Recognized for Open Community Led Professional Development
From the nominator:
Equity Unbound is an open, interconnected, grassroots movement that centers community building, reflection, and care within its ethos. In response to exclusion in traditional academic spaces, it launched the Mid-Year Festival (MYFest) in 2022. MYFest welcomes people as they are and honors all identities, backgrounds, abilities and disabilities, religions, and roles—including students, staff, and faculty—creating truly inclusive and transformative open learning spaces.
MYFest is more than an event; it is a participatory invitation to reimagine education together. It resists the transactional nature of most professional development, offering instead a nurturing, “come as you are” experience. The MYFest participants (students, faculty, staff, technologists, and community members) are people who choose their own learning pathways and attend sessions as they are able, without pressure. Sessions are interactive and dialogue-driven rather than lecture-based, and they value reflection, storytelling, and care above all else. The ethos is radically inclusive: cameras are optional, children and caregivers are welcome, and people across disabilities, linguistic backgrounds, and geographies are intentionally included. The pricing model is equally accessible: pay-what-you-can, with free access always available and options to sponsor others.
What makes MYFest exceptional is its integration of open educational values with equity-centered design. It brings together participants from across continents while foregrounding local and marginalized perspectives. Each year, the festival includes topics rarely prioritized in institutional settings, such as digital wellbeing, social justice in education, and ethical uses of AI. It also avoids the hierarchies common in academic settings. Participants are often invited to lead sessions, and MYFest itself is co-created annually with community input. This horizontal approach makes it a living model of open pedagogy: knowledge is not delivered from above but generated through collective inquiry.
MYFest is a top notch example of the power of open education for justice. It reimagines professional development (often joyless) by centering care, community, and co-creation. Its inclusive approach, flexible structure, and wide reach make it an inspiration for others to follow. MYFest deserves recognition for its transformative impact and embodiment of open education values and spirit.
Award Reviewer
A stunning nomination. This line in particular, regarding the community-centred approach to MYFest, caught my attention: “This horizontal approach makes it a living model of open pedagogy: knowledge is not delivered from above but generated through collective inquiry.”
Award Reviewer
This festival has not only had a first-hand impact on its attendees, but it has seeded further community-led practices and events: “Many attendees have gone on to develop their own resources, lead workshops, and build networks of practice inspired by MYFest’s values.”
The festival is steadfastly community-led: “There is no top-down leadership. Each cycle begins with visioning meetings involving returning participants and community members, where the group reflects on what to keep, revise, or expand in the space of care.” This approach requires consistent exertion and commitment to core values as it means there is no easy template to repeat each year and no consistent group of experienced people to lead the way each year. This massive effort shows clear dedication to and deep belief in Open Education values and deserves proper recognition.
Learn More
- Mid-Year Festival 2025 (Equity Unbound)
- Openness as a Way of Being (Maha Bali on Teaching in Higher Education podcast)
- Equity Unbound (main web site)
