The Young & Emerging Leaders Forum will provide a space for young scholars, emerging leaders, and new colleagues to the field of arts education to share their work, network, and develop a community of learning in order to expand opportunities and broaden the leadership pipeline in the global field of arts and cultural education.
All presentations will address topics relevant to the study of leadership development, career pipeline, and the needs of young and emerging colleagues in the field of arts and cultural education.
Welcome & Introduction
Jeff M. Poulin, Managing Director of Creative Generation; Washington, D.C. USA
Chair, Young and Emerging Leaders Forum, World Alliance for Arts Education
Redefining Leadership: Results from a Global Study on Leadership in Arts and Cultural Education
Jeff M. Poulin (he/him/his) is an educator, non-profit administrator, and social entrepreneur whose work is grounded in social justice seeking transformative local solutions to complex global challenges. In 2019, he founded Creative Generation, working to inspire, connect, and amplify the work of young creatives and those committed to cultivating their creative capabilities. He currently teaches at several universities and leads global research and visibility initiatives for a number of worldwide NGOs. A tap dancer by trade, he is a teaching artists in youth dance programs in the U.S. and the UK.
Presentations
Being the Question-Asker and the Answer-Giver: Cyclical Mentorship in Arts and Cultural Education
Jordan Campbell, Director of Research & Content, Creative Generation; Washington, D.C. USA
Jordan Campbell (he/him/his) has built a career that traverses the fields of theatre, education, and arts policy. While he currently works as a professional actor, Jordan is also a passionate advocate for creative youth development. He was a staff point-person on Arts and Education issues at the White House during the Obama administration and a research consultant at Americans for the Arts. As a credentialed teaching artist, Jordan collaborates with several national organizations to design, develop, and promote artistic experiences for youthand professional development workshops for educators and administration. Jordan has also conducted extensive original research on topics in creative development and justice-oriented pedagogical strategies in the arts. Most recently, Jordan received his Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he studied in the Arts in Education program.
Youth Leadership In Pedagogy and Performance: Lesson Learned from a Global Theatre Collective
Jo Lee, Director of Performing Arts at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi; United Arab Emirates
Jo Lee (she/her/hers) was the founding Drama teacher at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, when the school opened 6 years ago. She was the school’s director of the award winning “Water in the Desert” Opera project, staged at NYUAD. Jo has completed a Masters in Drama in Education at Trinity College, Dublin and specialized in supporting non-drama-specialists incorporating Drama into their teaching pedagogy. This led to her producing the first entirely Arabic spoken play by a British International School in the UAE, following the journey of Moroccan explorer, Ibn Battuta. Jo was nominated for the GESS ‘Innovative Teacher Award’ for her work with Drama and Arabic. Jo proudly presented about this topic at the World Alliance for Arts Education in Frankfurt in November 2019. It was at this conference that she became a co-founder of Pretzel Theatre.
Cultivating Leadership in Arts, Culture, Education, and Social Change: A Field Scan
Eriel Huang, Director of Leadership and Learning, Creative Generation, Johannesburg, South Africa
Eriel Huang (she/her/hers) has traveled to 30+ countries as a performer, educator, consultant, and arts administrator. Born in Taiwan and raised in post-Apartheid South Africa, her life’s work has encompassed youth leadership initiatives, community development projects, peace building endeavors, and social music programs. She is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Eriel has led award-winning ensembles whilst pursuing interdisciplinary masters studies in music performance, social development, and conflict resolution at the University of Cape Town. She has also lived in Boston during the Sistema Fellowship Program at the New England Conservatory of Music. During her time in the US, she was immersed in arts advocacy and supported the launch of the Creative Youth Development sector. Eriel holds a music degree from the University of Pretoria, and certifications from US State Department as well as John Hopkins University and The International Peace & Security Institute.
Eriel was a representative at the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum, the Nobel Laureate Youth Summit, G8 Youth Summit, and COP17. Career highlights include strengthening grassroots programs throughout Africa; international university lectures; residencies in Venezuela, Afghanistan, and post-tsunami reconstruction in Fukushima Japan.
Synthesis Discussion
Attendees participated in a discussion facilitated by Madeleine McGirk.
Madeleine McGirk is the Managing Director of the International Teaching Artists Collaborative (ITAC), the first international network of socially engaged artists. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Madeleine oversees all of ITAC's activities and works to connect and promote teaching artists and their practice around the world. This includes the delivery of the groundbreaking ITAC conferences held biennially (most recently in 2018 at Carnegie Hall & Lincoln Center NYC). She coordinates international partnership projects, network development, presents at international conferences and organises regular development opportunities for the network.
Madeleine is passionate about her work in the arts and education, and committed to furthering international connectivity in our field and beyond.