Prime Highlights
- Forum on Education Abroad launches InnovateEA, an initiative to drive innovation in global education.
- Five finalists pitched cutting-edge ideas focused on inclusion, cultural exchange, and parity of access.
Key Facts
- InnovateEA debuted at the Forum’s Annual Conference in Toronto with support from AIFS Abroad and CEA CAPA Education Abroad.
- Winner Meg Ramey’s project uses storytelling and virtual teamwork to fight ethnocentrism in international education.
Key Background:
The Forum on Education Abroad introduced InnovateEA: Igniting Change in Education Abroad at its 20th Annual Conference in Toronto. This pitch competition was intended to showcase and finance innovative, state-of-the-art solutions to challenges in international education. Sponsored by AIFS Abroad and CEA CAPA Education Abroad, InnovateEA provided a platform for emerging leaders and professionals to pitch ideas for transforming how education abroad is conducted today.
InnovateEA President and CEO and Forum President Melissa Torres said that the concept of InnovateEA sprang forth out of last year’s plenary session energy and creativity. The competition encapsulates the entire commitment of the Forum to inclusivity and continual evolution in practice of education all around the globe. Torres additionally ensured that the effort will be featured again during the 2025 conference held at Nashville and cement itself as an anchor point of educational innovation.
The first edition featured five finalists whose projects centered on access, inclusion, cultural diplomacy, and systemic transformation. Their proposals offered a look at how studying abroad can better reflect global reality and reach more underrepresented communities. Each represented a different perspective and pragmatic method, demonstrating the scope and creativity of the industry.
Meg Ramey, the Worldkind Executive Director, took top honors. Her pitch introduced a platform designed to reduce ethnocentrism through global student interconnectivity powered by narratives and collaborative digital realities. Ramey stressed that the competition provided an opportunity for the building of a network of changemakers and facilitating effective sustainable global citizenship. Her solution resonated keenly with judges, who commended its humanity-based, multicultural focus.
Emily Merson, past Executive Director of AIFS Abroad, said that InnovateEA was conceived in response to wanting to shake up traditional models and make room for new voices. The initiative is a celebration of the transformed education abroad landscape—one that emphasizes innovation, justice, and collaboration.
