Category: News

Our annual seminar and AGM are being held in Portsmouth this year, on Saturday 12th October 2019! For all of the details and to book your free place, please take a look at our events page.

My name is Matt Smith, I’m a Masters student at Canterbury Christ Church University, studying Global and International Education. I have worked with OMEP ever since I got involved with the European Conference in Canterbury in 2016. I am blessed to have to the opportunity to travel to Panama to attend the World Conference. I have wanted to attend one ever since I got involved, as I love networking internationally and learning about sustainable educational practices around the globe. The conference will be invaluable to my studies and should support me in my international work for years to come!

We received a number of high quality applications for this year’s sponsorship opportunity. The committee had a very hard decision indeed and we thank everybody who applied. All of your applications were interesting and showed passion – and it was hard to choose just two!

Meet our first student here…

My name is Megan McGee. I’m a Master’s student at Liverpool Hope University studying Education and Early Childhood studies. I first heard about the Student Sponsorship for the 71st OMEP World Conference from a tutor at my institution and decided to apply as I desired to have experience of attending a World Conference and wanted to broaden my experiences as a student and future academic. I’m delighted to have been offered such an amazing opportunity to attend the 71st World Conference and I look forward to meeting new people and hearing about their research!

Are you planning on attending the 71st OMEP World Conference? You can find our more information on the website.

The call for papers for the 71st World Conference in Panama has been extended to the 31st March 2019.

Interested? Take a look at the website for more information!

Let us know if you are planning on attending – and we will see you there!

All students with a keen interest in children and the future of childhood are invited to apply for sponsorship (up to £1400) to attend the 71^st World Organisation for Early Childhood (OMEP) World Conference in Panama! If you are successful, this will also allow you to observe the World Congress and World Assembly proceedings as one of the UK’s official observers before the conference begins. The World Congress is 22^nd-23^rd July, with the International Conference being held from the 24^th-26^th July 2019.

Students who are interested in applying for sponsorship must submit to a written application of no more than 1000 words, detailing the following:

– why they would like the opportunity to attend the World Conference, 
– how the conference will support their own personal and professional development, with focus on key themes of the conference, 
– their understanding around the World Organisation for Early Childhood (OMEP)’s work and responsibilities, 
– what they can offer OMEP UK following the conference.

The closing date to receive written applications is Saturday 23^rd February 2019. These should be emailed to ukomep@gmail.com with the subject heading ‘Panama sponsorship application’.

Students should be able to provide confirmation of their student status if requested. Students must also be a member of OMEP UK at the point of applying for sponsorship. This currently costs £15, and you can find details on our website www.omep.org.uk.  

Once the closing date for receiving written applications has passed, the OMEP UK committee will shortlist. Following this, shortlisted candidates will be invited to a Skype interview with two members of the Committee. Final decisions will then be made shortly afterwards.

Successful candidates will be required to arrange their own vaccinations, transport, accommodation and conference fees, which OMEP UK will reimburse to the sum of up to £1,400. UK members are also attending the conference so there may be opportunity to travel together or stay in close proximity to other members or students attending.

For more information about the conference, please visit https://omeppanama.com/en/. For questions related to your application, please email us using the email address provided above.

We look forward to receiving your application!

A collection at our AGM and Seminar in November 2018 was held, with the monies raised going into our Children’s Fund. The money raised at the event was donated to Full Hearts Full Tummies and this meant that with gift aid, £146 was donated to the project!

The project is a wonderful initiative to support families in Newham to enjoy a Christmas production and hot lunch, particularly those facing extreme challenges. You can read more about the project here https://stratford-circus.com/support/full-hearts-full-tummies/.

Do join us!

Dear OMEP members,

Migrant Children’s Needs NOW

An Urgent Call to Action in Support of Children

as an Unambiguous Priority in All Global Policy Statements

Regarding Migration and Refugees

• Representing members in more than 70 countries around the world, OMEP, the World Organization for Early Childhood Education, calls upon local, national, and global leaders to take immediate and responsible action.
• The current situation in the world creates the urgent need for all nations to ensure the human rights of all children, especially the youngest and the most vulnerable, regardless of their migration status. All children must have access to all services and they must not be detained or separated from their families.