21 Foundation was created in 2009 by education specialist Patrick Newell.
Patrick’s desire to establish the foundation stemmed from his deep-rooted belief that education practices were failing today’s children, and that this failure was leaving them, and therefore humankind, ill-equipped to address the issues facing society in the 21st Century. This, coupled with his passion for education and belief that learning and the advancement in knowledge holds much of the hope for the future of humankind, motivated him to address these issues on a global basis through the establishment of 21 Foundation.
21 Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Japan and the United States of America. The establishment of 21 Foundation was financed by Patrick Newell in the knowledge that the changes so desperately needed within the education system could only be introduced with the direct support of a community of individuals and organizations currently involved in education.
Its objective is that through advocacy, collaboration and program research & development, global accessibility to learning programs specifically designed to meet the needs of today’s students will become a major contributor to the future peace and prosperity of societies worldwide.
Director
Patrick Newell
Patrick Newell founded Tokyo International School thirteen years ago. The School currently serves almost 400 students representing 50 nationalities in central Tokyo and has been a model school in many areas of education and learning.
As a Learning Activist for the past eighteen years, Patrick has instigated change and enhanced learning environments in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Russia and North America. He focuses on developing collaborative models in technology, learning, board governance, accreditation, and design.
In 2008 Patrick Co-founded TEDxTokyo, an organization that focuses on bringing thinkers, doers and innovators from Japan and beyond to share ideas in English and Japanese. TEDxTokyo is an independent event that evolved out of TED, the premier world conference devoted to “ideas worth spreading.” Additionally, he is part of the team organising TEDxYouth Day which will be hosted in over 57 countries globally on November 20th 2010.
Patrick is also the founder of Living Dreams, an NPO that enriches the lives of over 1,000 orphans from children’s homes in Japan. Living Dreams empowers these children through “Give Now and make it LAST (Learning, Arts, Sports and Technology)”
Patrick holds a Post Graduate Diploma from Oxford Brookes University majoring in International Education and has been a speaker and participant in over 20 international school conferences & workshops. He has also chaired International School Accreditation Teams for the Council of International Schools and New England Association of Schools & Colleges, and currently serves as the Chair of the ACCJ Learning Committee.