Partnership: Going far, together
From sport to scale: why the power of partnership has shaped our approach to impact in the US and beyond.
Melanie Washington speaking about the power of partnership in education.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
Melanie Washington, Chief Partnerships Officer, writes about partnership at the Micro:bit Educational Foundation
Someone recently introduced me to the saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It got me thinking about our partnership work at the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and, more specifically, the growth of our work in the US.
Sport has always been a big part of my life. My dad was a member of the YMCA from the age of 15, and one of my fondest memories is the first time he took me to his gym to do a circuit class together. It felt like being invited into his world. So when I had children, it felt completely natural that sport would become a big part of their lives too.
My son lives and breathes football (which probably isn’t surprising, given that we live in Manchester). My daughter, though, found herself drawn to two very different passions: gymnastics and volleyball. One is an individual sport, where perfection is the goal and success rests entirely on your own shoulders. The other is a team sport, where you win and lose together.
One of my greatest joys was watching her compete. But over the 13 years she spent in gymnastics, it became increasingly hard to watch her chase perfection and be so tough on herself when she fell short. Everything changed when, at 13, she joined her school volleyball team. She was instantly hooked.
Suddenly, it was about being part of a team: a group of players with different skills, experiences and roles. She found her place as a libero, a defensive specialist, and when the team came together with their own specialisms, that’s when the magic happened. Each player brought something different, and those differences didn’t compete with one another; they strengthened each other. Together, they were far greater than the sum of their individual parts.
Different strengths. One shared goal.
For me, this is the real beauty and power of working together and it’s for this very reason that partnership is one of the four values of the Micro:bit Educational Foundation. Our ambition is a big one: to inspire every child to create their best digital future, and to reach 100 million children by 2028. That’s an ambition far too large for any one organisation to carry alone. Like any great team, it only works when everyone brings something different, their own skills, experiences and strengths, and plays their part.
Since joining the Foundation almost three years ago (1 March 2023, to be exact), we’ve spent time exploring what it really means to be in partnership, centred around a shared purpose. We’ve actively sought out collaborators who share our ambition and values, and are willing to work together to achieve it.
Partners collaborating during our LACOE Elementary CS Integration work.
A powerful example of this is our work in the USA. In 2023, with funding from RS Group, we donated 500 micro:bits to Compton Unified School District to create opportunities for students to explore physical computing and coding, fostering digital creativity and enabling them to build real solutions using technology. Another local partner, 9 Dots, brought their expertise by providing training and ongoing support for educators, while micro:bit Champions played a crucial role in offering additional guidance and hands-on expertise.
Together, through summer schools, STEAM labs and other initiatives, Compton Unified School District and its partners built a year-long programme that meaningfully engaged students with the micro:bit and expanded their digital experiences. Each partner had a different role, but it was the way those roles came together that made the programme successful. No single partner could have achieved this alone; it was the alignment of local insight, technical expertise, funding and educator support that unlocked impact.
Co-design in action: bringing expertise together to support teachers and students.
The year culminated in a celebration event where students and teachers shared their work with peers, parents and the wider community. The impact was undeniable: over 12,500 children reached, 300 teachers supported, and 33 schools involved. It showed what’s possible when relatively small amounts of funding are combined with deep commitment and strong collaboration. By working alongside a local initiative, we were able to amplify the impact Compton Unified School District could have, not just within their district, but beyond it.
We knew we were onto something. So when the opportunity arose to take what we’d learned from this local partnership and apply it at a larger scale, alongside Greater Los Angeles Area Education Fund (GLAEF) and Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), we jumped at the chance. Working in partnership with GLAEF and LACOE has been a dream. Their commitment to putting Los Angeles County teachers and students at the heart of everything they do has been truly inspiring.
Students sharing real-world solutions developed through collaborative learning.
The project, which took place throughout 2025, has delivered powerful outcomes. While the full findings will be published shortly, it’s already clear that this way of working, grounded in strong partnerships and shared purpose, can deliver real, meaningful impact at scale.
So, what comes next? Well, we’re now piloting this approach with a set of schools that cover all 50 US states, taking what we’ve learned about local impact and applying it at a larger scale. It’s about bringing together the right mix of partners at local, regional and national levels, each playing a distinct role, but all working towards the same goal.
Inspiring the next generation through inclusive, community-led collaboration.
Across this work, and in so many other areas of the Foundation, we see the same pattern emerging. There are countless people, organisations, government partners and Ministries of Education who share the same ambition. Yet too often, the instinct is to move quickly and tackle challenges individually, working in parallel rather than together. As the saying reminds us, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. Just like on a volleyball court, it’s only when we unite our different skills, experiences and strengths around a shared goal that lasting, meaningful impact happens.
