our Wing STEM advisor, having already launched a very successful robotics
workshop for cadets across London Wing.
Training Transformation- Wing Commander Dr
Jill Matterface
Wing
Commander Dr Jill Matterface is a RAF Training Officer. She has completed
several tours in including designing training for Chinook and Puma helicopters
and Phase One Training. In 2021 she completed her Doctorate in Education which
focused on how to develop a 21st century learning environment. In her current
role she is responsible for reviewing the Air Cadet syllabus to ensure it
provides a range of accreditation and levelling up opportunities.
Robert
Gardner
Robert
Gardner is co-founder of RedSTART, a financial education charity and author of
"Freedom: Earn It, Keep It, Grow It" and "Save Your
Acorns". He’s devoted his career to financial education, aiming to empower
people to achieve financial freedom in a world worth living in. His books
promote financial discussions within families and guide young professionals
towards financial freedom. As CEO of Rebalance Earth, he focuses on using
private capital to restore Nature at scale.
Sarah Marks
Sarah Marks
is CEO of RedSTART Educate, a children’s financial education charity working
with primary schools in under resourced areas of the UK. She is working on a longitudinal study with
King’s College which aims to prove the impact that teaching primary school
children about money can have on their future lives. She is also Chair of the
Youth Financial Capability Group.
Franco Lam
Franco Lam
is a co-founder at Dot Dot Fire, a Lord Mayor's Dragon Award-winning start-up
with a mission to break the cycle of generational poverty through life-changing
games. Franco turned his struggles with financial exclusion into the Money Wise
Game, a breakthrough innovation that resonates with millions of financially
vulnerable young adults. He is also a commercially licensed pilot.
Jenny Burns
Jenny Burns
is the CEO of B Corp accredited Magnetic, an innovation consultancy on a
mission to design better futures by using design thinking to crack the world's
biggest problems. Jenny believes that a highly empathetic and human centred
approach to creative problem solving is the only way we'll overcome the
challenges we face and the earlier we can embed these skills in the education
system the better.
Dr Niall
McCann
Dr Niall
McCann is a National Geographic Explorer, conservationist and broadcaster, with
a particular interest in humankind’s relationship with nature. He the Executive
Director for National Park Rescue, co-Chair of the global EndPandemics
Alliance, and an award-winning wildlife TV presenter.
Honorary
Group Captain Sally Bridgeland
Sally
Bridgeland has several roles across finance and maths education including Chair
of Impax Asset Management Group plc and a member of the Royal Society’s
Advisory Committee on Maths Education (ACME).
She is Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Actuaries and a current
member of 601 Sqn RAuxAF, helping introduce business thinking coffee colloquy
QRto the Royal Air Force.
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