[00:00:00] Hello, thanks for joining us. My name is Richard Gerver. I've worked in education, human development, and leadership for the last three decades.

Richard Gerver: In this podcast series, I'm chatting to a diverse range of extraordinary people from a number of different fields, from business, sports, the arts, politics, education and philanthropy, to explore what our young people and our organisations really need in order to thrive, not just survive, in times of increasing change and uncertainty.

Welcome to The Learning Bridge. Today, my guest is, wow where do I even begin? My guest is somebody who has been in the room, and you know what I mean by the room. This [00:01:00] is someone who has witnessed history first hand, who has made a major contribution to the potential success of our planet for generations to come.

It is my huge pleasure and honor to introduce to you a man I've had the privilege of knowing for many years now Juan Verde. Juan, so much for joining us on this podcast.

Juan Verde: Richard, thank you so much. Thanks for the invitation. I'm thrilled to be here. So

Richard Gerver: rather than read out the email you, your family have sent me on how I should introduce you, I thought I might, I thought I might ask you to just explain to our audience just a little bit about yourself.

And your story in short and, What you're up to at the moment? Okay.

Juan Verde: Well, I'm I'm what they call a [00:02:00] global strategist which basically means that I work for companies and governments around the world. I work with companies to help them identify investment opportunities in international markets.

And I work very closely with different governments to develop to help them attract foreign investment into their countries. And with a last name like Verde, which means green, as you can very well imagine, I specialize in sustainable business and green economy. What I'm up to these days I also now serve as a member of President Biden's Export Council.

It's a group of advisors. We actually advise the White House and the President on matters related to international trade. And U. S. Competitiveness. As a way of background, I served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Obama administration in the past. And I also had the privilege many years ago of also working for President Clinton back in the 90s.

So I think that's probably a good summary.

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[00:03:00] I'll tell you what, I told people you were in the room. You really have been in the room. I've got to ask you, right, because I, so many people, I think about my own life. people I talk to. When you were a child, did you have any ambition or idea that this was the life you would be leading?

Richard Gerver: Absolutely not. I come from a very modest family in Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands. I'm the first college graduate in, in both sides of my family. And I come from a very modest family, I'm one of six kids I never thought I would ever end up working for the for the White House I moved to the United States when I was 15 years old, on my own, and by the time, by the age of 22, I was working for President Clinton, I think that only happens in the United States, that's the American dream, and when people tell me about the American dream, I always tell them I've lived it.

So, yeah, from a very young age I've been involved in politics, but I never thought I would ever do that.

And so as a child, were you [00:04:00] surrounded by, and I mean this in a small p sense, were you surrounded by a political family? Was politics something that was discussed and debated as when you were a child that you got involved and interested in?

How did that interest in the world, in, in global politics, where did that come from, do you think, for you?

Juan Verde: That's a very interesting question, because I've actually thought about this before, the short answer to your question is no, I had never been exposed to politics or involved in campaigns, I had never met an elected official, but growing up at home, both my mother and my father were always very keen on making sure that all of us understood what he meant to be good citizens, what he meant to be of service to others and to give back, and I remember when I was twelve, thirteen I wanted to be in the armed forces, but then I realized that war was ugly and I didn't like the idea of killing people.

So I said, okay, maybe I should just become [00:05:00] a doctor. And then I realized. That you're very exposed very much exposed to suffering and people in, in, in need of help. So I said, that's probably not my call. And somehow I realized, hey, politics, that's also a way of giving back. That's also a way of public doing public service.

So, no, I wasn't exposed to politics per se, but yes, to, to the idea of giving back. And to me, that's what public policy should be, an opportunity to help others and to make the world a better place.

Richard Gerver: Wow. And I, I mean from where I've sat, you've had, you've done that in spades. By the way, just so you know, I would never have been able to go into medicine either because I faint at the sight of blood.

I had to be removed from the room when my children were born. That's that's how good I would have been at medicine. Again, one of the things you said a couple of minutes ago really fascinates me. You know, you move to the U. S. on your own, when you were 15. Now, most 15 year olds just about make it down the road, maybe to their local shops, [00:06:00] or to hang out with their friends.

Where did that, what did that feel like for you? How did the opportunity arise? And where did you find the courage? So take that step.

