School Talk: UAE
Welcome to "School Talk: UAE," your go-to podcast for all things education in the United Arab Emirates.
Join us as we sit down with teachers, experts, and parents to explore schools across the UAE.
Each episode provides valuable insights and perspectives from those directly involved in shaping the educational experience.
Whether you're a parent, an educator, or simply curious about the state of education in the UAE, "School Talk: UAE" is your window into the dynamic world of learning in this region.
School Talk: UAE
Changing School Communities, The Right Way
Ever wondered how to create meaningful change in school communities when teachers are already stretched thin? Mark Guildea, Managing Director of Interact, offers a masterclass in strategic engagement that respects everyone's time while delivering powerful results.
The conversation dives deep into the delicate balance required when implementing new initiatives in educational settings. Mark reveals how his social impact and marketing agency tackles one of education's biggest challenges: creating programs that affect genuine behavioural change without overwhelming already busy teachers. "The secret," he explains, "is looking after all the different stakeholders within the school." This means designing interventions that are simultaneously engaging for students, straightforward for teachers, meaningful for parents, and valuable to school leadership.
What makes this conversation particularly valuable is Mark's practical approach to sustainability. Rather than offering flashy but short-lived programs, Interact focuses on creating initiatives with staying power by ensuring real-world application of classroom learning. Their work with Spinneys has reached over 150 schools and more than 211,000 students, teachers and parents – impressive numbers that speak to their effective methodology. The discussion also explores upcoming projects, including a particularly timely program addressing exam stress for both children and parents launching in April.
Whether you're a school leader weighing new initiatives, a teacher concerned about implementing yet another program, or someone interested in educational engagement strategies, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating meaningful, lasting change in school communities. Ready to transform how your school approaches engagement? This episode provides the blueprint.
Hi, welcome to School Talk and this special mini-series featuring conversations recorded at a live podcast principal event hosted by Spinneys. We sat down with experts and school leaders to discuss key topics shaping education today. Let's get into today's conversation. Mark Gilder, managing Director of Interact, joins me to talk about the power of engagement and communication in schools. We'll explore how technology and strategy help schools build stronger connections with students, parents and the wider community. Mark, thank you for coming on the podcast. First of all, quick introductions who are you and what do you?
Speaker 2:do. My name is Mark Yogi. I am the managing director of Interact. We are a social impact and marketing agency. We work with brands and government to embed healthy activity into communities. Obviously, in terms of more broadly speaking about schools in the context of your podcast, our programs in school are all about affecting behavioral change. So what does that look like in terms of affecting healthy habits with the next generation? But of course, I think schools aren't just communities of children. They're communities of families, of parents, of teachers, and so all of our programs are all about looking at the kind of entire ecosystem in a school and how we can affect those healthy habits.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and again, going to the challenges and opportunities of that, see the challenge of trying to get into schools and implement that. Change must be huge. But then also, once you're in the school, the opportunities must be vast.
Speaker 2:The challenge going into a school with a kind of a fresh campaign is always about thinking about the stakeholders, particularly the teachers. How can, wherever the program is, how can we keep it simple for the teachers and straightforward? We know that teachers have got a condensed curriculum to teach. We know if they have got a condensed curriculum to teach, we know if they don't have huge amounts of time. So how are we able to make sure that, whatever the program is, the teachers can really feel that it's adding value to the learning, that the learning is intentional?
Speaker 2:And then I think this is more holistic, not just about our campaigns, but another major challenge for any teaching going on in school is about how can we affect those healthy habits in this scenario of the child beyond three o'clock, so, when they do go home, what they've learned on our program or in school, how they're actually able to implement that in the real world. So, yeah, I think those would be your two main challenges. Of course, you mentioned lots of opportunity with it as well, and we know that this year is the year of community in the UAE. That's obviously what we're all about. So how can we bring together those school communities to enhance and create our programs even bigger. I know that Caroline spoke a little bit about find a table in the context of over 150 schools, in the context of students, teachers and parents.
Speaker 1:That is over 211,000 000, so it's a remarkable program when I was teaching the teacher perspective. There's always a new initiative coming in. There's always something else you have to do again. On the podcast I've had so many great guests who come in with new things. But you go to a teacher and say, on my time, they find me time to do this that time sometime. Just isn't there so kind of of from a practical. When you said about a long lasting outcome from it, what actual things are you doing to try and make it? Are you kind of linking it to specific lessons? How does it look when you're in the schools, just from a kind of a teacher perspective? How do I fit this into my everyday?
Speaker 2:The secret is to the sustainability part that you mentioned is learning, looking after all the different stakeholders within the school. So obviously, the primary focus of all the campaigns that we do in school is on the child, but how are we also looking after the teacher in the sense of making sure it's easy for them to plan, is easy for them to deliver? How are we making sure that we're looking after the parent as a stakeholder and making sure that they understand what the program is, that the program is that the program is kind of infiltrating the home. And then, finally, obviously, what we have here today is how we affect the school leadership. Do school leadership see value in the program? Are we giving back to school leaders every year? So I think that's the secret to keeping the campaigns sustainable in schools is making sure that you have those touch points with all the different stakeholders.
Speaker 1:I think my next question was going to be about obviously there's so many new initiatives going on. How do you compete with the other initiatives that get brought to school principals and say, look, this is what we're doing, this is what we can offer. But I think there you mentioned it, the touch points and just keeping it relevant, keeping that relationship ongoing, Something that's obviously going to set you apart.
Speaker 2:I would add to that just by saying for the children, keeping it fun, keep the learning fun. For the teachers, keep the learning intentional, that they're clear of where the value add is. Yeah, I think for me those are the key points of just how we keep it. Sustainable schools and, I suppose, making sure that there's that real world application as well. And just coming back one more time to the Sphynx example is do children see the value in what they learn in the classroom, being able to take it out of the classroom? And there's really obvious kind of parallels to be drawn with that, with taking children to store visits et cetera. So, you know, giving them that experience of bringing the learning to life, if you like.
Speaker 1:What's next for Interact?
Speaker 2:So right now, the Sports Industry Awards is something that we're working on, so admissions for that are open. I know a number of schools have entered some of their school sports programs and some amazing programs going on in schools, so I'll definitely encourage schools to enter win those awards. We have just closed entries for the Healthy Art Competition, which was an art competition with Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre. However, the winning art pieces are going to be displayed in Yas Mall. And then the most exciting thing coming up is in April we are about to launch a programme which will focus on exam stress, so dealing with exam stress for both children and parents. So if there is schools that are listening to this and those that are here today, that sounds like something I'd like to get involved in. Definitely reach out to us at Interact, reach out to our schools account manager, danny. So yeah, we're definitely going to have to get as many schools on that program as possible.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, exciting stuff. Well, mark, thank you so much.