Welcome to the Sir Ken Robinson Foundation Substack!
We’re so excited to be here, that you’re here, and to be able to easily share more about the Sir Ken Robinson legacy with you.
Before we begin, here’s a little bit of who we are and what we do.
The Sir Ken Robinson Foundation
Established to continue the work of legendary thinker, writer, and educationalist Sir Ken Robinson, The Sir Ken Robinson Foundation is dedicated to empowering creativity worldwide. We exist to build upon Sir Ken’s mission to transform the culture of education and organisations with a richer conception of human creativity and intelligence. We do this so that each and every person can live a life of passion and purpose.
We believe in the power of human potential, that our cultures and societies depend upon a rich diversity of talents and passions to thrive, and that together, we can reimagine the world in which we live to create a future for us all.
We have two flagship projects:
The Sir Ken Robinson Archive
A c20 linear meter collection that comprises personal and professional items chronicling Sir Ken’s life and career. From diaries to project drafts to talk notes from almost every event he spoke at. There’s a lot! For the past two years we have been working with an archivist to sort the collection. Our next stage is to digitise and share it as widely as possible.
According to a scoping survey conducted on the collection in 2022 by an independent archivist:
42% of the archive collections surveyed were assessed at grade A, “Of international or national significance—making a fundamental and long-term contribution to intellectual thought or the study of a discipline, and integral to the collections.”
43% of the Archive collections surveyed was assessed at grade A for research and learning: “Has potential to be a star object in the collection, used for display, research, teaching, public access activities.”
The Robinson Pedagogy
We’re currently establishing an educational framework that will build upon Sir Ken's vision for transforming education globally. This approach will emphasise personalised learning, helping young people to discover and develop their unique talents. By taking practices mapped out in Sir Ken’s manifesto ‘Imagine If… Creating a Future for Us All’, such as mixing age groups, interdisciplinary exploration and prioritising creative competencies, the pedagogy will create environments through which curiosity thrives and human potential flourishes.
Our vision is that educators will be able to train in the Robinson approach and apply it to their existing education settings, as well as establishing new ones.
Who We Are
The Sir Ken Robinson Foundation (and this Substack!) is run by Sir Ken’s family - his daughter, Kate Robinson, and son in law, Anthony Dunn. We worked closely with SKR (as we call him professionally) before he passed away and have been dedicated to his legacy ever since. We also run a number of other initiatives dedicated to creativity, like the Creative Revolution, and two that you can check out right here on Substack: How Am I Creative? and Creative Families.
Meet Kate Robinson
Kate Robinson is an author, speaker, and the co-founder of a number of initiatives dedicated to the legacy of her father, Sir Ken Robinson. These include the Sir Ken Robinson Foundation, to celebrate and remember Sir Ken and continue his legacy through projects around the themes of education, environment and culture; and Creative Families - a practical movement that empowers parents to nurture creative development in both their children and themselves.
Meet Anthony Dunn
Anthony is an acclaimed, award-winning brand strategist with a gift for creative marketing and a passion for immersive events and experiences.
Former Head of Brand for Bett, the world’s largest global education event series, he is fully dedicated to his Father-in-law’s legacy. He also hosts How Am I Creative? a podcast and Substack celebrating how creativity powers human innovation, shapes our worldview, and exists in every aspect of who we are.
What to Expect
As a free subscriber, you’ll be kept up to date with the progress of our two flagship initiatives. You’ll also get frequent articles and thought pieces on the education revolution and creativity more widely.
If you upgrade to a paid subscription you’ll get these as well as a behind the scenes look at items from the Sir Ken Robinson Archive. We’ll be sharing never before seen artefacts, as well as insights into these, and honest reflections on the process of establishing an archive of this caliber.
A word on why we have paid tiers
We’re a very small, family run foundation. Only a handful of people can afford to work for free in this world, and unfortunately we aren’t them! The Sir Ken Robinson Foundation is a passion project, not a money making machine, and we are dependent upon donations and subscriptions like this one to keep going. We feel it would be both a tragedy and a huge disservice to put this archive in storage and let it get dusty, so we’re committed to establishing it fully and, one day, being able to share it with the world in a way that is as open source as possible. We can only do that with support from people like you. All of the subscriptions go directly to project overheads, like keeping the archive boxes kept in a safe environment.
We know it isn’t possible for everyone to pay a subscription cost, and we’re so glad you’re here in any capacity - it’s the people who make this movement so special and, in particular, who keep this mission and legacy alive. You can show your support for free by hitting the heart button below and sharing our posts with your own communities if they resonate with you.
