It is around two and the
first day of training is about to finish. We started already at nine and I can
see that the heat and empty stomach is starting to impact everyone`s attention
span so it is time to stop. I am giving my closing speech –reflecting on
the things we learned, thanking all the participants and introducing the
assignments and topics for tomorrow. Then one of the participants
gives a beautiful impromptu speech and all of the ten participants make a
collective flower as an expression of gratitude. What a joyful and simple way
to bring a smile to someone`s face! It certainly secured a good spot
in my memory bank. Moments like this are great reminders of why teaching is one
of the best professions in the World.
The first day of the
workshop was outdoors in circles and small groups, speaking about the internet
and safety. We have 10 learners, who all want to become trainers, who will be
responsible for continuing the digital competencies training in Shianda after my
departure. All of them had finished a general computer course,
where they dissected a computer and learned how to use a mouse and write
documents and use paint to draw. This course was hosted by Josephato Chibata
Chibai, the head of a local partner organization PAPO (People Against Poverty),
who has been training young adults for some time now. Kenya is a country of
youth-nearly 75 % of Kenya`s population is under 35 years old. Youth employment
and the digital divide between urban and rural areas are significant problems.
Developing digital competencies gives young people in rural areas equal
opportunities in the labour market and the skills and tools to set up their
businesses.
Before the training, I
conducted two focus group interviews to modify the programme, developed by
MONDO and Tallinn University for the actual needs of the community. Most
of the participants in focus groups did not have much experience with the
digital world-only four participants from 16 had smartphones and were using email
and social networks. However, all of them were keen on learning and thought
that this will help them in the future. Young women saw that the internet is
for social networking and learning about new cultures, but men saw it also as a
tool for building their own company or applying for jobs. As the job situation
is a major problem for youth here then we decided to focus the workshop on
employment tools such as introducing different job sites, designing a resume
and managing an income. Altogether we will have six modules and two weeks of
learning. We will be meeting every day from nine to two to cover the content
and practice the things we learned using smartphones. After the first day, I am
quite confident that it will be an amazing two weeks, that will hopefully
be a great beginning of educational practices in our partner organization
and beyond.
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| MONDO donated 8 smartphones for PAPO |
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| Games and energizers are an important part of training |
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| Activating prior knowledge |
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| First training day |
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