April 17, 2018
Happy Creativity and Innovation Week!
The international holiday began on April 15th, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday. Da Vinci was an inventor, an innovator, and a creator and his influence still has a major impact on modern society. Here at the Foundation For Tomorrow, we encourage students to pursue both their academic and creative interests and passions. One way that TFFT has done this is through creative expression and learning opportunities for Scholars.
Recently, some of our Peer Mentor Scholars attended a Creative Capacity Building (CCB) workshop. CCB comes from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) D-Lab, which focuses on “development through discovery, design, and dissemination.”
The purpose of CCB is to train participants to create or adapt technologies that will improve their lives and strengthen their communities. CCB operates on the idea that relevant technology can contribute toward ending poverty. Instructors invite community members to participate in the entire design process via CCB, providing the opportunity for people whom these technologies are intended to benefit to be an active creator, rather than just user, of these inventions.
Some of our TFFT Scholars attended CCB at Twende, a social innovation center, in Arusha, Tanzania. Twende’s mission is to empower people to design and create their own technology solutions to community challenges. Along with creating their own innovations to benefit Tanzanians, they also host and teach multiple workshops, one of them being CCB.
Logo from http://www.twende-tanzania.org/
Melissa, TFFT’s Country Director, shared some responses from the five peer mentors regarding their experience.
Describe what you did in the workshop.
Monica: “When I was in the workshop, it was very amazing because it was very fun and full of helpful activities. This workshop helped me think more and more. I made a machine for grinding maize which I gave to my grandmother, because in her village, people grind maize using their hands. This machine helped her very much!”
What was the most challenging part of the workshop?
Ndera: “The most challenging part of the workshop was how to make or think of a thing or project that will help society and which is most applicable in my society. Another challenging part was that there was not a lot of time to finish the project.”
Sarah: “The part that I faced the most challenge was coming up with a project that we will do and stick with throughout.”
What was your favorite part of the workshop?
Ndera: “My favorite part of the workshop was watching people introduce and explain their projects that they made. Also when the experts were explaining traditional projects that were helpful to society like the telephone or the blender which began from simple places like ours.”
Joyce: “My favorite part was when the facilitators were explaining about their former projects that they did in their life. I enjoyed it because it was interesting and from them, I learned not to give up in life.”
How do you think this workshop will impact your role as a peer mentor?
Sarah: “It will help me be more creative and help me with critical thinking. It was also help me be able to solve problems easier through the application of the activities that we did.”
Nashivai: “It will help me solve different problems that the society faces. When someone brings you his/her problem, you will be able to advise him/her and help the person.”
Joyce: “I can inspire my friends on how to be more creative in their life.”
Ndera: “I think this workshop will impact my role as a peer mentor. I will have a positive impact because it will help me be a good thinker, it will help me create new ideas and be a good scientist, it will help me to be good assistance in my society by being a good problem solver.”
Monica: “The workshop will help me protect my environment. It also helped me learn to be more creative and will help me be a mentor to people that bring their problems to me.”
TFFT is so proud of our brilliant and creative scholars and how they are using their strong minds and unique ideas to change the world!