Experiences

Gathering Professionals who seek change
and stand ready to create it.

GatherRound ChangeMakers: Be the Change You Wish to See

Change can only occur when we start asking the right questions. That’s why we've formed the ChangeMakers, a curious community that thrives on explorations. Why is there a noticeable disconnect as children move from their early education years to elementary education? How can we better support families and not just the individual child? How can we elevate the value of the learning process for everyone involved? How can we cultivate a society that shares equivalent values for our children, each other, and all? If no one else is coming to our rescue, how can we be agents of change ourselves? The ChangeMakers seek to tackle these queries with an open mind, ready to reform the current norms and create an education system that is inclusive, encouraging, and beneficial for all.

Join the Curious Community of ChangeMakers Today!

Join Us

Why Join This Coalition?

By joining this coalition, you can contribute your insights towards devising solid, influential strategies that could reframe our early care & education systems. The ChangeMakers journey invites a diverse group of people drawn towards the cause of education to explore the acclaimed educational systems found all over the world, and starting with Finland and Estonia. By being part of ChangeMakers, you join a driven coalition dedicated to understanding the gaps in US education and formulating resilient, high-impact policies to improve it.

This October, we will begin monthly virtual provocation & accountability workshops. Our travel experience will be to Finland & Estonia in Fall 2025, and we will join with our travel partners, Global Education Allies to explore the factors that contribute to positive learning environments as part of their “Happy Classroom Initiative”, actively involving educators on a global scale

Experiences, Workshops & Gatherings

We can create change within today’s educational system. Our goals and ideas are centered around the GatherRound mission, and embody the spirit of exploration, self-improvement, and cultural embrace. Together, we are aimed at creating a significant impact on the early care & education landscape.

Bridging the Gap

Join the GatherRound community in a journey to bridge the critical chasm between early childhood and elementary education, making smoother transitions a reality for our children.

Family Support

With GatherRound, let's support entire families on their educational journeys, reinforcing bonds, strengthening shared experiences and striving for collective growth.

Recognition for All

In the GatherRound community, we advocate for equitable recognition of all learning experiences, valuing diverse paths of knowledge acquisition and support for all educators and educational leaders.

Positive Transformation

Stand with GatherRound as we aspire to trigger a revolution in prioritizing our children's care and education; if help is not forthcoming, we'll create it ourselves!

What To Expect This Year

This inaugural year includes monthly virtual provocation & accountability workshops. Our travel experience will be to Finland & Estonia in Spring 2025, and in Fall 2025 we will host a reflective and forward-looking retreat on the East Coast to shape the trajectory for the following year and beyond.

ChangeMaker Experience 2025

GatherRound has partnered with Global Education Allies, a company specializing in connecting educators and students through international education travel and partnership programs that develop global awareness and foster innovative learning environments. They have brought more than 600 educators on world wide tours integrating culture, priorities, and how transferable they can be as we bring them back to the United States.

Travel
Experience Highlights
Services Included
Services Not Included

Travel Locations

  • Day 1: Helsinki arrivals (Arrive in at the Helsinki airport prior to 4pm) 
  • Day 2-6: Greater Helsinki area 
  • Day 6-8: Nuuksio National Park and Haltia Nature Center 
  • Day 8-9: Tallinn Estonia 
  • Day 9-10: Back to Helsinki 
  • Day 10: Departures

Travel Locations

  • Global Education Allies will professionally manage the 10-day tour
  • Visit and lectures at the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland 
  • Suomenlinna (a fort island in Helsinki)
  • Optional design & shopping tour in Helsinki city center and shopping opportunity at the open market
  • Vocational School lunch in Espoo
  • Pokrova Orthodox monastery and lunch
  • Visit to a private Preschool in Pitäjänmäki
  • Visit Porvoo nature school
  • Tour of Porvoo historic city
  • Visit a community park with services to children and families
  • Lecture from municipality sustainability pedagogy educator
  • Visit Veikkola school pre-school and kindergarten
  • Visit Helsinki Center day-care
  • Lake sauna experience by Finnish lake
  • Lecture on nature/outdoor education at the Haltia Nature Center and National Forest
  • Education Estonia visit
  • Preschool visit school in Estonia
  • Guided bus tour of Helsinki
  • Tour award winning Helsinki central library “Oodi”
  • Tour National Museum in Helsinki

*Itinerary is still subject to change. Any details on the itinerary that may still change will be replaced with a similar place/activity.

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Services Included in Price

Lodging

  • 9 nights of hotel accommodation in Finland in double rooms (2.5-3 star clean hotels in exceptional areas).        
  • All lodging is based on two people sharing a room.                                                                               
  • All lodging will include en suite bathrooms.
  • There is a possibility of upgrading to a single room.
  • Shared accommodations with more comfort would be available at the  cost of about $35 more per participant/night ($350 upgrade).
  • A single supplement upgrade will be available at $65/night for the current basic accommodations (not always available) and at $80/night if the upgraded option is selected for the group. 
  • An odd number of participants, or genders may necessitate that at least one person do the single supplement.
  • You can mix and match  the basic and more upgraded options and we can modify pricing accordingly. 

Meals:

  • All  breakfasts are included
  • At least six lunches are included
  • At least four dinners, including a welcome and farewell dinner, are included

Transportation:

  • Chartered buses 
  • Travel between Estonia and Finland

Services Not Included in Price

  • Airfare to/from is not included; and is at the responsibility and cost to travelers. Our partner GEA does, however, offer a booking service for $50 per person per booking through one of their affiliate airlines. It is strongly suggested that travelers should fly in and out of Helsinki, Finland.
  • Transportation to/from/arrival/departure from airports is at the responsibility and cost to travelers.
  • Additional travel expenses (non-included meals, snacks, gratuities, gifts, and travel insurance, etc…) is at the responsibility and cost to travelers.

FEES & FUNDING

At GatherRound we are committed to making all of our offerings affordable and accessible. We are currently seeking funding to partially fund all ChangeMakers activities and travel. Exact pricing and confirmed dates and daily itinerary will be posted soon. If interested in this Finland experience, and any ChangeMaker programming, please contact us today.

Contact Us Today!

Hear what our great partners say

"I feel that GatherRound holds a shared view and vision of early childhood education as absolutely critical to society - AND, also a social movement for impactful change."

Hilary Gile
Pedagogista, Pozez JCC, Fairfax, Virginia
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