Meet Madeline: FutureLearn flag bearer at Bestival
Madeline was one of the winners from our recent FutureLearn flag giveaway. She wanted to wave the flag at Bestival to share the message of free online learning. Here, in the first of a series of posts about FutureLearners to celebrate our first birthday, we hear Madeline’s story.
“I may live on an island, but it doesn’t matter,” says Madeline who lives on the Isle of Wight in the UK. “I can be close to everyone online.”
Madeline took the FutureLearn flag to Bestival – a four-day, annual music festival, which this year attracted over 50,000 happy revellers to this gorgeous part of the UK. Check out Madeline’s colourful photos from Bestival.
“Here, Bestival is the highlight of the year,” says Madeline. “It was set up 10 years ago by promoter, DJ and record label boss, Rob Da Bank. I wanted to win so I could wave the FutureLearn flag at Bestival, right at the top of the hill, which is a beautiful point. I wanted to get maximum attention, and to be surrounded by all the other flags too.”
While festival goers were too busy having fun to ask what the flag meant, Madeline says plenty of people were happy to hold the flag and have their photo taken with it.
Madeline is a Coach and Learning Consultant, who has been involved in the development of the University of Southampton’s “Digital Marketing: Challenges and Insights” course.
We asked Madeline to tell us why free online learning was important to her.
“I believe that ‘digital’ brings learning to everyone, wherever they may be. High quality learning offers enormous opportunities for all of us to get engaged in subjects that interest us. Whether we want to develop professional skills, widen our horizons or connect with other people with similar interests, FutureLearn provides a wealth of high quality experiences. It’s been great to be involved – and I want to do more.”
So, does this mean that the flag will be having another outing in the future? “I may fly the flag again, perhaps on the beach here on the Isle of Wight!” says Madeline.
Do you have a great story about your experience of FutureLearn? Send it to us at yourstories@futurelearn.com. We’d love to hear from you!
