Kelvin Doe in Sierra Leone. View his story:
I used to hack around with electronics when I was a teen, yes FM transmitters too, but the stuff that Kelvin does is pretty amazing. He clearly has an intrinsic feel for how things work and how he can fit together what he has to make something his community needs.
And I think it’s an awesome example of both learning, as well as on how innovation really works. Innovation is not driven by lots of money, and big corporations. Innovation happens when someone sees a problem, and figures out a (new) solution using the limited resources as their disposal.
Certainly, having some resources can help. But “infinite resources” don’t help good ideas bubble up magically. It’s often a degree of scarcity that makes the idea spark happen!
Finally, it’s a good example of how much young kids can do. It makes no sense for kids to never have touched a soldering iron, and possibly get to use one some time during university (if they go there). What a waste.
There are so many cool projects out there to get started with, and local groups that facilitate this learning and exploration! For instance Gold Coast TechSpace, founded by Steve Dalton and others, does exactly that. Check it out!
Since implementing this program I've really noticed how the students are improving.
Trent Perry, Teacher