For me Open is about accessibility. At OE Global 2018 I had the good fortune to see the keynote presentation on Kiron, a non-profit based in Germany, which facilitates competency based educational opportunities for refugees; they also assist in recognizing prior learning. The keynote speaker mentioned the case of a Jordanian refugee driving a cab in Dusseldorf; after striking up a conversation with the cab driver, the Kiron rep learned it was the man's dream to become an engineer. Kiron provided him with German courses so that he could improve his language skills and thus gain admittance to a polytechnic in Berlin. It was a great story and made me think of the Canadian context where a lot of talent goes unused because credentials from other countries may not be recognized or people don't have the financial resources to improve their lives. Through a variety of partnerships with educational institutions and other NGOs, Kiron is able to fulfill the following mission:

Robert