Emer Beamer
Emer is a social designer and education innovator. Her new studio is Unexpect, 'Where children design better futures with new technologies.
At Unexpect we believe that all children and young people can contribute to designing a better world, now and in the future. By learning the art of social design and invention, children gain 21st century skills, while employing their unique creativity and natural empathy to make the world a better place.
Emer also gives trainings on using design thinking in education and does consultancy, creating educational programs for ngo's, museum's, schools and innovation organisations. For example she currently working THNK and De Nederlandse School, to design a new school for secondary school teachers in the Netherlands.
Prior to Unexpect, she co-founded Butterfly Works, a co-creation studio in the Netherlands which works globally in 16 countries and enjoys structural funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its work. At Butterfly Works, Emer led the Global Learning team for 8 years and won prestigious prizes from organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations. Now she is on the advisory board. Emer also co-founded Nairobits in Kenya, a design school for young people from informal settlements, and still going strong after 13 years.
Emer recently completed the post-graduate program at THNK, the Amsterdam School of Creative Leadership. Her focus is on creating innovative and transformational educational possibilities for young people in both underserved regions such as Kenya, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and more recently in not well enough served regions such as Holland and Ireland. Emer is a regular speaker on innovative education and social innovation and has spoken at TEDx Amsterdam, Picnic, Better World by Design and 5th IEE in India.
