The Global Tipping Point Summit (GTPS) is the brainchild of the highly innovative, internationally eminent educator, literary critic and author, Dr. Coomi S. Vevaina. While many would be content with one doctorate, she has two Ph.D. degrees – one in Literature and the other in Education. She is the Founder Director of the Centre for Connection Education and Management (CCEM) and hosted the the Global Tipping Point Summit in 2020-2021.
Her achievements could leave one in awe for her repertoire of designations include – Education Futurist, Award-Winning Writer, TEDx Speaker, Storyteller and former Head of the English Department (Mumbai University). Dr. Coomi is ably supported by Donna Reen, the Summit Coordinator and visiting faculty of English Language and Business Communication -Mumbai University, as well as a Communication Skills Trainer and Examiner [ELPA] for Airports Authority of India.
Explaining the concept of the ‘Global Tipping Point’, Dr. Coomi likens it as premised on the Hundredth Monkey story, which is valorised by science. The story illustrates that once the ‘critical mass’ is created by involving anywhere between 25% – 35% of people in any given group, change MUST happen! In other words, if all those involved in education come together, the tipping point will be reached and both – Education and Parenting – can be changed for the better, at the local, regional, national and global levels.
Dr. Vevaina’s vision is to inspire all who participate in the Summit, to work with vision, mission, passion and, what Carol Dweck calls, ‘growth mindset’ – to replace rigid social ‘systems’ with unique ‘Learning and Parenting Eco-systems’. The aim is to help prepare youth to achieve the 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals (created by the United Nations in 2015, aimed to be achieved before 2030) and live out one’s highest potential, amidst the exponential changes caused by technology.
The two summits – The Education Summit (20 November to 13 December, 2020) and The Parenting Summit (8 to 31 January, 2021), were attended by over 6,000 participants worldwide. Parents were asked to attend the Education Summit and educators were encouraged to join in the Parenting Summit to initiate and engage in a healthy dialogue with each other.
The uniqueness of the Summit lies in its structure. Unlike the typical seminars and workshops, the Summit work began immediately after the final day. The main speaker spoke for twenty minutes, after which four Change Facilitators (who had been working with the speaker over months to create a meaningful Action Project), announced their project and invited the online audience to avail of the training that they would provide. On completion of this training, the Action Group members are expected to disseminate the ideas in their own unique way among their respective groups and ‘be the change they wish to see in the world’.
The high-profile speakers at the Summit covered a gamut of relevant topics. Some of the topics discussed at the Education Summit included ‘Education for ALL with Digital Pedagogy’, ‘Creating an Experiential Learning School’, ‘Need for Creating Sustainable Livelihood Solutions for Rural Educated Youth’; ‘Mindful Leadership in Educational Leaders’, ‘Actionable Strategies for Improving the Education System’, etc. Areas covered at the Parenting Summit included ‘The Changing Faces of Addiction In and Post Pandemic’; ‘It Takes a Village to Raise a Differently-Abled Child’; ‘Integral Parenting’; ‘Cyberwellness: The Power of Human Relationships In Cyberspace’; ‘Managing Depression in the Post-COVID Situation’, etc. All topics are linked to an action project, each.
The Summit met with resounding success with eminent speakers and leaders in their respective fields supporting the Summit and sharing their knowledge and ideas. These included Pheroza Godrej (Chairperson, Godrej Archives Council and Art Historian), Nawshir Khurody (Former MD of Voltas Ltd. and Corporate Consultant), Sanjay Rastogi (Head, Human Resource, Trent Limited), Dr. Shernaz Cama (Professor at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi and Honorary Director of UNESCO’S PARZOR), Noshir Dadrawala (CEO of Centre for Advancement in Philanthropy) and Yazdi Tantra (Chairman of Zoroastrian Bank, Computer Consultant and Entrepreneur).
Undoubtedly, Dr. Coomi is well on her way to achieving her objective. The 13 Action Groups are actively working on their respective projects in urban and rural India. The efforts of all those associated with the Global Tipping Point Summit have been lauded by luminaries like the Dalai Lama, Sadhguru, Boman Irani, Dr. Mickey Mehta, Shiamak Davar, Rajeshwari Loomba, Dr. Kersi Chavda, Shiamak Davar, Cyrus Broacha, Sri-M and Lt. Gen. Shokin Chauhan.
Says Dr. Coomi, “We want to make the Summit an annual feature. In the upcoming Summit scheduled for February 2022, we want to focus on ‘Re-thinking and Re-working Primary and Pre-primary Education’.” It seems almost serendipitous that she had envisioned the idea of the Summit at a crucial juncture in human history. “At a TEDx talk I delivered in 2018, I had emphasised that the education system needs a complete overhaul. The pandemic has forced everyone to rethink education. The Summit seems to have taken place at an appropriate time,” she adds.
Dr. Coomi plans to disseminate the knowledge and best practices by 2025 and present to the Indian Government a white paper on what the Summit has achieved. She humbly hopes that her efforts and that of all who collaborate with her, will bear fruit and a paradigm shift in education will be visible to make our world a better place to live in.
For Details or for YouTube Videos of Summits, visit: https://gtps4change.org/
To connect with Dr. Coomi Vevaina, E-mail at: gtps4change@gmail.com
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