Pittsburgh’s Remake Learning wins global WISE Award for advancing education worldwide

Photo above by Ben Filio show children at a Remake Learning Days event.

As Pittsburgh’s Remake Learning network celebrates its 15th anniversary, a bit of exciting news has been announced: This groundbreaking local organization, which connects educators and innovators seeking to transform teaching and learning to better serve young people, has been recognized as a WISE Award winner for its work in advancing education worldwide.

Since launching the program in 2009, WISE has received over 4,900 applications from more than 150 countries. But only 6 projects are chosen as winners each year. This year’s winners will be celebrated at a ceremony held during the upcoming Doha Learning Days (DLD) festival in 2023 and will receive $20,000 toward future projects.

“We are extremely grateful to see that Remake Learning’s vision of a more connected, collaborative, and equitable educational experience — a vision that began here in Pittsburgh 15 years ago — has resonated so deeply with the global judges of the WISE Awards,” said Tyler Samstag, director of Remake Learning. “We hope that our process of bringing various stakeholders together to create transformative learning opportunities can serve as an inspiring model that others will adapt and replicate in their own communities.”

In the 15 years since it was created, Remake Learning has helped invest nearly $100 million in schools, organizations and innovative learning projects around our region. The network has hosted hundreds of learning events and has transformed more than 400 learning spaces into STEM labs, media hubs, maker spaces, and collaborative classrooms.

This peer network now has more than 1,200 members, including school administrators, teachers, artists, librarians, designers and out-of-school-time educators. Together, they share ideas and develop collaborative projects that make learning more impactful and help our 21st-century learners prepare for the future.

Kidsburgh readers are probably familiar with the annual Remake Learning Days festivals, which have expanded throughout Pennsylvania and to more than 20 regions around the world. These events have brought more than 150,000 children, youth and families together for hands-on learning, helping them discover resources in their own neighborhoods.

Looking ahead, Remake Learning recently announced more than 50 major new commitments totaling nearly $100 million from area partners such as Carnegie Mellon University, The Grable Foundation and PNC. This funding will support learning in the greater Pittsburgh region.

“Each of the 2022 WISE Awards winners are demonstrating new and proven solutions to key education challenges within their communities and beyond,” said Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO of WISE. “Whether enabling access to quality early childhood education, empowering youth through climate action, instilling wellbeing practices across schools, etc., these winning projects are actively transforming young lives and empowering communities to take action.”

This year’s other WISE Award honorees include Opportunity EduFinance by Opportunity International, Educating for Wellbeing by AtentaMente, Childcare Social Franchising by Kidogo, The Internet Free Education Resource Bank by Education Above All and Climate Change Problem Solvers by Reap Benefit Foundation.

Learn more here about how Remake Learning helps local schools and learners.