In December of 2021, Dr. Brockett, Taryn, and Oshish traveled to Dubai to participate in the RewirEd Global Education Summit during the rescheduled 2020 World Expo. The global conversations we

started in 2020 with international colleagues in higher education in emergencies brought us this invitation from the UNHCR.

We participated in two ways: firstly, we submitted a video pitching the

ISOW levy model is a sustainable and innovative financing mechanism that can be implemented in a variety of institutions, which we termed “Inclusive Fundraising.” While the video was not selected as one of the top three, we received positive feedback from the UNHCR as they

encouraged our participation in a moderated panel discussion.

Oshish presented the ISOW model

of student leadership and sustainable fundraising to an international audience, setting the stage for future conversations about possible collaboration and advocacy.

Since our trip, we have had youth leaders from Dubai as well as an organization and several universities in the United Kingdom express interest in implementing the ISOW initiative at their institutions. It is exciting to see ISOW start the journey down a path of forging

international partnerships to share best practices and help more universities participate in responding to the displacement created by conflict.