What does radical inclusion really look like – and what would change if dignity, access and belonging were built into our systems from the start?

Marking the UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, this episode of Our World, Connected explores how societies can move beyond charity and good intentions towards a rights-based approach to disability inclusion – one that centres listening, participation, and meaningful action.

Host Christine Wilson is joined on this episode by Nada Ehab, a youth development specialist and advisor to the British Council’s Inclusive Youth Empowerment Programme in Egypt. Nada reflects on her journey from empathy-driven inclusion to a collective rights-based, participatory model, and shares insights from her work supporting young people with disabilities to engage in advocacy, social entrepreneurship, and community-led change. Together, they discuss the barriers that still exist in education, public spaces and digital environments, and why inclusion must be embedded across systems, not treated as a quota.

We also hear a personal story from Saja Mohammed Alkadhimi, a 19-year-old student from Baghdad, UN Youth Advisory Council member, and disability rights advocate. Saja shares her experiences navigating education as a wheelchair user, the importance of accessible infrastructure, and why inclusive schools matter not just for learning, but for belonging. Her story brings the conversation to life, reminding us that inclusion is about unlocking potential, not lowering expectations.

From education and policy to technology and leadership, this episode asks how we turn conversations about inclusion into concrete change - and why the responsibility for removing barriers must sit with society as a whole.

Listen to Our World, Connected, the award-winning podcast from the British Council, exploring culture, communication, and the power of collaboration in a changing world.

🏆 Winner of Gold for Thought Leadership at the 2025 Signal Awards.

Additional Resources:

Beyond inclusion: what Next Generation research reveals about disability and youth leadership

https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/beyond-inclusion-next-generation-disability-youth-leadership

The British Council’s Disability Inclusion Community Steering Group

https://www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/alumni-uk/alumni-community-and-impact/disability-inclusion-community/steering-group

Breaking Barriers: Advancing Inclusive Education, Arts, and Youth Empowerment in Jordan

https://www.britishcouncil.org.eg/en/programmes/inspire-partnerships/shaping-the-conversation/breaking-barriers-inclusion-through-english-and-arts-jordan

Disability Arts | British Council Arts

Beyond the British Council:

https://www.unicef.org/iraq/press-releases/iraq-launches-national-disability-inclusion-strategy-children-and-young-people

How can higher education remain resilient in an age of uncertainty?

Universities everywhere are under pressure, from political interference and funding cuts, to rapid technological change and shifting public expectations.

In this episode of Our World, Connected, host Christine Wilson speaks with Michael Ignatieff, an award-winning author and historian, former leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, and former President and Rector of Central European University (CEU). A keynote speaker at the British Council’s Going Global 2025 conference, Michael reflects on the “storm clouds” gathering over higher education, drawing on his experience leading CEU through significant challenges, including political pressure that forced the institution to relocate. Together, they examine what resilience means for higher education today, the role of international partnerships and values-led leadership, the defence of academic freedom, and the human side of teaching and learning.

We also hear live reflections from three delegates at last month’s Going Global conference. Urvashi Prasad, a public policy and health specialist explores the role of empathy and evidence in shaping education, whilst Rawan Taha, a UN World Food Programme officer and UK Alumni SDG Ambassador shares her experience of adapting, upskilling and building resilience through international study. Finally, Caryn Nery, Director of Transnational Education (TNE) Partnerships at Victoria University, reflects on how TNE models proved robust during Covid and why diversified, student-centred partnerships matter now more than ever.

Listen to Our World, Connected, brought to you by the British Council. Subscribe and follow for more conversations on culture, connection, and the power of education.

🏆 Winner of Gold for Thought Leadership at the 2025 Signal Awards.

Additional Resources:

Going Global

https://www.britishcouncil.org/going-global

Understanding the impact of transnational education: insights from UK TNE alumni

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/understanding-impact-transnational-education-insights-uk-tne-alumni

Alumni Voices 2025: UK Graduates, Global Influence

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/alumni-voices-2025-uk-graduates-global-influence

Alumni Voices 2025: UK Graduates, Global Influence

How can culture and creativity be powerful tools for connection, diplomacy, and intercultural dialogue?

In this episode of Our World, Connected, we explore how art and cultural exchange can drive global cooperation, inspire climate action, embrace youth aspirations, and open new pathways for understanding in an increasingly divided world.

Host Christine Wilson is joined by Ambassador Antonio Patriota, Brazil’s Ambassador to the UK, and one of the country’s most experienced diplomats, for a wide-ranging conversation about the power of cultural exchange in shaping international relations. We discuss Brazil’s renewed environmental leadership, the UK's creative ties with Brazil, and the significance of the UK/Brazil Season of Culture 2025–26, a year-long celebration of artistic collaboration and cultural diplomacy.

