People are losing faith in institutions. Polarisation is spreading. Too many feel unseen, unheard and left out.
And yet this is not a time for despair. This is a time for leadership. But not the old kind. Not leadership driven by control, competition, or short-term wins. What we need now is leadership that puts society at the center. Leadership that creates value for the whole, not just the few.
At MobileSchool.org, that’s what drives us. Whether we’re working in the streets, in schools, or in companies, we’re committed to a new kind of leadership. Leadership that is hopeful, human, and rooted in action. Over the past years, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside partners who share this vision: that a different future is possible and that leadership must evolve to meet it.
In my keynote on ‘Changemaker Leadership’, I often return to three beliefs that guide everything we do.
First: we have to keep believing that change is possible.
In times of breakdown, it’s tempting to retreat, to disengage and to point fingers. But real leaders lean in. They keep believing that systems can shift, that people can grow, that mindsets can evolve.
This isn’t naïve optimism. It’s radical hope, a muscle we need to train. Because once we stop believing, we stop trying.
Second: everyone can contribute to positive change.
That includes the young person on the street corner, the burned-out teacher, the corporate team under pressure. But people need to feel seen, heard, and valued as part of something larger than themselves. Empowerment is not a buzzword, it’s a condition for participation. Inclusive leadership creates spaces where people are recognised, trusted, and invited to lead from where they are, not in spite of who they are.
Third: most people mean well.
Even when they act out of fear, frustration, or aggression. When we take time to understand what lies beneath the behaviour, trauma, exclusion, uncertainty, we often find common ground. That’s why empathy is not a ‘soft skill’, it’s a leadership imperative. If we want people to behave well, we must build systems that treat people well. The tone is set at the top. When leaders operate with coherence and integrity without hidden agendas or moral double standards, they invite others to do the same.
That’s the kind of leadership we believe in. And that’s the kind of leadership we help build at mobileschool.org, with our StreetSmart tools and our StreetwiZe leadership journeys.
2024 wasn’t easy. But it was powerful. We saw courage in unexpected places. Creativity where others saw crisis. We saw youth workers, changemakers, and corporate leaders rise. Not because it was easy, but because they cared enough to act.
This report captures that journey of challenge, growth, and impact.
In 2025, we’ll keep doing what we do best:
‘Showing up with clarity, consistency, and hope.’
Because real change doesn’t start with systems, … it starts with people.
And with leadership that chooses connection over control, always!
Arnoud Raskin
Founder – MobileSchool.org
Read our full annual report here below
