Dubai Future Accelerator Team

Letter of Intent

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04.08.2017

Growing Leaders Forum Sallyann Della Casa Letter of Intent

Dubai Future Accelerators With this letter we hereby want to signify the HYplus’s interest in becoming a collaborative partner in the consortium of Growing Leaders Foundation for the new cohort of Dubai Future Accelerators.

University of Helsinki Centre for Continuing Education HY+ (previously Palmenia Centre for Continuing Education) fully owned subsidiary of the University of Helsinki. The University of Helsinki is a highly reputable university that has been ranked among the top universities worldwide in various rankings (QS World University Ranking, http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings; Shanghai Ranking, http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2014.html). Also, it is one of the leading research universities in Europe and belongs to the League of the European Research Universities (LERU, http://www.leru.org) which is one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary universities. The University of Helsinki, established in 1640, has the widest range of disciplines in Finland. There are altogether 11 faculties with 38,000 degree students and 7,600 staff. The University operations support the development of society and industry.

The UH Centre for Continuing Education HY+ was established as a subsidiary 1th June 2016, but it has a history of almost 40 years as a department of the University. The UH Centre for Continuing education HY+ carries out professional education, research-based evaluation and development projects as international service, in addition to the national and local services. The services are provided in collaboration with the personnel of the departments of the university and other partners with relevant qualifications. Highly qualified teams are project-based, and the best experts are searched on the basis of the specific character of the service. Due to the role of the firm and the working method of partnership, the qualifications and competences of permanent partners are included to this description. The University of Helsinki provides teacher education and the majority of the partners comes from the Department of the teacher education.

Should you require any further information please don’t hesitate to contact us for your convenience.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jan-Markus Holm Director, Trans National Operations jan-markus.holm@helsinki.fi +358 50 318 3449

University of Helsinki Centre for Continuing Education HY+ P.O.Box 53 (Fabianinkatu 32) FI-00014 UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Switchboard: +358 (0) 2941 911

July 27, 2017 Sallyann Della Casa Growing Leaders Foundation Dear Sally: This letter signifies The MEHRIT Centre’s interest in becoming a collaborating partner on research and knowledge mobilization with the Growing Leaders Foundation.

The MEHRIT Centre (TMC) is an educational organization, established by Dr. Stuart Shanker, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology at York University.

Our mission is to ground learning and living in self-regulation and to work towards a vision of calm, alert children, youth and adults flourishing in physically and emotionally nurturing environments. Decades of research have shown that self-regulation is the foundation of healthy human development, learning, adaptive coping skills, positive parenting, safe and caring schools, and vibrant communities. TMC works to translate this knowledge into practices that will benefit all children, parents, teachers and leaders in schools and communities.

TMC’s work is rooted in Self-Reg, Dr. Shanker’s powerful method for understanding stress and managing energy and tension in order to enhance self-regulation, as described in his latest book Self-Reg. How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life. The practice of Shanker Self-Reg® helps people understand and respond to others (and themselves) by considering self-regulation and stressors across five interrelated domains: biological, emotion, cognitive, social, and prosocial.

TMC’s day-to-day educational and knowledge mobilization work is led by Executive Director, Dr. Susan Hopkins, a passionate educator and advocate for children, families and communities who has worked in every area of education from the early years to post-secondary and across contexts from Italy to the Northwest Territories. Over the course of Susan’s career, she has been an educator, school administrator, special education teacher, inclusive schooling coordinator, curriculum developer, educational researcher, and educational leader.

In 2014 Susan became the Executive Director of The MEHRIT Centre, building and leading a skilled and committed team that brings Dr. Shanker's self-regulation knowledge to contexts

Trent University, Symons Campus, DNA Building, Block B, Suite B101 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada Website: www.self-reg.ca | Twitter: @self_reg | Facebook: The MEHRIT Centre Ltd.

Mobile learning. For everyone.

Dubai Future Accelerators To whom it may concern

Dear friends,

I herewith wish to bring to your a en on that the GLEAC team that is applying to DFA Cohort 3, is advised by and collaborates with F unzi , a developer of a global mobile learning service and a DFA alumni and our partner, D learn.Helsinki , a Helsinki University team that develops pedagogical tools and prac ces for schools that struggle with educa ng their students in a globalizing world.

Should you require more informa on, please do not hesitate to contact me at your convenience.

Your sincerely,

Aape Pohjavirta Chief Evangelist, Founder

aape@funzi.fi +358 40 5477797

© Funzilife, Inc. 2017 • funzi.fi • funzi.mobi • info@funzi.fi • @funzi

KYLA MITSUNAGA

Happiness Coach Education:

Harvard University, M.A. University of California at San Diego (UCSD), B.A. Accomplishments/Passion:

Kyla is a Happiness Coach/Speaker/Educator. Kyla realized her true calling and passion when she won her first teaching award at Harvard. In 2012, she was a TED@Seoul1 speaker where she was humbled to have shared the stage with a North Korean refugee, world-class violinist, and a teenaged archer to name just a few. Since then, she has gone on to win several teaching awards at Yonsei University where she taught for 7 years, and created her very own Happiness Workshop that she has brought all over the world.

She has often been described as a “Passionate, positive, and inspiring speaker;” she is in the business of changing lives by empowering those who cross her path.

Kyla was born and raised in Hong Kong. Her father is Japanese-American and her mother is Singaporean-Cantonese. While her first language was British English and English was spoken at home, she decided to learn Mandarin Chinese and Japanese on her own; she is currently studying Korean as well. When she is not teaching, you can find Kyla mulling over women’s rights, baking, finding the best eats in Korea, running or swimming.

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