Also featured in the episode is British-Iranian artist Javaad Alipoor, and his work for the UK/Australia British Council season (2021-22). He reflects on the politics of art, the power of international collaboration, and the nuanced role of soft power in global cultural work.

From the UK, to Australia, and onto Brazil, this episode highlights how cultural connections can foster understanding, amplify youth voices, and inspire action across borders.

Listen to the award-winning podcast Our World, Connected, brought to you by the British Council. Subscribe and follow for more thought-provoking conversations on culture, communication, and the power of collaboration.

🏆 Gold Winner for Thought Leadership at the 2025 Signal Awards.

Additional Resources:

Next Gen Brazil 2025

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/next-generation-brazil

UK/Brazil Season of Culture 2025-26

https://www.britishcouncil.org.br/en/programmes/arts/ukbrseason

The Javaad Alipoor Company

https://www.javaadalipoor.co.uk/

What does cultural heritage have to do with climate change, and how can creativity help communities respond to a crisis that threatens both land and legacy?

In the opening episode of Season 3, host Christine Wilson explores cultural heritage and creativity in the context of climate action. From a local neighbourhood in Cairo, to the cultural policy conference Mondiacult, to the United Nations’ global gathering on climate change (the Conference of the Parties - COP), we’re asking how culture and creativity can build more resilient communities and more sustainable futures.

Christine is joined by Dr. Sally Flint, a writer, researcher, and creative lead of the We Are the Possible programme at the University of Exeter - an international initiative using poetry and storytelling to communicate the climate crisis. Through Sally’s work, we explore the power of the arts to foster emotional connection, shift perspectives, and imagine new possibilities for the planet.

We also hear from May al-Ibrashy, a conservation architect and founder of Megawra, an Egyptian initiative preserving historic Cairo through community-led heritage projects. As the climate crisis reshapes urban life, May shares how heritage conservation can restore not only buildings, but also agency, pride and collective memory.

Together, Sally and May offer a powerful reminder that culture is not just what we stand to lose, it’s also how we find the strength to act.

Listen to Our World, Connected, brought to you by the British Council. Subscribe and follow for more thought-provoking conversations on culture, communication, and the power of education.

Additional Resources & Links:

Season 1 Episode 5: Climate change and cultural heritage with Dr Scott Orr and Barbra Babweteera Mutambi

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/our-world-connected-podcast/climate-change-cultural-heritage-protecting-past-future

Climate change impacts on cultural heritage

https://www.britishcouncil.org/climate-change-impacts-cultural-heritage-0

The British Council Strategic Literature Review: Climate Change Impacts on Cultural Heritage

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/british-council-strategic-literature-review-climate-change-impacts-cultural

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Website - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight

We’re back! Join us over the coming 12 episodes, where we’ll be continuing our global conversations about culture, education and language, asking how creativity, learning, and international exchange can help us meet the challenges of today’s complex and interconnected world.

This season, we’ll be exploring pressing themes of our time, and meeting inspiring people who are making a difference. From how cultural heritage and creative writing are inspiring new approaches to climate action, to how international cultural seasons help build bridges between nations, we’ll hear stories from people working on the ground in Egypt, Brazil, Thailand, the UK and beyond.

Join Christine Wilson, Director of Research and Insight at the British Council, and her diverse range of guests as they reflect on the power of culture to shape more peaceful and prosperous futures.

If you’re curious about the world in 2025, or simply want to hear fresh perspectives from people shaping culture across continents, follow Our World, Connected, wherever you get your podcasts, and be the first to listen to Season 3.

Additional Resources and Links:

Climate change impacts on cultural heritage | British Council

Soft power at a turning point, a comparative analysis | British Council

Using multilingual practices | Teaching English | British Council

Transnational Education - What We Know | British Council

Follow British Council Research and Insight:

Newsletter - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/subscribe

Twitter - https://twitter.com/InsightBritish
Website - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight

What role can education play in times of war, displacement, and uncertainty? And how can schools and universities provide not just learning, but hope, courage, and resilience for communities in crisis?

In this bonus episode of Our World, Connected, host Christine Wilson reflects on her conversation with Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President at King’s College London and founder of the African Leadership Centre. Drawing on her own experiences of conflict in Nigeria and her career at the UN, ‘Funmi shares why she sees education as central to rebuilding societies — from restoring institutions after war, to forging equitable partnerships that transcend borders.

