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About the Global Respectful Disruption Summit and Series

COMPEAR.org and GoAbroad.com have joined forces to amplify the voices and experiences too often pushed to the margins globally. Our mission is to unapologetically challenge and reshape practices and policies that perpetuate inequality and bias in international education and beyond.

Through the Global Respectful Disruption Summit and the Global RDL Speaker Series, we create spaces where diverse perspectives are welcomed, hard truths are spoken, and common ground is built. This is a space to disagree and to agree—because respectful disruption means working through differences to create better outcomes for one another and for our students.

The Global Respectful Disruption platform brings this vision to life through both a global convening and an ongoing learning experience. The Summit unites individuals for candid dialogue and collective energy. The Speaker Series extends that momentum, offering continued engagement, deeper exploration, and sustained community.

This will be real talk. This will be uncensored. This will highlight underamplified global voices and innovation.

We recognize that conferences can be costly and competitive, creating barriers to access. In alignment with our core beliefs, we are committed to doing things differently. Our experiences are designed to be virtual-first, accessible, and community-centered—ensuring participants leave with actionable insights for both their personal and professional lives.

"The interactive breakout rooms provided valuable opportunities for engagement and networking. Most topics were relevant and insightful, and the speakers demonstrated expertise in their fields."
Anna SalaUPF
"Absolutely everything. I've never seen so many sessions focused on topics I was actually interested in and felt so timely and relevant to our work. The technology was so smooth and everything so well organized, and the chat was electric throughout every session. I'm honestly in awe of the vibrancy and strength of the community that was cultivated in this virtual space-- it gives me so much hope, and finally makes me feel like I've found my people in this field."
Ash TrebisacciBrandeis University
"The presenters are always great. One key takeaway was the realization that Letters of Recommendation (LOR) can be inequitable, a perspective I hadn’t considered before."
Kelly CrayBurr Burton Academy
"The topics and speakers reflected true commitment and passion for their work. The program breaks were helpful, balancing responsibilities during the summit."
Lombuso S. KhozaHoward Community College
"The summit topics, discussions, and learning were outstanding. It reminded me how complex belonging is and emphasized the need for a community-wide sense of inclusion."
Daniel F. DíazPenn State - Harrisburg
"I really liked the variety and depth of the topics presented and the overwhelming sense of camaraderie among presenters and attendees."
Dr. Monique Y. WellsWells International Foundation
"The summit provided an inclusive and socially just space where I felt comfortable and engaged with passionate researchers. I appreciated the opportunity to present my work and connect with others in the field."
Gabrielle HagginsFSU
Thank you for creating a space that felt welcoming and inspiring. It’s rare to find a summit where disruption is encouraged and respect is maintained equally.
Nahed AbuzaidNorth Carolina State University
The thoughtful lineup of sessions. Each session was thought provoking, engaging and informative.
Kim ScottElizabeth City State university

Who Attends?

We invite international educators, intercultural professionals, community leaders, creatives, service providers, and justice advocates for global education to join us. Whether you’re based in North, Central, or South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, or Oceania, your voice and perspective are valued. We welcome contributions from students, scholars, artists, entrepreneurs, emerging practitioners, experienced leaders, grassroots educators, or anyone related to accessible global learning. We want to hear from you. Our goal is to elevate voices and perspectives that have been under-amplified in global and multicultural education, especially those that challenge norms and reimagine what ethical global engagement can look like.

Students, seasoned professionals, lecturers, or newcomers are all welcome.

The Global Respectful Disruption Learning Guide

One of the goals of the summit is to provide space for you to reflect on what it would mean to respectfully disrupt the systems that have governed and shaped the spaces you inhabit: professional, personal, and collective. Ideally, the summit will inspire and empower you to think more deeply about what is required for meaningful, sustainable change to take root. With that intention, we invite you to use the following exercises and activities as a kind of disruptive “roadmap” to guide your learning and engagement before, during, and after the summit.

We are also confident that this learning guide will remain useful beyond today’s experience. It can be applied when attending other events, programs, or learning spaces, and we encourage anyone and everyone to download and use these guidelines as a way to practice becoming a more thoughtful, intentional Respectful Disruptor.

Download and use of this guide is complimentary!

Download Your Guide

By submitting your name and email you will be added to our email list to receive information and updates about COMPEAR and the Global Respectful Disruption Summit (we promise we’ll be kind to your inbox!).

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