KASA’s 1-week training bootcamp
KASA recently hosted a 1-week bootcamp for kids between the ages of 7–13 years. The aim of the program was to discover, inspire, and train young learners from Kibera in science, technology, problem-solving. Kibera being an underserved and informal region in Kenya, a lot of young people’s dreams die pretty early due to lack of enough inspiration and nurturing from the relevant stakeholders.
We trained 26 residents of Kibera. Some of the particular sessions that the learners attended include an introduction to computer programming using Scratch (Scratch is a gamified program developed by MIT to help young people learn programming concepts), brainstorming and design thinking, space-themed hand-drawings, financial literacy, basic computer skills, among others.
The curriculum was designed to spark young learners interest in science, technology, and real-life problem-solving. Also, as opposed to the popular education system, we tried as much as possible to introduce new and innovative ways of delivering the classes that promote collaboration and teamwork among the learners. For example, we encouraged the learners to share their solutions with others — in the school system, this is considered copying/cheating. Furthermore, we encouraged the learners to share their thoughts and opinions without thinking too much about the correctness of them — this is contrary to the education system that more often does not encourage the learners to share answers or thoughts that might not be correct.
Apart from the classroom classes, our learners also involved themselves in extracurricular activities. Some of the activities included games (such as chess, scrabble, and ludo).
KASA plans to organize and host more of these events in the future, and make them even longer than one week. Our aim with the events is to introduce, encourage, inspire, and train young learners from Kibera in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) so they can use the acquired skills to assist in making real change. We introduce new learning and teaching techniques to make sure that the learners acquire the skills in the best possible means.
We would like to appreciate those who helped support the program.
Below is a short video that was shot while the program was going on. Check it out.
