About Us
The Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation (GCDI) brings together students and civil society actors from around the world in a collaborative online format for cross-cultural engagement, experiential learning, and global impact.
Leveraging the transformative potential of design thinking, we aim to deepen collective pathways towards global citizenship, democracy innovation, and social change, offering students professional skill development such as facilitation training, as well as opportunities for applied learning within curricular and co-curricular settings.
“The collaborative and innovative nature of the Global Classroom fuelled my creative energies and I feel refreshed and motivated in tackling the big issues facing us all.”
—University of Toronto Student, Canada
Meet the Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation Team
Marco Adamović
Marco Adamovic (he/him) is a global educator, cultural producer, and community-builder with over 15 years of professional experience in experiential learning and international education in curricular, co-curricular, and and community learning environments. His work on Globally-Networked Learning Environments and Inclusive Internationalization has been featured at NASPA, IVEC, and ISSOTL, and to date has providing transformative global learning opportunities for over 1500 higher education students worldwide.
As a researcher, he is interested in creative global communities, arts education, critical pedagogy, and comparative, international, and development education.
As a co-founder of the GCDI, he strives to facilitate positive and healthy environments for sustained creativity, connection, and collaboration to thrive. He holds a BA (Hons.) in International Relations, and an M.Ed in Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education, both from the University of Toronto.
Bettina von Lieres
Dr. Bettina von Lieres (she/her) is Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Department for Global Development Studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada. She teaches courses in the field of critical citizenship studies. From 1991–2002 she held university positions in South Africa. From 2002–2011 she participated as a lead researcher in the Development Research Centre for Citizenship, Participation and Accountability, which was hosted by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, UK. She has led several global partnerships that bring together researchers, practitioners and educators from the global South and North. She is currently also appointed as an Extra-ordinary Senior Researcher at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Her publications include Mediated Citizenship: The Informal Politics of Speaking for Citizens in the Global South (co-edited with Laurence Piper, Palgrave, 2014) and Domains of Freedom: Justice, Citizenship and Social Change in South Africa (co-edited with Thembela Kepe and Melissa Levin, UCT Press, 2016). She enjoys swimming, chatting and loud music.
Matthew Wingfield
Matthew Wingfield (he/him) is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, working on comparative research involving environmental activism and justice in the context of climate change. He is one of the founding partners of the Global Classroom Democracy Innovation. He is also a Co-director of the Cape Town Design Nerds, a newly formed non-profit affiliate of the Vancouver Design Nerds Society. Matthew has developed scholarship around a range of issues, most recently around collaborative international pedagogy. Personally, he is a supporter of numerous climate justice and grassroots activist networks.
Jesi Carson
Jesi Carson (she/her) brings an equity-centred design lens to the Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation, as an experienced design researcher and interaction designer. Community engagement and creative facilitation are two of her favourite things, along with mentoring students to become confident design thinking facilitators of collaborative projects. Jesi is a Co-director of the Vancouver Design Nerds Society and Design Technology Lead for the Participedia project, connecting both initiatives to the Global Classroom as key partners. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Interaction Design (2013) and Master’s Degree in Multidisciplinary Design Research (2018) from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Mukisa Mujulizi
Mukisa Mujulizi (he/him) is a recently graduated Sociology Masters Student from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, where he also achieved his Undergraduate and Honours degrees. He is one of the founding partners of the Global Classroom Democracy Innovation. He is also a Co-director of the Cape Town Design Nerds, a newly formed non-profit affiliate of the Vancouver Design Nerds Society, where Mukisa got his start in Design based work. Mukisa is interested in research focused on Race, Class, Gender and Masculinity within Higher Education Institutions.
Laurence Piper
Laurence Piper (he/him) is a Political Scientist at University West, Sweden and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, interested in urban governance, democracy, and citizenship. His most recent book is 'Democracy Disconnected: Participation and Governance in a City of the South', Routledge, 2019, with Professor Fiona Anciano. He is a former President of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS) 2016-8, and the new Editor-in-chief of the journal Theoria.
Wilma Westin Lundqvist
Wilma Westin Lundqvist (she/her) is a lecturer specializing in social studies for social change at the University West's School of Business, Economics & IT. She holds a Master of Science in International Administration and Global Governance. She became a part of the GCDI organization as a faculty partner in 2022 and uses the Global Classroom as an interactive and collaborative element in her teaching, emphasizing democracy, work-integrated learning, and project management.
Outside academia, Wilma is a very creative soul who loves dancing and photography. Currently she explores improvisation theatre for collaborative learning, valuing the lessons in risk-taking and how one can embrace mistakes and turning them into opportunities. Following what Keith Johnstone once said: “Those who say 'yes' are rewarded by the adventures they have. Those who say 'no' are rewarded by the safety they attain.”
Current Partners
Current organizing partners include University of Toronto, University of Toronto Scarborough (Canada), University West (Sweden), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), Vancouver Design Nerds (Canada) and Cape Town Design Nerds (South Africa).
Past Collaborators
Past collaborators include institutions, organizations, and individuals who have participated as organizers, community partners, and guest speakers at Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation events and programs.