It's a personal story and I don't share it very often but it has to do with gratitude. Both of my parents were extremely smart and hardworking individuals.

And I think if, if, If I asked them, they would probably recognize that they were, they felt frustrated because they both had to quit school at a very early age to actually go work for their respective families. And you know, it was always a very different time, but they had promised themselves that their kids would never.

Lack access to educational opportunities particularly because they never had that, that that opportunity, that choice. So the story there is that when I was 12 years old, my parents helped an immigrant mother who had arrived to the Canary Islands with four kids. Four they basically arrived in the Canary Islands basically wearing [00:07:00] their clothes and nothing else.

No no belongings, no money and they were having a very difficult time upon arrival. My parents actually helped them with food, sometimes even introduced them to, to people and actually my mom helped her get a job. The story is that they later moved to the United States.

And a few years later invited me to come live with them so that I could go to school in the United States. And I'm sure that my parents never acted the way they did thinking that somehow their act of kindness would someday have an impact on our family or me directly. So to me, that's a beautiful story of giving and helping because I never would have made it.

To the United States, or have worked with three United States presidents, or work doing the kind of work I do, had it not been for that way of understanding life, which is again, sort of how do you help others? How do you give back? And life is beautiful and unique in that

respect.

I think, I mean just listening to you and thank you because it's incredibly moving [00:08:00] and a number of things strike me when you tell that story. The first is, it's immediately blindingly obvious where your your desire. to serve the public comes from. That's such a strong sense in the story you've just told from your parents and their selflessness and their desire to, to lift others up, which I think is incredibly powerful.

The second is quite a personal story to me because one of the greatest moments in my professional adult life was when With you, I got the chance to meet President Obama. And when I look back, people often ask me, well, how on earth did that moment happen? And it happened because you and I met at an event and had a cup of coffee together some years before.

And I think one of the things that I think is so potent about that, that for me, is you never turn down the opportunity to make new relationships, to meet people. And I worry and wonder [00:09:00] sometimes, Whether people censor who they're going to meet too quickly, or I can't see how that person benefits me, or I can't see how spending time with that person is going to make a difference to my life.

And one of the things I think, and I'd love your take on this I look at our young people today, and in many ways, they're more connected than any generation previously. But I also wonder whether they are encouraged to really connect. with one another on a deeper level. Because it seems to me that the people I talk to who have achieved success, and I mean that in the broadest sense of the word, I'm not just talking economic success, I'm talking about changing the world, making a difference, leaving a legacy, are people that have always been open to Meeting, learning and developing relationships with people from very disparate backgrounds.

And I wonder if [00:10:00] you could reflect on that a little bit in your own journey. So there you are at 15 and what sort of difference that's made to you and is that your philosophy of life?

Juan Verde: Absolutely. I am absolutely convinced that it's not just a desire to serve. It's actually, at least for me, an obligation.

I am so grateful because so many people along the way became mentors and were people that were role models for me and took the time to to sit down, to share their thoughts, their beliefs, their experiences with me. So in a way I feel in debt, right? That probably that's the only way I know. to pay that debt, which is to help and give back.

And it's very funny, because you mentioned this is the most connected generation, and yet, people feel not connected when it comes to emotional, an emotional bond with others, right? I always Share with them what to me networking means and I learned that from the mentor. A lot of people say, well, networking means let me [00:11:00] go meet people out there to see how they can help me.

And that's the wrong approach. Right? The way I network is that much like you and I met. I mean, I remember vividly that day. I thought you were smart, great guy. And I felt curious and intrigued by by everything you were saying and you were right on target and I wanted to say hi but when I meet someone, I'm always thinking about how can I be of help to them, right?

So if I take your number or your email, and then two months later, I read an interesting article about something that's happening in the United States about disruptive educational systems. I would probably send you an email and say, Hey, Richard, have you seen this? You know, I'd like to introduce you to these people, these guys that are running this program.

I'm thinking about how do I add value? How do I bring people together? So when you actually do that, things work out and you don't do it because you want something out of the other person, but you begin to create synergies and win win situations. And that's to me what really [00:12:00] connecting means be of service to others.

Maybe that's an interesting or different definition of it, but but I believe that's the case.

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Richard Gerver: I think you're right before we, we hit the record button on this, we were having a kind of conversation that was along similar lines, really, this idea that that the game changer for the future is going to rely on greater levels of collaboration, of understanding, you know.

I'd love to ask you a big P question in a second related to that, but it strikes me that as we move into 2024 and we see the horrific events unfolding globally around us whether it's the wars in the Middle East. Or in Europe whether it's the horrendous impact we're seeing of the environment.

And again we'll come back to that on everything from the way people are leading their lives globally, to the global global economics, to immigration patterns, to, to all of those kinds of things. It seems to me that unless we [00:13:00] find a way to reframe what relationships are, i. e. collaboration, not competition.

The world's pretty much doomed and my feeling is that actually, and maybe I would say this, education is the starting point by which we reframe and reorganize the way future generations see those relationships. And when I think about the education system as it's set up in most Western societies.

It's about competition. I've got to get higher grades than you, higher scores than you. I've got to be better than you in order to achieve my goals. And I just think we've got to think differently about that future. And I suppose, and I'm sorry for this being a long winded rant, Juan, but you always get my mind going.

I look at the big politics globally right now, and the horrendous polarisation we see in our communities and societies. [00:14:00] And particularly in our so called civilised societies where people are more set against each other Than I think we've seen for many generations. And I suppose there's two parts to my question.

One is, how did we get there? How did we get to that place? And how do you think, not specifically education, but education can help to repair some of that rift and damage?

Juan Verde: First of all, education to me is the most important key when it comes to economic development, when it comes to equality and particularly to creating a leveled playing field. for everyone. In my case, in particular, I mentioned that story as that young immigrant that comes to the United States at the age of 15, had it not been for education I wouldn't be here today.

I ended up going to college on scholarships in the United States. I ended up going to graduate school [00:15:00] at Harvard University in the United States. So, so that, that idea that, that education is, you It, to me, is absolutely true. I don't know how else to say it, and I think that going forward our children are going to be facing unprecedented challenges, right?

You mentioned one of them, climate change. But another one is technological disruption, and perhaps another one that is very important is social inequality, right? So, so yeah, climate change is a significant threat. To the world and to the world that they're going to inherit. Right. But what those three problems have in common, climate change, technological disruption and social inequality, access to education.

That's it. I mean, I think if I had to think of how do you fix those problems problems that are huge require global cooperation sustainable solutions and that's not easy, right? But digital literacy or even ensuring that our education [00:16:00] systems prepare them for those three threats, for that reality, it's, is the key.

So, I mentioned the third. Third language is addressing social inequality. Education again we have to equip our children with the tools that they need in order to navigate these challenges that they're going to be facing. So that sort of leads me as to how do we do that?

Something that you've been talking a lot about which is to me, the key question, how can education help shape that future that perhaps looks bleak, perhaps looks dangerous, but at the same time, The solution to me is education. We need an education system that goes beyond traditional boundaries.

One that fosters creativity, critical thinking, problem solving skills, everything you talk about in your in your speeches and in your podcasts. So that's a long way of saying education. It's not just making sure that they understand what they need to learn. It's teaching them how to [00:17:00] learn it.

And that's the key.

Richard Gerver: It's, I mean, thank you. And I couldn't agree more. And also thank you for, I think you're the first person in my podcast series to refer to one of the famous three word slogans of a former British Prime Minister. It was Tony Blair, I think, who swept to power in 97 on the back of the three words, which were education.

And it fascinates me that you know, we talk about it. But one of the really interesting things, and I'd love a more general take on this, within that sphere we've talked about the need for an educational shift for generations, right? This isn't new, it's not my thing, it's not your thing, it's generations of people, great minds for many years have been talking about the need for Education Shift.

My mentor, Ken Robinson, was one of the most eloquent and brilliant minds to talk about that in his lifetime. But one of the interesting things is, despite the fact we know [00:18:00] this stuff has to happen, we seem to crawl towards potential solutions. And I'm not obviously going to ask you about why that happens in education, but you've seen the world at a high policy level and a high strategic level around many of the complex issues that we're dealing with globally.

You know, you've talked about the climate change, green economics, all of those sorts of things. and businesses and the way businesses think and you work at the very highest level of strategic thinking in business and politics. What do you see are the greatest blockers to change? Why do people go yeah no, we do yeah, that's what we need.

And then action is so slow. What's your take on that?

Juan Verde: I just think that there is. a need for greater accessibility to quality education globally. We have to be able to bridge the gap between privileged [00:19:00] and underprivileged communities. And there's nothing more crucial for fostering equal opportunities, at least for me that one issue, right?

I think secondly, we have to be able to adapt to the rapid advancements in technology that I mentioned before how do you integrate digital tools into education? And that obviously is going to enhance learning experiences. For the kids, right? But you talk a lot about this in your podcast, right?

There has to be greater emphasis on the need for more holistic approach to education beyond academic or more traditional. Academic knowledge. I think that there, there is a demand for teaching life skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking because that at the end brings you to, uh, to conclusion.

And that is the traditional educational frameworks don't cut it anymore. Education should be culturally sensitive and cater to the [00:20:00] needs Of different students, right, and different student populations. So, so to me, those, all those issues are really linked because, and I'll conclude with this.

Education should empower individuals to be active participants in shaping a better future and encouraging, encouraging them to ask questions, to challenge the status quo. So it's, how do I say this in words that, that to me make sense and that actually become my way of understanding life?

I'll say it. This way it's, education to me has to be about teaching values sustainability empathy, global citizenship, because when you promote awareness and social responsibility, you're actually preparing the next generation of students to, to tackle those challenges that we talked about before, like climate change or inequality or poverty.

Richard Gerver: It's interesting you talk about that, because I think one of the things for me that I would love to see more. [00:21:00] on the curriculum in education almost as a start point. And this was something that struck me for the first time actually after the events of 9 11. I had just taken on my school principal's job around the time of 9 11, just after.

And the school I was the principal of was in the flight path of a local airport, right, so planes had, for all the lives of these children, these planes had come in low and hard over the top of the school onto the runway at the airport. And the children, because they'd grown up with these aeroplanes, didn't even go, look, there's an aeroplane.

It was just That was their life. And then after the events of 9 11, some of the younger children in particular became really agitated when a plane went over the top. And what we realised was, they'd seen the events. of 9 11 on their television screens. They'd heard people talking about the events of 9 11, but nobody had actually [00:22:00] sat down and talked to them about 9 11 or helped them make sense of it.

So all those kids immediately thought those planes were coming to kill them, because that's how young minds work, right? And suddenly they And I wonder whether we need to be more proactive in our mainstream education system to talk to young people about current affairs, about the events of the world as they're going on around us, obviously sensitively to the age of the children to make it age appropriate, but whether, because you talk about equality, and one of the things that strikes me, and we saw this, I think, highlighted during COVID, is Some children born into homes where parents are good communicators, they're good parents, they they talk with their children, they listen to their children, they have time for their children, which is kind of the panacea, it's what we all, it's what we all want for [00:23:00] our kids.

Those kids get the benefit of those conversations. But there are millions and millions of children out there who are living in domestic environments and we're not even talking about real extreme poverty. In domestic environments where nobody talks to those kids. And I wonder whether you think by bringing current affairs more into the education arena, we would be able to help empower children to make informed and better decisions.

Juan Verde: Absolutely. Absolutely. In my case, as I mentioned to you earlier I grew up in a. In a modest poor neighborhood in the Canary Islands, and when people ask me what do you wish you had you had been more exposed to when you were a young kid, it has everything to do with what you just said you know, you talk about bringing global affairs or bringing issues that are out there and that they don't necessarily see how they relate, you Those issues relate to them, right?

Yes, I mean, [00:24:00] growing up, what I would have loved to have now looking back is to be more exposed. At an early age, to role models, to people who look like me, to whom I could look up to and aspire to be like them. And that's the same when it comes to global issues, right? Whether it's foreign policy.

If you don't, if no one's talking to you about how that is relevant to you, your communities, or your life you'll never be involved in politics, you'll never care. about what's happening beyond your boundaries, your your communities. So absolutely. I mean, it's so important to have people that serve as role models to you, that share, take time to share their experiences with you in global affairs is no exception.

So I'm making a double connection there. I'm saying yeah, no, it's being exposed early on to people that can serve as role models. It's aspirational, but it also serves to define a path forward for you. And the same thing applies [00:25:00] to issues that are beyond your community.

Richard Gerver: I think so much of that speaks to something you've talked about so powerfully, I think, in this podcast, and that is the need for people to feel empowered, for people to feel that they have an opportunity to pull the levers that make a difference, right?

