Learn Forward ― An Invitation to the Most Important Journeys of a Child

Learn Forward is a fresh and hopeful philosophy of learning and human development guiding us to create a more organic learning path for a child; nurturing their growth from the inside out. The five most important journeys of a child are faith, worthiness, selfhood, belonging, and changemaking. The tree serves as the metaphor. As a child weaves back and forth, circling and diving deeper into their five journeys, they are growing and developing like a bird close to home. Each journey inextricably linked to the whole. Learn Forward is about cultivating the conditions for thriving. The philosophy becomes a practice at the Table of Learning. It is a radical shift in thinking; it is learning-centred. It allows us to courageously pursue our questions and practice designing the conditions for thriving through collaboration, connection, and creativity. There is no finish line. It is a practice worked out in our homes and schools. You are invited to explore the most important journeys of a child.

Karine Veldhoen, M.Ed. is the founder of Learn Forward and a creative force in education. She's also the Chief Learning Officer at Willowstone Academy, the CEO/Founder of Niteo Africa, a former Education Consultant for FreshGrade and a modern day pilgrim. Learn Forward represents a lifetime of her personal experience, professional study, action research, and meaning-making within the context of education for over two decades. She writes and speaks about co-designing a more organic educational path for children with a deeper understanding of their five most important journeys. After 20 years in the United States, she now lives with her husband and three children in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada.