It is crucial, explains Garland, that young people have access to such intellectually stimulating initiatives at an early age. "The health of the mind - the ability to create and interrogate ideas - is critical for our economic growth and social development," she says. "In a region where many sleep hungry, and live in poor, hostile environments, it is tempting to consider the nurturing of 'thinking' as less of a priority. But achieving meaningful change of our difficult circumstances can only happen if we nurture the capacity to develop and implement the solutions ourselves."
Dave Eggers began this operation out of one small storefront. After school hours, these locations serve as tutoring centers. During the day, teachers bring in classes.
“826 programs almost always end with a finished product, such as a newspaper, a book, or a film. This teaching model, known as project-based learning, encourages students to collaborate and to make creative decisions, and gives them ownership over the learning process.”
And, say Eggers, Garland, and the recently involved Nick Hornby, all of that creativity, imagination, thinking and ownership eventually translate into leadership.
I think the quote is quite interesting from Muthoni Garland. Garland, speaking from the perspective of a Kenyan, challenges the notion that “thinking” is somehow less important in the context of extreme poverty and hostility. When thinking about training leaders in that context, Garland finds it vital to challenge individuals to think creatively about problem solving at a young age. This enables the Kenyans to create solutions to the problems of poverty, homelessness, and hunger themselves. Instead of being reliant on foreign aid, this emphasis on problem solving and intellectual stimulation will enable Kenyans to devise plans themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting point. My recent trip to Haiti revealed the depth of dependency on foreign aid. Not only that, but the number of young college educated leaders is very small. This is not due to a lack of opportunity but the majority of educated national-born Haitians live outside of Haiti. So those who are educated are no longer a part of the solution. Those who remain in Haiti are mostly uneducated and because of the need for constant work to sustain life, there is not much public discourse concerning the way the country should operate. Garland’s model of stimulating youth intellectually could certainly help the context I saw.