Prof Dr Ger Graus OBE – Children can only aspire to what they know exists

In Making Waves Conversations by Mark Sylvester
 / 
06/23/2021

Children can only aspire to what they know exists. Building a creative approach to social mobility. The role we play.

“Children can only aspire to what they know exists” is Ger Graus’s mantra and he sees his and KidZania’s approach to education and entertainment as a significant piece in the large jigsaw which portrays a better world with endless horizons for people who deserve it most: our children.

Ger aims to create a different approach to social mobility by gathering an understanding of choices made by children, based on social background, geographic location, gender, and ethnicity, in order to work with policymakers to raise aspirations globally.

Prof Dr Ger Graus OBE

Global Director of Education, KidZania

Ger Graus is a renowned figure in education, where he is the first Global Director of Education at KidZania.

KidZania, where children can experience the world of work through role-play, is designed to inspire and empower: “from inspiration to aspiration.” It globally has a presence in 30 cities with plans for a further 20 locations, including the USA and Canada.

Ger has been at the heart of independent research by, amongst others, the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and the National Research University Moscow. He is now advocating a ‘Futures Awareness’ campaign to introduce career concepts into the primary school phase. He is currently, as Board Director, developing the concept of #Hybrid2.0 with Hello Genius. Before this, he was the founding CEO of the Children's University, a multiple-award-winning international NGO providing disadvantaged 5 to 14-year-olds with exciting learning opportunities outside school hours.

Before this, he was the founding CEO of the Children's University, a multiple-award-winning international NGO providing disadvantaged 5 to 14-year-olds with exciting learning opportunities outside school hours.

Ger was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2011 and, in 2019, became a Visiting Professor at the National Research University Moscow. In the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Ger was made an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to children.

In his book ‘Natural Born Learners’, author Alex Beard says: “In learning terms, Ger Graus is Jean-Jacques Rousseau meets Willy Wonka.”


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