We also hear from Nigerian activist Wadi Ben-Hirki, who has spent nearly a decade advocating for marginalised girls, and from Dr Koula Charitonos of the Open University, who explores how EdTech can offer opportunities for refugees, but also how it has the potential to exacerbate

inequalities, and most fundamentally, to lose that human aspect of education.

Together, these voices reveal how, even in the face of violence and instability, education can act as a lifeline — shaping futures, strengthening communities, and creating the possibility of lasting peace.

Listen to Our World, Connected, brought to you by the British Council. Subscribe and follow for more global stories on culture, connection, and the power of education.

Additional Resources and Links:

Episode 8 Season 1 | Culture and education: Seeds of hope in times of conflict

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/our-world-connected-podcast/culture-education-hope

Teaching for peace - British Council

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/teaching-for-peace

Transnational education: students from conflict-affected regions opting for UK universities

https://www.britishcouncil.org/about/press/students-conflict-affected-regions-opting-uk-universities

International higher education partnerships and the Sustainable Development Goals

International higher education partnerships and the Sustainable Development Goals | British Council

Research in the midst of conflict: New perspectives on peacebuilding in Sudan and Ethiopia

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/research-in-conflict

Follow British Council Research and Insight:

Newsletter - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/subscribe

Twitter - https://twitter.com/InsightBritish
Website - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight

What does it mean to tell stories through the spaces we live in? And how can architecture be a source of memory and repair?

In this bonus episode of Our World, Connected, host Christine Wilson revisits a powerful conversation with Kabage Karanja, architect, researcher, and co-founder of Nairobi-based design studio Cave_bureau.

A leading voice in rethinking architecture through the lens of ecology, memory, and justice, Kabage shares his reflections on vernacular architecture, the legacy of British colonialism, and the importance of caves as spaces of cultural knowledge. His work, including the groundbreaking UK-Kenya collaboration Geology of Britannic Repair, exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale, asks urgent questions about how we live, what we build, and what we choose to remember.

Christine also draws on insights from other voices featured in Season 2 — including artist Rosie Olang’ Odhiambo and filmmaker Noé Mendelle — to explore how storytelling takes many forms, from exhibitions and documentaries to the natural world around us. Together, these creative practitioners show how the stories we choose to tell can become tools for connection, repair, and collective healing.

Listen to Our World, Connected, brought to you by the British Council. Subscribe and follow for more thought-provoking conversations on culture, communication, and the power of storytelling.

Additional Resources & Links:

Digital Cultural Heritage: Imagination, innovation and opportunity

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/digital-cultural-heritage

UK Arts, Culture and Young People: Innovative practice and trends

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/UK-arts-young-people

OFF/TRACK Collective: Imagining New forms of Cultural Production

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/new-cultural-production

Focus on Ukraine – Supporting Decolonisation in Museums

https://arts.britishcouncil.org/resources/focus-ukraine-supporting-decolonisation-museums

Follow British Council Research and Insight:

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Twitter - https://twitter.com/InsightBritish
Website - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight

How is technology shaping the way we live, learn, and connect? And what does that mean for young people growing up in a digital-first world?

In this bonus episode of Our World, Connected, host Christine Wilson revisits a powerful conversation with Baroness Beeban Kidron, crossbench peer in the House of Lords and founder of the 5Rights Foundation. A leading advocate for children’s digital rights, Beeban reflects on the urgent need to rethink how technology is designed and regulated — and the responsibilities of governments, educators, and tech companies in keeping young people safe online.

Christine also connects Beeban’s insights to other voices from across the series: from linguist David Crystal on how digital culture is reshaping our language, to consultant Larisa Halilovic on how new technologies are impacting on how we communicate — and what we feel we can trust.

Together, these conversations explore a central issue of our time: how digital tools are transforming us all — and how we can harness them for connection, creativity, and positive change.

Listen to Our World, Connected, brought to you by the British Council. Subscribe and follow for more thought-provoking conversations on culture, communication, and the power of education.

Additional Resources & Links:

Digital Cultural Relations

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/digital-cultural-relations

Why technology needs artists: 40 international perspectives

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/why-technology-needs-artists

Digital Cultural Heritage: Imagination, innovation and opportunity

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/digital-cultural-heritage

Relevant 5Rights Foundation research:

Inquiry finds UK Government must regulate GenAI and close online safety loopholes

https://5rightsfoundation.com/inquiry-finds-uk-government-must-regulate-genai-and-close-online-safety-loopholes/

New UK data law: what does it mean for children’s privacy?

https://5rightsfoundation.com/new-uk-data-law-what-does-it-mean-for-childrens-privacy/

Follow British Council Research and Insight:

Newsletter - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/subscribe

Twitter - https://twitter.com/InsightBritish

Website - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight