A Look Back at the NESA 2025 Learning Futures Summit & Gallery
April 5-6, 2025 | American Community Schools of Athens, Greece
NESA's second annual Learning Futures Summit brought together over 150 NESA educators for a two-day collaborative learning experience focused on the positive transformation of school. The LFS took place on the campus of the American Community Schools of Athens and focused on two main strands:
- CONSCIOUS CITIZENSHIP: How do we encourage student agency to increase civic engagement?
- DIGITAL LITERACY: How do we harness digital tools for humane and harmonious use?
Delegates came together as a group at three plenary sessions. Longtime NESA thought partner Ellen Mahoney kicked off LFS25 with an engagement keynote on, “Civic Spaces, Social Capital, and the Future of Democracy: The Role of Schools".
Saturday morning's plenary featured the premier of NESA’s new film, “The Regenerative School”, highlighting how NESA schools are creating more sustainable and dynamic learning environments and operations, with evidence-based HOPE at the heart of these efforts. LFS speaker Abril Soewarso-Rivera and Robert College of Istanbul’s Brandon Van Bibber – both involved in the film – led an interactive discussion after the screening.
Connections, synthesis and take-aways were the focus of the LFS Closing Plenary, facilitated by Ellen Mahoney, who led delegates in “Sharing our Learning: Reflection and Takeaways”.
Delegates attended three two-hour Deep-Dive Workshops during the two-days, choosing from among seven specialist-led sessions:
- Schools Where I Belong – Raising academic achievement: DIMITRY ANSELME & JOCELYN STANTON
- Leadership on the Edge: Mapping Your Growth: COLLEEN BRODERICK
- Empowering Hope – How to teach climate change and other global crises in ways that heal student—and teacher—eco-anxiety: ELIN KELSEY
- AI Literacy – Getting ahead of the hype: FIONA REYNOLDS
- From Classroom to Catalyst – Educators reimagined: COLLEEN BRODERICK
- Rehumanizing Assessment – Gathering evidence of learning through storytelling: TOM SCHIMMER & NATALIE VARDABASSO
- Media in the Wild: Where Ecology Meets Media: IVY YAN, JOHN PAPADAKIS & ABRIL SOEWARSO-RIVERA
On Day 2, NESA educators presented "Share the Journey Workshops" on the LFS themes of conscious citizenship and digital literacy, showcasing applied practice in our NESA schools. It was a wonderful opportunity for exchange with and learning from peers.
The progam also featured the four-day Advanced Adaptive Schools Seminar led by Carolyn McKanders and Doreen Miori-Merola, as well as the "Innovation & Learning Session", a one-hour collaborative experience bringing together exhibitor Learning Partners and delegates to share valuable programs, research and development.
Delegates had a chance to relax together at the Social Soirée the first evening at the Royal Olympic Hotel’s roof garden in downtown Athens overlooking the Temple of Olympian Zeus and with a magical view of the Athenian Acropolis.
NESA thanks its LFS25 sponsors, as well as ACS President Dr Peggy Pelonis and the staff of the American Community Schools of Athens, Greece, for their generous support.
We'll see you next year at the reimagined
2026 Learning Futures Summit: Compassion in Action
March 27-29, 2026
American School of Bombay, Mumbai, India
Next year, the Learning Futures Summit and the Compassion Summit will merge into a single event under the NESA banner – bringing educators and students together to co-create solutions for real-world challenges. The transformed 2026 LFS is an intergenerational gathering to share meaningful narratives, foster compassion, and empower changemakers to create lasting social impact. LEARN MORE »
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