Project H Design

Normally when people think about design, two organizing principles that come to mind are form and function.  Project H Design adds one more dimension to consider: social impact.

This nonprofit states its design principles as 

1) There is no design without (critical) action.

2) We design WITH, not FOR.

3) We document, share, and measure.

4) We start locally, and scale globally.

5) We design systems, not stuff.

A couple ideas they've implemented so far:

Learning Landscapes

Project H designed a low-cost playground that can be used to teach math skills to elementary students.  Playgrounds have been installed in North Carolina, Uganda, and the Dominican Republic.  They are seeking ten more schools interested in implementing the project as I write this.

Furniture for Rural Schools

This is a Mexico City project focused on re-purposing old, unused furniture to make desks and tables for school classrooms.  Parents and community members were involved in building the furniture. Always good when a community can take ownership of what's in its schools.

An example of socially conscious design: these are glasses whose prescription can be adjusted without an eyecare professional (who would be tough to come across in rural, impoverished areas)

Saw the founder Emily Pilloton's book featured on the Colbert Report a while back.  Here is the interview.  She will present at TED this summer, which I'll link as soon as it's available.

Roots & Shoots

Jane Goodall has spearheaded a pretty cool global youth initiative for action on environmental issues.

I know some high schools and colleges have hiking clubs and younger children get involved in Cub Scouts and Brownies to explore the great outdoors, but this is an environmental organization with some oomph--local activities married with a global focus, and a global network of like-minded youths.  R&S groups aren't limited just to the US--groups have opened up in faraway locales in China and Tanzania.  Plus they get the full backing of the Jane Goodall Institute.

Their current campaigns in the US seem to be focused on tree plantings and promoting reusable bags.  Anyone can join this organization or start their own local group.  Website and resources here.

Pop Culture as Antidote to Violent Conflict

With the World Cup hoopla going on right now, soccer aka "football" is a big topic.  So what's so special about TV shows being made about soccer?

It is special if the shows' actors and the characters they portray come from conflicting ethnic groups and it is even more special if these shows air in countries with violent ethnic conflicts.

No team can win at soccer if their players feel torn apart by their ethnic differences.  So what matters more?  Winning or distrust?  It is precisely this tension that keeps viewers gripped by a show named "The Team" that is currently airing in several countries, including Kenya and Cote D'Ivoire.  A nonprofit organization called Search for Common Ground is the producer.

I learned about this effort while watching NOW on PBS.  You can watch the episode aptly named "Soap Opera for Social Change" here.

Global Grover

I came across a Sesame Street character who serves as a perfect ambassador for introducing young children to geography.  Global Grover is a traveling monster who participates in creative activities around the world--such as making tie-dyed t-shirts, flying kites, or playing musical instruments.  His clips highlight children from countries like Jamaica, Malaysia, and South Africa.

I wish there was some way to post his videos on this blog, but at this point I can only link.  Several of them can be watched on the Sesame Street website here.  There is a complete list of episodes here.


WPE volunteers may face cultural barriers when working with their students, and maybe Grover can be a useful tool to expose students to the concept of cultural diversity. 

College Scholarships for African Students

I'm writing this post to serve as inspiration for WPE volunteers and students.  Children in migrant communities such as Manye's may write off their studies thinking they could never afford the college education necessary to work as the journalists, scientists, or doctors they dream of becoming.  It is possible for these students to pursue a post-secondary education, as there are plenty of scholarships and grants geared specifically for students from African nations.  I'm writing this post so that teachers and teachers' aides can easily dispel any defeatist attitudes lingering in their classes.

This appears to be the most comprehensive list.

This website has a filtering mechanism to narrow down opportunities based on eligibility and interest.

Finally, this one lists a broad variety of scholarships and grants.

Some highlights:

• Scholarship for study in Taiwan

• Scholarship for Kenyan students at St. Lawrence University in Canada

• WAAW Foundation scholarship for female African students with financial need who pursue studies at an African university

• Reach Oxford scholarship for full-tuition and living expenses for students with excellent academic record and financial need

• Utrecht Excellence scholarship for study in the Netherlands

• MMMF Educational Grant for women with a record of service to women's and children's issues to study at a South African university

Anyone with internet access would be able to find these links, and the resources are overwhelming to sort through.  But I hope this topic will encourage volunteers to talk to their students about higher education and how to go about pursuing it.  And maybe that will motivate students to study harder and continue attending school.

Developing nations harnessing their own young talent

While I was browsing the web for development education news, I came across some education reform nonprofits I hadn't heard of.  It seems as if the Teach for America model of placing high achieving college graduates in struggling schools has expanded to other countries, including some developing ones.

For recent college graduates, the program offers a viable opportunity to improve their country's schools.  For schools with teacher shortages, it provides access to motivated and highly educated teachers.  Judging from their website, the organization seems to be well-funded (Dell Foundation is listed as a donor).

Check out Teach for All.  They have offices in Estonia, India, and Peru, among others.  Looks like all the continents are represented, except for Africa (and Antarctica for obvious reasons).

Yemen

Tom Friedman writes in the New York Times today about the impact education can have to counter extremism in Yemen. The country was allegedly much more culturally progressive decades ago. Friedman delineates a trend in Yemeni schools that started in the 70s and 80s funded by oil money.  A governance professor he interviews laments the loss of "skills like problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, debate, organization and teamwork" in the face of absolutism.  Friedman says:


In other words, we are now fighting for the Middle East of the 2020s and 2030s. Huge chunks of this generation are lost. When I went to see Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, at his Sana palace, he was in a reflective mood: “I would wish that this arms race could end and instead we could have a race for development.”


Also check out Friedman's earlier Postcard From Yemen.