A reflection on IPEN’s first Global Voices Forum – and an invitation to join the next one.
On June 9, 2026, educators, researchers, school leaders, and positive education advocates from across the globe – India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, South Africa, Pakistan, England, Canada, the US, and Australia gathered in a virtual room to imagine together. We called it the Global Voices Forum, and it’s the first of many.
In Your Words
We invited those in the room to share their reflections on the experience:
“Diverse perspectives, but all filled with passion and in the service of students’ well-being. The energy and experience of the group fill you with awe and renewed commitment.” – Sandeep Gautam, India
“Connecting with people from different countries and backgrounds was one of the most rewarding parts of my experience. The genuine interest and dedication people bring to growing this community is both energising and hopeful – because real impact and cultural change start when people come together with a shared purpose and a willingness to collaborate.” – Angeliki Alpou, Greece
“So exciting to chat with like-minded people who are focused on upskilling our students to allow them to thrive and flourish.” – Cheryl Coetzee, South Africa
“Wonderful opportunity to connect with people who have a shared interest in positive psychology – looking forward to learning, sharing, and practising.” – Kerry Clarke, England
“I had a great experience. I loved the shared multiple perspectives.” – Forum participant, Pakistan
What we talked about
The forum was built around two questions:
- What does a thriving global home for the positive education community look, feel, and function like?
- How could IPEN best enable your work?
Simple questions with rich answers.
Across every breakout room, without prompting, the same themes kept surfacing. People want to find each other – not just once at a conference, and then disappear back into their schools and systems alone. They want ongoing connection, across borders and time zones, grounded in shared purpose. One room described what they were looking for as “a positive place to belong – where the focus is to celebrate inspiring practice and share resources.” Another kept coming back to the question: “How can we co-create more together than we can individually?”
People are ready to move from theory and research to practice. What’s needed now is the translation – real-world examples, vetted resources, and communities of practitioners who can say: here’s what it looked like in my school, in my context. As one participant put it, memorably: “We need to prepare our children for the tests of life – not for the life of tests.”
And people are energised by the moment we’re in. As Carol Pelletier Radford from the USA put it:
“IPEN’s next chapter offers all of us an opportunity to share big ideas so we can take a next step to embed positive psychology actions into our own contexts. I am energised by the OECD 2025 report and the grassroots movement we can create together.”
That grassroots energy is real. And at IPEN we’re very excited to give it a global home.
What we’re building together
“The IPEN Global Voices Forums are heart-warming and inspiring spaces that bring together voices from around the world in a spirit of generous sharing, active listening, and collective celebration.” – IPEN Board Member and co-creator of the Global Voices Forum, Justin Robinson, Australia.
This is what we’re building toward: a global home where generous sharing, active listening, and collective celebration are the norm, not the exception. A place where educators and leaders doing this work – in all kinds of schools across both public and independent, in countries where positive education is growing and countries where it’s still a new idea – can find each other, learn from each other, and feel less alone.
Reflecting on her Forum experience, Kelly Smith from the USA said it simply and beautifully:
“Shared time, energy, and purpose ignited and validated our work and mission in the field of Positive Education. I look forward to more opportunities to build and grow together.”
So do we.
Share your voice now, and join us for the next one
The Global Voices Forum isn’t a one-time event. Based on feedback, it’s becoming a regular part of how IPEN stays connected to its community – and how the community stays connected to each other.
If you weren’t able to join us in June, we still want to hear from you! We’ve created a simple form and kept it to the same two questions from the forum. It takes about 5-10 minutes. Your input is greatly appreciated and will directly shape what IPEN prioritises and builds next.
Watch our newsletter for an update on the next virtual call. Bring a colleague. Bring a question you’ve been sitting with. Bring the thing you’ve wanted to say out loud to someone who gets it.
This community is being re-energised and built by the people in it. Thank you!
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