Laurel Springs Partnership Team Attends ICEF Latin America Conference

10/20/20

Laurel Springs is proud of our global community of students, families, and educational partners. Recently, one of our Partnership Development Managers, Michael Fallon, attended the ICEF Latin America virtual conference to connect with other education professionals looking for new opportunities for supporting students across Latin American and beyond. Here are his takeaways from the event.

With the recent state of the world, we’ve all had to find ways to adapt. Whether it’s working from home or shifting to online school, “normal” has taken on new meaning. Unfortunately, many large events had to be cancelled or postponed, but some have found ways of adapting to new regulations by going virtual. Thankfully, the ICEF Latin America conference was one such event. As an organization that prides itself on “helping international education professionals...connect and develop productive and lasting partnerships”, ICEF delivered on this mission and made the conference even more accessible by facilitating these interactions online. 

It’s no surprise that COVID has changed the way international education functions, but it’s inspiring how agents, educators, and organizations are adapting. Not only are they finding interim solutions, but they’re also thinking outside the box when it comes to their long-term goals and offerings. They’re also reevaluating how they interact with families. For example, there’s more of a need for experience-based learning in a virtual capacity since current regulations limit student travel. Furthermore, educational partners need a standard of practice that’s less ambiguous and more efficient so that all parties benefit.

One thing is for sure, there’s a united front across all ICEF members to support each other and all students during this time of uncertainty, especially since it’s affected everyone. For many families, they’re being introduced to online education for the first time. While some experiences have been positive, others have been lacking as some schools were understandably not prepared. As long as we continue to connect through events like this one and establish ways to adapt to the current situation, our educational relationships with students, families, and partners are sure to strengthen.