It seems to me that So much of the anger and hatred in the world is coming from people who aren't bad people, but they're angry people. And they're angry people because they feel all the levers they used to be able to pull to feel control have been wrenched from their grasp, or they're living in socioeconomic or environmental economic conditions.

Where they feel no matter what they think or say or do or that it makes no difference. And actually it seems to me that what we're speaking to here and it goes back to what you talked about with role models people who look like me, sounded like me, came from my background, who were people that I could relate to.

I think so much of that for me speaks to the power of education [00:26:00] as the primary tool for empowerment. I've got just two questions for you to finish, and it's been amazing talking to you. The first is a big question. The second is a little question, and then I'll wrap up, right? So, I know a lot of the people listening to our podcast will work in and around education many in the United States, many around the world, and the question I get asked more than any other, and I find hard to answer, is how do we get policy makers to listen to what we've been talking about today and what a lot of educators around the world.

Now again, I'm not talking to you specifically, I don't need you to tell me exactly how the strategy should be in education, but you are, and how can I put this, you are a Politician whisperer one. You get politicians to listen to the big issues and you help them activate the things that make a difference.

What are the strategies we could deploy to get policy makers to listen [00:27:00] and to take action on education transformation in the way we've talked about?

Juan Verde: I mean First, let me say that, that education is the key to unlocking human potential, fostering positive change, and I think even it holds the power to address many of the challenges we face today, as we talked about earlier.

The way we get policymakers to do the right thing and be disruptive and brave. is by us voting better. And you might say, what do you mean by that? Well let's take responsibility. We I always tell people when it comes to climate change or when it comes to education, we need to vote better and we need to buy better, right?

If I'm trying to solve the problem of climate change, I always tell people start with yourself. You should vote for people, for elected officials, that are [00:28:00] thinking about the next generations and not just the next elections. You need to vote for people that are going to make decisions that might not be popular, but that are the right decisions.

And that begins with you. You have to understand that your vote is extremely powerful. And that applies to education policy. And then, Although it's not necessarily applicable to education, but I always say vote better. I'm sorry, buy better, support the companies that are doing the right thing.

And that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to spend more money or that it's going to be more expensive, not necessarily. But supporting the right causes, supporting the right people, the right initiatives, or even the right institutions that are doing great work is something that we can do ourselves and should do ourselves.

So let's vote better so that they understand it. I will say this finally and I've worked with many elected officials in the last 30 years. They're very predictable, Richard. They're very predictable. [00:29:00] And by that I mean, if you pay attention and you vote for the right people and you care about the right issues, they will do.

What they should do. They're not brave. And that's good and bad, right? If you understand that, then the responsibility lies within, with you.

Richard Gerver: I love that, and I think that whole point about self responsibility is so incredibly important again for education, as you say, for a wider sense of empowerment and change.

We've got to stop sitting back and waiting for somebody else to do it for us. And I think we all have to understand we're stakeholders in our own future. And I wonder sometimes controversially whether, and I don't blame educators for this, but I do blame education systems for this. The education system teaches us too often to rely on somebody else to provide the right answer, to solve the problem, to find us the [00:30:00] pathway to the next.

The next part of the journey. And I think that sense of developing in young people from an early age, that sense of self responsibility, that I am an active member and citizen of my community society and the global environment in which I live is so powerful. And I think the final thought from me on that is, unless we should continue to show the power of a healthy democracy.

Democracies will be undermined by people who feel that democracy is not in their best interests. So thank you for that. And my very final question is, if people have been captured by you, which I think they will have been do you have a website or any social media where people can connect with you or find out more about your work and what you do?

Juan Verde: Thank you. I am on social media, Twitter, Instagram LinkedIn as well. And my website is actually [00:31:00] www. juanverde. com, my full name. Fantastic. As my good Mentor Al Gore used to say, Johnny Green.

Richard Gerver: I love that. I honestly, I love that. And thank you for sharing so much of the convenient truth with us, Juan.

I hope you see what I did there. Thank you so much. And thank you all for joining us. for what I hope you have found to be an extraordinary conversation with an extraordinary man. If you'd like to find out more then please check out my website richardgerver. com and subscribe to this podcast so that you don't miss any future episodes.

But until next time, here's to the future. [00:32:00]