By Hamse Warfa
When I think about the work we do at World Savvy, I always return to my own experience as a young refugee in the United States. I arrived as a teenager, having fled the civil war in Somalia, carrying with me the weight of loss, displacement, and uncertainty. I did not speak English, and I struggled to find a place where I felt safe, capable, and seen. Those early experiences shaped the core of who I am today and why I lead World Savvy. I know personally the power of education to transform a life when it is rooted in connection, dignity, and possibility. Through supporting educators and school districts, we prepare young people not just to succeed in the classroom but to engage meaningfully with the world around them, to work alongside others, and to contribute to their communities with confidence and care.
World Savvy has always worked to strengthen the conditions that make this possible. For more than two decades, we have partnered with schools to build adult capacity, support educators in navigating complex conversations about identity and belonging, and create learning environments where young people can engage with real-world issues thoughtfully and responsibly. Our work is not about reacting to headlines. It is about preparing schools and communities to meet the world as it is, to respond to challenges with curiosity rather than fear, and to ensure that students are active participants in shaping the future.
This moment in time has revealed the urgency of our mission. Across Minnesota, schools are navigating disruptions that go beyond curriculum. Federal immigration enforcement activity, community violence, and ongoing uncertainty have changed the daily reality for students, families, and educators. In some districts, absenteeism has reached unprecedented levels. Classrooms feel the impact not only in empty seats but in the strain carried by the adults responsible for sustaining learning, connection, and safety. These are not abstract issues. They are the conditions that shape whether students can show up fully, ask questions, and participate in the life of their schools.
Few organizations are positioned to respond in this moment as World Savvy can. Our work is rooted in long-standing relationships across Minnesota schools, built on trust, shared learning, and mutual commitment. Our leadership reflects the communities we serve, not as a symbol, but as a source of insight, credibility, and responsibility. I bring both my lived experience and my professional background in public service, from statewide workforce development to international advisory roles, to guide this work with clarity, empathy, and urgency. We do not take positions on policy or enforcement. Our role is to ensure that the conditions for learning remain intact when they are under threat, to help educators stay grounded when fear is present, to support schools in adapting instruction without losing dignity or connection, and to help young people make sense of their world through inquiry and reflection rather than silence or withdrawal.
Right now, we are meeting this moment in practical, relational, and intentional ways. We are facilitating listening and processing sessions for educators, convening peer learning networks, coaching school leaders on how to maintain psychological safety, and helping teachers lead conversations about identity, power, and belonging with care and clarity. We are co-designing inquiry modules and reflective routines tied directly to students’ experiences, helping schools prioritize learning goals when time is limited, and finding ways to maintain connection even when attendance is unpredictable. Sometimes our work is quiet. We sit with a first-year teacher as they navigate a difficult moment, play a game with students to preserve joy, or guide administrators in addressing misinformation with care. Other times it is bold. We reimagine school showcases or amplify student voice through journalism and storytelling. Every action reflects our mission, because this mission has always been about preparing schools, educators, and young people to thrive in a complex world.
The urgency of this work reveals itself in the daily lives of students and educators. Schools cannot do this alone. Teachers should not carry this alone. And organizations like World Savvy cannot sustain this work without the support of the community, funders, and partners who share our belief that education is more than instruction. It is the foundation for agency, dignity, and civic engagement. By investing in these capacities now, we ensure that learning environments remain places of connection, possibility, and resilience, even in the face of disruption.
I also know from experience how moments like what Minnesota and the United States are facing can ripple through communities and education systems. Political unrest, targeted enforcement, and fear erode trust in schools, destabilize workforces, and disrupt the routines that make learning possible. Educators face burnout, students face uncertainty, and entire districts can struggle to maintain stability. That is why our approach is both immediate and systemic. Through our whole-community and district-level work, we strengthen adult capacity, build relational trust, and create frameworks that allow schools to sustain learning today while positioning systems to withstand future disruptions. Meeting the moment requires attention to the urgent needs of students and educators, but it also demands foresight, planning, and the adaptation of practices and policies that preserve and improve the quality of life for every person in our communities.
What guides us is the conviction that young people are not passive recipients of history. They are meaning-makers, bridge-builders, and active participants in shaping the future. Minnesota is at a pivotal moment. We can allow disruption to fracture learning and belonging, or we can invest in the practices, relationships, and skills that allow schools to be places where inquiry, care, and connection thrive. World Savvy chooses the latter, because the future is not something that happens to young people. It is something they are building every day through the questions they ask, the stories they tell, and the courage they bring to learning how to live together in an interconnected, challenging, and beautiful world.
As a father of four children in Minnesota schools, and a member of the Somali community whose families and neighbors are living through this uncertainty, this work is deeply personal. Leading World Savvy in this moment means showing up not only as a CEO but as a parent, a community member, and someone who has experienced displacement and fear firsthand. I am guided every day by the knowledge that the decisions we make, the support we provide, and the care we offer matter not in theory, but in the real lives of students, educators, and families. This is why we meet this moment with intentionality, heart, and the full measure of our experience and commitment.
