Faith Abiodun, United World Colleges International

Describe yourself in three words or phrases.

Curious. Thoughtful. Passionate. 

What do you like most about your job?

I love that my job introduces new layers of complexity each day, often with wide-ranging implications for hundreds or thousands of people, meaning that no two days are truly the same and the consequences of every decision will be far-reaching. This reality keeps me on my toes and keeps me grounded at the same time.

Describe a project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you.

How powerful could it be if 100,000 people from every imaginable stratum of society were intentionally engaged in a single global network, committed to transforming several sectors of our human and planetary existence for good? I am leading a global movement that has educated 85,000+ young people from the most diverse backgrounds over the last 60 years and will educate at least 15,000 more by the end of the decade.

The simple premise is to shape a more peaceful, just and sustainable world through deliberate diversity, intentional community and lifelong engagement. I am currently focused on designing a system that channels the latent potential of 100,000 active global citizens and systems leaders into the most powerful mutually reinforcing network with clear footprints of impact across the most significant sectors of our society by 2030.

What’s a piece of work you’re proud of – and what did it teach you?

Over a two-year period, I led the development of a comprehensive six-year strategy for the United World Colleges, incorporating the perspectives of a few thousand people into a cohesive framework that honours 60 years of a strong legacy and inspires futuristic aspirations. I learned that the best ideas are truly formed in community, and I also learned concurrently to always trust my own inner compass even when I am part of a collective.

What’s a small daily habit that helps you in your work?

Beginning each day with a leisurely walk helps me to approach each day thoughtfully and to take a long-range view of each day’s opportunities. Introspection powers my effectiveness.

I would like to attend conferences where people are not simply expressing short-take opinions optimised for soundbites

What’s one change you’d like to see in your sector over the next few years?

I would like to attend conferences where people are not simply expressing short-take opinions that are optimised for soundbites but limited in depth. I am interested in conversations that are not limited to ideas that have worked in very specific contexts; I want to co-create solutions with other idealists in spaces where we truly bounce ideas off each other, yet each person is always iterating a specific concept that they are committed to implementing in our own spheres. I guess I’ve been to a few too many talk shops recently.

What idea, book, podcast or conversation has stayed with you recently?

Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, has ignited a global consciousness about the harmful impact of social media on adolescents over the last 10-15 years. The evidence is irrefutable and the reality is deeply concerning, but I am very pleased to see the movement that has emerged from it to safeguard the minds of today’s youth, especially with phone-free schools. Rewriting the narrative to write The Amazing Generation has created an even more positive outlook for the future.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out in this field?

Read everything you can about the ideas that get you excited. Listen to people who have come before you and always be prepared to take their thoughts one step further. Ask thoughtful questions and document your own ideas. You cannot change the world if you don’t understand it.