This week, Compass Education was honored to host the first in a series of webinars dedicated to the theme of student agency in schools.
The webinar series ’Increasing Student Agency & Impact in Critical Times: A Talk with Inspiring Leaders’ brought together educators from across the globe to learn and share about the importance of inspiring students towards hope and possibility as we work through the challenges of today and support the system change of developing educational models that support and center student agency in the learning process.
If you missed the webinar, you can watch the complete session on our YouTube video below.

Compass Education would like to formally appreciate our inspiring panel of presenters including:

Lynda Rolph

d'Arcy Lunn

Britta McCarthy

Steve Sostak
Here are some resources from the speakers that might be useful for you:
- UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Roadmap: https://bit.ly/3w25peV
- Article on Rethinking Schooling in the 21st Century: https://bit.ly/39Ea3Za
- Columbus School’s GREENHOUSE TEAM Systems Thinking Project using Compass Education’s VISIS Pyramid: https://bit.ly/3vX9v8c
- The first Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report launched at Education in Motion (EiM): https://bit.ly/37YDEMA
- Games and activities to build capacity for advocacy in young people: https://free-being-me.com/about/action-on-body-confidence/
- Empathy to Impact Podcast: Voices and Stories of Students from Around the World Who Own Their Learning and Impact their Communities: https://inspirecitizens.org/empathy-to-impact-podcast
- Student Eco-Media Programs and Productions in Partnership with Digital Citizenship Institute: https://inspirecitizens.org/eco-media
- Co-Designing Interdisciplinary Units Alongside Students: https://inspirecitizens.org/vignettes/2021/5/21/plan-interdisciplinary-units-with-kids
- Center for Student Leadership, Sustainability, and Inner-Development in partnership with Frankfurt International School: https://inspirecitizens.org/changemaker-action-plan
Thank you again to everyone who participated. Please look for the next webinar in this series to be hosted in September 2022.
If you would like to learn more about the work of Compass Education and how we can support your school in creating opportunities for student agency, please contact us at [email protected].
If you want to learn more about the Sustainability Compass tool that was mentioned in the session, check out our 15-minute FREE introductory course Discover the Sustainability Compass.

Nicole Swedlow
Nicole Swedlow is the Executive Director of Compass Education, a global non-profit supporting education for sustainability through training in systems thinking practices. Nicole supported the team at the American School of Puerto Vallarta to develop their sustainability and service outreach initiatives. The school was awarded the Tie-Care, Tri-Association Award for Global Leadership in recognition of this work. As a consultant, she is passionate about helping schools and businesses integrate sustainable principles with a strategic, inclusive and conscious approach. Nicole’s work in nonprofit leadership and sustainability as Director of the nonprofit organization Entreamigos, has been recognized by the United Nations, as a finalist for the Global Equator Initiative, as a breakout speaker for the World Economic Forum, and by the Dalai Lama, as a 2014 Unsung Hero of Compassion. Nicole has a Masters Degree in Education and Global Change from the University of British Columbia.