It was one year and four months ago that a group of dedicated students visioned a March 2022 Changemaker conference that would motivate, up skill, and create a network of Changemakers with our school, the Frankfurt area, and around Europe. I remember the conversation so clearly as we thought about what it would feel like many months down the road when the conference ended and we all looked at each other and said “We did it!” Well, that moment just happened and it felt better than any of us could have imagined. I couldn’t be more proud of these dedicated student leaders, and the best part, they see this as only the beginning…
When the 22 schools committed to attend the March 2022 Changemaker Conference decided they could not come due to Corona travel concerns the team was devastated. These resilient student leaders didn’t take very long to create plan B and make sure their impact would continue despite a two year dragging pandemic. The skills and character traits were clearly on display as they shifted to an experience aimed at all stakeholders in the Frankfurt International School community. We could not be prouder to see a year and a half of work impact so many to know, we can all make a difference, no matter what age we are.
With all the news of late, and the difficulty of 2020-2022, all communities need reason to hope, be motivated for change, and learn the skills to make an impact for good. This conference offered these things to over 250 people. We watched an audience of 250 hang on every word of a Changemaker Fire starter speech
, saw a 6th grade student captivate a room of students and adults in a 55 minute workshop, and heard the dozens of “I will” statements shared at the closing ceremony as all stakeholders committed to action, there were so many of these amazing moments throughout this experience. When a group of 1st grade students shared a lesson about plastic and the circular economy chills ran down my spine as the audience gave them a standing ovation for their work and dedication to change the world. Take a look at the video here. You could hear a pin drop in a room of 250 as a guest speaker told his story of personal tragedy and how he is turning this into positive help for many other families with a debilitating heart condition.
The founder of Peace One Day showed everyone how resilience can start a global movement, stopping fighting around the world on September 22nd each year and tirelessly campaigning for global peace and prosperity. The moments are too vast to mention in a post but the memories will last a lifetime for all these attendees. Take a look at the guests, the websites and what they are doing to change the world here.
The highlights video gives a great idea of the impact and participation. The live stream, now available online to watch will show you the common sessions with a mix of guests, students and impacts of all kinds.
Running parallel at the FISW campus on the Friday was a grade 4-5 changemaker event that inspired and ignited our elementary students to take action.
To host a conference is all well and good but now what? The student leaders see this as just the spark to a greater network of schools around Europe and the world. Collaborating with the Global Issues Network, Solutionary networks and locally the Youth Mayors here in Frankfurt the impact can be exponential.
The students leaders “>original podcast from summer of 2021 is a powerful reminder of the vision and capability of young people when we support and allow them to create. Part two of the podcast coming soon! The have been invited to run teacher training, spoken with the school board and the board of the German International Schools Association. All is possible.
Watch this space for the March 2023 conference hosted at Frankfurt International School. The dates are set for March 23-25 and we would love you to join to increase the impact.
The learning for the students is immense, the reverberating positive impact is larger than we know and above all, the students deserve it and the world needs it.
A huge thank you to our partners and mentors Inspire Citizens and Compass Education and Jump Foundation 
We would love to hear what you are doing at your school and collaborate with you. Please comment below.
Sincerely,
FIS Changemakers
Previous blog post about how it all started found here