Femi Goes to School
I’m not doing resolutions for 2019 but I have challenged myself to post something everyday this year to share bits of myself with the world. This is Day 1. Please follow me to be updated as I release more posts. This was first posted on www.femilonge.net
Here’s to New Beginning
Exactly 4 months ago today, I returned back to university as a student. This was after 16 years of intense professional commitment to understanding & enabling social innovation.
I am currently studying for a Masters in Education Technology, focused on how learning sciences are impacted by new technologies and breakthroughs in cognitive science and neuroscience, at the Centre for Research & Interdisciplinarity (CRI) in Paris.
Actually, I had thought about resuming my studies several times but somehow things just didn’t click. Either the timing wasn’t right or I wasn’t convinced about the academic programme or I just couldn’t find a convincing reason to commit for a full year. Somehow this time, things aligned.
I know this announcement raises many questions so I’ll try to answer some of the bigger ones as best I can right now.
Why now?
I have spent the last 16 years driving social change as best I could through my various job roles (in AIESEC, Branston Square, Young Foundation, Africa++ & GBF) and through CcHub, the social innovation centre I co-founded in Nigeria 8 years ago.
Growing up and going to school in Nigeria, I saw the effects of living in a society with a broken education system firsthand.
I believe I now have more perspective to make me maximise the Masters and yet I am young enough to convert the output into solutions that can have an effect on the world.
Better late than never they say!
Why Paris?
Well I came here for the school.
The CRI is a fantastic institution that I had the privilege of coming to for a short programme in summer of 2015 and I fell in love with their ethos and pedagogy.
Founded 15 years ago by the inspirational duo of Francois Taddei & Ariel Lindner, the centre’s focus is on pushing the boundaries at the intersection of life sciences, learning sciences and digital sciences in a way that contributes to solving the biggest problems facing our planet.
According to Francois, the aim of the CRI is to graduate “Social Scientific Entrepreneurs” who can have a long lasting impact on the world.
I came here to ground my ideas and knowledge about education in a research and interdisciplinary approach which I think I need to up my game.
What about CcHub?
Well, after 8 years, I am taking a break for the year to focus on my studies.
Thankfully, we have built a solid team (70+ strong) who continue to push the envelope on how we use innovation, social capital and technology to push for social impact in Nigeria & beyond.
Our aim was always to build an institution that can continue to function and thrive without dependence on the founders. This year would be a needed test of the systems we have built so far.
That said, my partner and our CEO, Bosun is still actively leading the team I will continue to support from the sidelines as a Director till I am done studying.
But if you want to talk about opportunities to collaborate with CcHub, I will be more than happy to speak and to connect you to the most appropriate team mate to advance the conversation.
Why Education Technology/Learning Science?
The education system as a catalyst for progress and social mobility has been a passion of mine for the longest time. I wrote a bit about this in a blogpost last year when I talked about The Education System Africa needs.
Since then, I have felt the urge to identify areas where I can make meaningful contributions to improve the quality of education that young people, especially from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, have access to.
In a rapidly changing world of work where machines are expected to cause massive disruptions, we need to re-tool the education system to adequately prepare our young people to remain relevant.
In my classes and internships (yes, I’ll be an intern soon), I am studying how learning happens and how to shape projects that can have massive impact in the sector using a researcher’s lens. Watch this space for more information as things start to get more concrete.
What about your other interests?
I am a proud multipotentialite and my many interests and passions remain intact.
I am still heavily passionate about how we can use innovation to solve social problems in Africa and beyond.
I am also keen as to how technology and entrepreneurship can be used as tools to create sustainable business-driven solutions that may play out as social tech startups.
I also retain passion about how to connect startups to large corporations and brands that can help them rapidly scale in mutually beneficial partnerships.
These interests lay active and I will continue to work, write and consult on them alongside my studies. If there is any way I can support you in these regards, let me know
So what next?
Well, for the next 7 months, I am a full time student, Paris is home and the grind is my books. Thankfully, I was bumped into the 2nd year of the Masters so I am only here for 1 year.
If you happen to be in or passing through Paris let’s catch a drink. I can also share coffee via Skype :-).
I’ll keep updating this page with my adventures and will also start sharing some of the things I have learnt over the last 8 years supporting innovative solutions in Nigeria’s budding startup scene.
If there are interesting people in Paris, you think I should meet, please introduce us. I am sponge right now soaking up as much knowledge as I can. After all, learning is life!!!
Please share any thoughts, questions, or suggestions you may have for me in the comment section below.