S02E06 w/ Rui Marques - Promoting Social Emotional Skills and Well-being in Schools across Portugal – The Ubuntu Leadership Academy

In today’s episode, I am joined by Rui Marques of the Ubuntu Leadership Academy, an initiative focused on the development of social emotional learning in Portuguese schools. This project is one of 100 projects funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation over a three-year period within both formal and informal education settings across Portugal.

Recently, I had the privilege of visiting a number of schools in neighbourhoods with significant challenges, where the students, teachers and principals described the profound impact of participating in this immersive experience. While this is very much a human story, it is also a case study for implementation. Many innovations in education fail, not due to a lack or worth but rather because of flawed implementation. After 4 days of observations in Portugal, this is an implementation story worth telling. The Ubuntu Leadership Academy is changing lives and will continue to do so. This Academy, with support from the Gulbenkian Foundation and the Ministry of Education, appears to have discovered the secret sauce of sustainable change.

For more opportunities to learn from Rui and other thought leaders in education and beyond, check out the Knowledgehook Signature Leadership Portal at www.knowledgehook.com/leadership.