JA Worldwide Hosts Sustainability Education Panel at RewirED Summit, COP28
December 7, 2023
We’re pleased to host a panel at RewirED Summit 2023 at COP28 UAE. Dubai Cares’ flagship platform for transforming education systems, RewirED features a mix of high-level and thought-provoking sessions and discussions. JA Worldwide is honored to be a part of this transformative event.
The 28th annual United Nations climate meeting in Dubai, known as COP28 UAE, gathers government officials from the around the globe for nearly two weeks of discussions on how to limit and prepare for future climate change. RewirED Summit will take place on Friday, December 8, COP28’s “Youth, Children, Education and Skills” thematic day.
The RewirEd Summit at COP28 will place education at the forefront of the climate agenda by convening climate and education actors united in their commitment towards global education transformation as a powerful solution to achieve climate ambitions and education goals. The Summit will bring together diverse voices and sectors to align agendas, commitments, and financing. It will share and inspire solutions, ensuring that climate agendas and investments are linked to education priorities, and that education strategies and commitments respond to the climate agenda today and in the future.
JA Jamaica alumnus Nicholas Kee leads our panel, Synergizing Sustainability: The Transformative Power of Integrating Climate Education with Life Skills. Earlier this year, JA Worldwide and EY released a sustainability survey examining Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s environmental concerns, current engagement and future action plans, and ideas for improving sustainability education. Our panel at RewirED will explore the vital intersection of climate education and life skills, emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach for more effective and holistic learning experiences. Panelists will delve into practical strategies and best practices, examining how the integration of climate education with critical thinking, problem-solving, and resilience training can enrich the educational landscape.
Meet the Panelists
Nicholas Kee, moderator
Moderator: Nicholas Kee, Co-founder & CEO, Kee Farms and JA Jamaica Alumnus
Nicholas is a multi-hyphenate. He is the co-founder and CEO of Kee Farms, a regenerative ocean farm network focused on growing seaweed, oysters, and other oceanic organisms with the aim of reducing greenhouse gases and increasing biodiversity in oceanic ecosystems. Prior to this, he was the co-founder and Executive Director of Next Gen Creators, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting software development, digital literacy skills employment, and tech entrepreneurship for youth in the Caribbean. Nicholas is also the Jamaica Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth, a UNICEF U-Reporter, and a member of the World Bank Solutions for Youth Employment Coalition.
Nicholas is an active community leader focused on AI ethics and regulations, sustainable development, and digital awareness and literacy. He has launched companies in the education, marketing, insurance, and 3D printing sectors and has worked with NASA, CERN, Red Cross International, and the United Nations on renewable energy-related projects and policy reform for developing countries and refugee camps. He spends his time consulting with various government agencies and private organizations throughout the diaspora to help implement technological solutions into their societies. He hopes to bring climate change action and mitigation to the forefront of the Caribbean so that its people can participate meaningfully in the circular blue economy.
Akef Aqrabawi, panelist
Akef Aqrabawi, Chief Executive Officer, INJAZ Al Arab JA MENA
Akef is the CEO of INJAZ Al-Arab JA MENA, the largest non-profit organization in the region that leverages entrepreneurial expertise and harnesses it to train and mentor the younger generation of Arab youth by encouraging the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in business. Injaz Al Arab operates in 13 Arab countries.
Prior to taking over the management and leadership of the organization in 2015, Akef held various positions in the field of communications and public relations. He also managed INJAZ Al-Arab JA MENA’s operations and strategic planning for the Middle East and North Africa countries.
Akef’s expertise and tasks are centered around providing technical support and strategic planning to member states, and coordinating with INJAZ’s boards of directors in 13 countries in the region, as well as strengthening relations with government partners such as ministries of education and labor, and discussing ways to expand the Organisation’s work in a number of Arab countries to empower a new elite of Arab youth to contribute to the development of extracurricular education and entrepreneurship in the region.
Akef completed his education at Harvard University’s Executive Leaders Program. He holds a BA in archeology from Mutah University, Jordan.
Due to a late-breaking situation, Nadia Abdallah, Chief Education and Development Officer, INJAZ Al Arab JA MENA, will replace Akef on the panel.
Don Sedlock, panelist
Donald Sedlock, Director, Global Development, JA Worldwide
Donald Sedlock is Director, Global Development for JA Worldwide, one of the world’s most impactful NGOs. Reaching over 15 million students in more than 115 countries, JA equips young people with the skillsets and mindsets they need to build thriving communities.
Over his career, Don has held leadership positions with NGOs at the local, national, and global levels, with a focus on delivering high-impact experiential education programs to young people. Don oversees the development and cultivation of philanthropic partnerships focused on financial capability, the SDGs, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. He is dedicated to ensuring all young people have access to innovative and effective educational experiences and is passionate about advancing JA’s mission around the world.
Gillian Lisa Hinde, panelist
Gillian Lisa Hinde, Global Corporate Responsibility Leader, EY
As EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader, Gillian leads the implementation of the EY Ripples program to help drive sustainable inclusive growth in communities, as well as overseeing efforts to embed social and environmental value creation more deeply in everything we do.
