iHub By Angela Crandall / March 19, 2013
Waza Experience: Preparing the next generation of thoughtful techies in Kenya
Waza (Swahili for “Active Thinking”) Experience is an iHub community initiative that aims to foster active thinking and creativity in Kenyan youth. The idea for Waza was born out of a noted lack of emphasis on creative thinking and problem solving in the traditional Kenyan education system. Waza effectively grooms the next generation into thoughtful technologists, entrepreneurs, and innovators, equipped with the “soft skills” needed to create better solutions for Kenya and Africa. By instilling creativity, problem-solving/creative thinking, and communication skills in these children, we want to help make Kenya’s next generation of technologists even better equipped to adapt and innovate!
Our team believes that children are endowed with natural curiosity. As we get older, our environment and surrounding culture often teach us to become close-minded and to accept things the way they are. We don’t think it needs to be like that. Waza Experience uses music, art, history, technology, and cultural lessons to open up minds and spur creative solutions to everyday problems faced by underprivileged youth.
Our Waza Experience community initiative is two-fold:
1) building a new curriculum—grounded in design thinking principles and Kenyan culture/context—to inspire Class 7 children to be more creative, facilitate problem-solving, and improve communication skills;
2) bringing iHub community members to engage with the youth in a mentorship and training capacity.
By interacting with the Waza students, iHub members will also gain new insights (from the point of view of a child); experience new environments; and further empathize with other Kenyans in walks of life.
If you are interested in learning more about Waza, please join us for our information session on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 5:30 pm at the iHub. For any questions, please email rsvp@ihub.co.ke.
Author : Angela Crandall
Angela studies the uptake and increasing utility of ICTs in East Africa from a user’s perspective. Angela is currently a Research Manager at iHub and also co-lead of Waza Experience, an iHub community initiative aimed at prompting under-privileged children to explore innovation and entrepreneurship concepts grounded in real-world experience.
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8 Comments
Robnar at 01:41:54AM Thursday, March 28, 2013
How can one become a part of this initiative and when will it start
ReplyAngela Crandall at 09:08:24AM Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thanks for your interest @Robnar. You can sign up for the information session on April 2nd (5:30 pm at the iHub) here.
ReplySaid Fuad at 16:28:53PM Tuesday, April 2, 2013
is there a hangout, live stream from ihub on this, considering techies not in Nairobi?
ReplyAngela Crandall at 16:30:01PM Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Hi Said,
Yes, we will be doing a google hangout. We will tweet and post the link when it is up.
Cheers!
Replysteve at 23:42:12PM Tuesday, April 2, 2013
hi
Replydue to the hailstones downpour today couldnt make it for the waza meeting though i had massive interest to be a part of this project….. any other meeting or pointers as to where or when i could perhaps signup for the project again? i will highly appreciate that
Angela Crandall at 09:22:53AM Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Hi Steve. Thanks so much for your interest. Please sign up here (https://docs.google.com/a/ihub.co.ke/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dDFhMDdTbzBQOWlVR3Bad1plNnpER3c6MQ) and we will be in touch to arrange another meeting. Thanks!
ReplyAngela Crandall at 09:23:38AM Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Hi Robnar. If you are still interested in Waza, please sign up here (https://docs.google.com/a/ihub.co.ke/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dDFhMDdTbzBQOWlVR3Bad1plNnpER3c6MQ).
ReplyWaza Experience: Onwards! at 09:30:58AM Wednesday, April 3, 2013
[...] you were unable to make our Waza Experience information session yesterday, but are still interested in joining the community endeavor, please [...]
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