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ABOUT GCA

Meet the Innovative Team Behind the Idea of Upskilling with GCA

GCA: A Platform and Marketplace for Upskilling Professionals and Educators Serving Children

GCA is a leading B2B platform and marketplace for upskilling professionals and educators serving children. Our platform connects adult learners with vetted global training providers and thought leaders.

Join GCA's community of dedicated organizations and training providers to access the resources and support you need to deliver and scale your training programs, empowering professionals and educators serving children to make a lasting impact on society.

The holistic nature and shared importance of childhood calls for a comprehensive approach that involves all actors across multiple sectors.

(Nurturing Care Framework, World Health Organization).

TEAM MEMBERS

GCA staff and advisory board members

We’re all in this together: Creating an innovative solution to a complex challenge.

DR. TARIQ KASHMIRI

DR. TARIQ KASHMIRI

Co-Founder
DR. SAMIA KAZI

DR. SAMIA KAZI

Co-Founder
DR. MANAL SADER

DR. MANAL SADER

MENA ADVISOR
CHELSEA JOHNSON

CHELSEA JOHNSON

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS
DR. NANCY BROWN

DR. NANCY BROWN

Advisory Board Member

EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT, PROFESSOR, UN REP

JIMM MELOY

JIMM MELOY

Advisory Board Member

EDTECH GURU, EX VP LEARNING @AUTODESK.

MICHAEL CARTER, PHD

MICHAEL CARTER, PHD

Advisory Board Member

GLOBAL EDTECH GURU AND STRATEGIC ADVISOR

ESTHER STEWART

ESTHER STEWART

Advisory Board Member

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

HARRISON A. PETERS

HARRISON A. PETERS

Advisory Board Member

CEO/CO-FOUNDER OF MCEL, FORMER TEACHER, PRINCIPAL, AND SUPERINTENDENT

DR. JEFF MELENDEZ

DR. JEFF MELENDEZ

Advisory Board Member

LEADER OF ZEAL EDUCATION GROUP AND LEAD NEXUS

ASHRAF YOUNIS

ASHRAF YOUNIS

Advisory Board Member

DIRECTOR MBC ACTION & MBC 3

ROBERT GUNDLING, ED.D.

ROBERT GUNDLING, ED.D.

Advisory Board Member

SENIOR CONSULTANT BETTER FUTURES, LLC

MEHEDI HASAN

MEHEDI HASAN

DIGITAL MARKETING
IAN MAKAMARA

IAN MAKAMARA

Advisory Board Member

LAWYER, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

KRITIKKA VISHWANATH

KRITIKKA VISHWANATH

Advisory Board Member

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

MAROUANE OURAHOU

MAROUANE OURAHOU

E-learning Manager

LMS Admin & Onboarding

RICHARD BYRNE

RICHARD BYRNE

Advisory Board Member

EDUCATOR AND PRESIDENT AT BYRNE INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA

Dr. Hawani Negussie

Dr. Hawani Negussie

Advisory Board Member

Chair and Assistant Professor: Early Childhood Education

NORMA MINGI

NORMA MINGI

FINANCE ADVISOR
HASSAH ALDABBAS

HASSAH ALDABBAS

Advisory Board Member

SERVED AS DIRECTOR OF CHILDHOOD MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, KSA

Muhammad Waqas

Muhammad Waqas

Web Developer

I'm Web Developer with extensive experience in building High quality websites.

Royce B. dela Cruz

Royce B. dela Cruz

GCA Operations Manager

Why is it Important to Have a Platform Dedicated to Training, Credentialing, and Upskilling Adults Working with, Caring for, and Protecting Children?

Why we exist

Meet Noor

Meet Noor, whose early years of life will be influenced by multiple adults including caregivers, educators, and health professionals.

Noor’s life will be impacted by a variety of adults and professionals, including:

  1. Parents and caregivers
  2. Teachers and other educators
  3. Health care providers
  4. Policymakers and program managers in various sectors, such as health, education, and social protection, at the national and local levels
  5. Local government representatives
  6. Civil society organizations
  7. Development partners and funding initiatives
  8. Media outlets, such as radio and newspapers
  9. Religious leaders and other community figures
  10. Extracurricular activity leaders and coaches

At GCA, we are committed to supporting and uplifting disadvantaged groups, including children like Noor. We advocate for and promote their well-being by training and upskilling the adults and professionals around them. We are unique in that we are the only online learning platform that is specifically designed with a child-centered approach. We understand the importance of partnerships and resource sharing in creating a supportive and effective learning environment, and our platform serves both learners and training providers in this effort. Together, we can work towards a brighter future for all children.

In her early years of life (the most critical years), Noor will interact with multiple adults, including: 

  • Noor’s caregivers and family 
  • Educators 
  • Health professionals 

If Noor suffers from abuse or neglect, there will be interactions with: 

  • Social workers 
  • Law enforcement officers 
  • Lawyers 
  • Judges 

 

There are also groups of adults that will directly or indirectly influence Noor’s life, including:

  • policy-makers and programme managers in ministries of health, nutrition, education, child protection, social protection, finance, and other sectors, at national and local level;
  • local government representatives, mayors and parliamentarians;
  • civil-society groups;
  • development partners;
  • professional associations;
  • academic institutions, such as training institutes, colleges and universities;
  • funding initiatives, both global and national;
  • private-sector organizations including corporations and social enterprises;
  • local radio and newspaper journalists and other media; 

At GCA, we are concerned with the upskilling and credentialing of these groups. We want to advocate on behalf of children like Noor and make sure that every adult that influences a child’s life is reflecting upon their own role, but is also collectively thinking about the importance of the larger complex system of actors.  

We are unique because we are the only online learning platform created with Noor in mind. We know what it means to be child-centered. We believe that we can do this by working together. We know how essential partnerships are, and we know that it’s important to share resources, to lean on each other through trusted systems. That’s why we created the best platform to serve both our learners and training providers.

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Proud to share our

Awards and Affiliations

ISTE stands for the International Society for Technology in Education. GCA is proud to be approved by ISTE. Search for GCA on the ISTE product directory here

StartEd accelerates education innovators addressing Early Childhood, K-12, HigherEd, Workforce, and Adult Learning. GCA is a proud member of StartEd.

GCA is a proud member of the Basic Education Coalition (BEC). BEC is a group of leading US-based organizations working to promote global peace and education.

HundrED is a global mission-driven organization specialized in education innovation. GCA is pending validation and review. Check out our page.

Timeline

The story of how we got started on GCA

and our growth plans

2009-2020

Founders trained over 15k educators, social workers, parents, social workers, policy makers, and parents. 

 

March 2020

We watched as tens of thousands of training providers serving children struggled to move their trainings and services online.

The world was not prepared.

Children paid the price.

August 2020

We created an online PLATFORM that supports the professional learning needs of adults in various child serving sectors.

 

2021

  • Welcomed over 781 students.
  • Launched over 150 courses.
  • Partnered with 12 training providers.

2022

  • We upgraded our platform and introduced new services.
  • Launched 197 courses in 2 languages.
  • We welcomed 10,000 learners.

Our plans for 2023

  • We will continue to partner with global thought leaders and training providers. 
  • We will launch more accredited, vetted, quality learning programs.  

By 2026

  • We are targeting to upskill 500,000 learners on our platform. 
  • We will continue to partner with vetted training providers, thought leaders, and regional affiliates.