A native South Africa, Gill moved to Sydney, Australia, in 2010 where she joined EY. There, she spent six years with Advisory and Financial Services before joining the global Digital team, helping to develop and package new digital service offerings. Gill’s experience at Unilever and the Standard Bank Group in South Africa, where she launched new services for the underbanked, sparked her passion for innovating new models and collaborations that can help accelerate the creation of social and environmental impact at scale.
Dr. Kevin Frey, panelist
Dr. Kevin Frey, CEO of Generation Unlimited
As both an entrepreneur and an executive, Dr. Kevin Frey has spent his career at the nexus of the private and public sectors, spanning the education, technology, human capital, and international development spheres. Prior to joining Generation Unlimited as CEO in 2021, Kevin served as CEO of Right To Play, an international development organization to protect, educate, and empower children and youth.
At the age of 27, Kevin founded his first company, TeachAway, a job-matching and professional development platform for teachers. TeachAway expanded its EdTech and JobTech offerings with Skooli, an online tutoring platform, and Klassroom, a US-accredited e-learning provider of K–12 teacher licensure. Before Right To Play, Kevin spent 15 years in the international and higher education sectors, most recently leading Canada’s top-ranked MBA program at the University of Toronto as the Managing Director.
Kevin’s academic background includes a DBA from IE Business School, where his research focused on entrepreneurship; an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; and an honors BA with high distinction from the University of Toronto, where he majored in philosophy and history.
Omar Khan, panelist
Omar Khan, Head of Centre for Business Studies & Research, Dubai Chamber
Omar Abdulaziz Alkhan is the Head of the Centre for Business Studies and Research at Dubai Chambers, the organization’s innovative think-tank and part of the Business Advocacy Sector. The Centre leverages quantitative and big data as well as research possibilities applying AI for business research to the benefit stakeholders in the Dubai business community.
Omar holds a BS and a master’s in business administration from the Florida Institute of Technology. His career started at HSBC Bank Middle East commercial banking and he moved to Dubai Chambers in 2007 with a wealth of experience in the fields of business advocacy, customer service, trade facilitation, and international relations. Before his current position, Omar led and expanded the International offices initiative from 2014 to 2023 as its Executive Director, growing Dubai Chambers Offices across Africa, China, India, CIS & Latin America. Now Dubai Global, the initiative falls under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan an Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, with a new ambitious target of having 50 International Offices that promote the expansion of Dubai businesses and attraction of FDI into Dubai.
Love Dager, panelist
Love Dager, COO & Co-Founder, Hack for Earth, and Ung Förtagsamhet (JA Sweden) Alumnus
Working with innovation, fintech, and hackathons for impact, Love Dager is a serial entrepreneur from Stockholm, Sweden. He is co-founder of Hack for Earth, the annual hackathon competition for innovation on climate change at COP. Hack for Earth works to find the best ideas around the world and help them become real solutions for the good of society. By using hackathons, Hack for Earth creates impact and engages a global audience in its mission of citizen-driven innovation.
Gilles Vermot-Desroches, panelist
Gilles Vermot-Desroches, Chief Corporate Citizenship & Institutions Officer, Schneider Electric
After experiences as president of an NGO and within a minister's cabinet in France, Gilles Vermot Desroches joined Schneider Electric in 1998. His primary mission was to create and develop the Schneider Electric Foundation, under the aegis of Fondation de France, the Sustainable Development Department, the Impact Investing Funds, and the Corporate Citizenship Department. He is also in charge of Institutional Affairs. Within this position, he was responsible for writing the Principles of Responsibility. He created the Diversity Department in 2005 and Health & Safety in 2006, a global initiative to help reduce fuel poverty in OECD countries and grant access to energy elsewhere in the world, as well as two business initiatives focusing on electricity and educational product access.
In addition to his responsibilities, he is an advisor to the Conseil Economique Social et Environnemental, Chairman of the NGO “100 Chances 100 Emplois,” Vice-Chairman of Global Compact France (which he chaired until 2022), Climate Chance, and Comité 21. He is co-chairman of the MEDEF Youth Commission and coordinator of “1pacteClimat,” and he is a member of CODEV of the Greater Paris Metropolis. He is also CEO of the Collectif pour une économie plus inclusive, and he chaired the Scouts et Guides de France until 2016. He is the author of two books: Le Printemps des Millenials and Profit & Plant: How Innovation can help build a better world with Fabien Mathieu.
Taha Bawa, panelist
Taha Bawa, Co-Founder, Goodwall
Taha is CEO and co-founder of Goodwall, a skills-based social network for Gen Z to learn and earn, connecting over two million young people to learning and earning opportunities. Taha’s mission is to empower the next generation to unlock their potential and positively impact society. He is a board member of Generation Unlimited, the largest partnership to connect youth to opportunity, hosted by UNICEF. He is a WEF Technology Pioneer, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and a Young Presidents’ Organization member. He studied economics at the University of Lausanne and holds an MBA from the University of Oxford.