What is Building Hope?
The Educators of America Building Hope Mission was formally launched in April of 2017 in Buffalo, New York. The Building Hope Mission is our flagship international service mission. The announcement of the Building Hope Project took place at a special event for our colleague and board director Brett Claydon as he departed for two-year volunteer service in Namibia with the US Peace Corps from April 2017 – June 2019.
The goal of the Building Hope Project is sustainability – not dependability. Too often, freshly built schools, equipment, or donated materials are only used for a couple of years’ time before they are obsolete or are abandoned because there is a missing training and development component. If a computer is donated – it must include training and coaching on how to use it to its highest degree. Also, did that specific village, town, or community require computers?
The answer lies within the people of the community. What problems and challenges do they face? What current resources do they have? How can knowledge and skills be transferred to individuals in order to assist in solving real-world problems?
We, Educators of America, believe in human development. Building the capacities of others so they are the ones coming up with the solution. This provides ownership, buy-in, and most importantly, sustainability. The Building Hope Project program is twofold. First, to build the capacities of men, women, and children who seek to find solutions to obstacles in their communities and two, to provide Americans the opportunity to share their expertise with an international audience while encouraging relationship building, increasing empathy, and decreasing ethnocentric behavior.
Our Building Hope Projects
Namibia 2022
The Building Hope 2022 Project was a significant initiative aimed at enhancing educational practices in Namibia by focusing on the implementation and development of the Project-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy. This project, which was made possible through funding from the Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program by the US Embassy in Windhoek, sought to empower Namibian educators with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively integrate PBL into their classrooms.
The core of the project revolved around a three-day intensive workshop held in the Eros neighborhood of Windhoek. This workshop brought together seven teachers and administrators from various regions across Namibia. The diverse representation of participants ensured that the benefits of the workshop could potentially reach a broad spectrum of students across the country. By focusing on PBL, the workshop aimed to move away from traditional rote learning methods and towards a more interactive and student-centered approach, where learners actively engage in projects that integrate various subject areas and promote critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Throughout the three days, participants were not only trained on the fundamentals of Project-Based Learning but were also equipped with the skills to train other educators in their respective regions. This aspect of the workshop was particularly important, as it created a ripple effect that could lead to widespread adoption of PBL across Namibian schools. By empowering educators to become trainers themselves, the project ensured sustainability and long-term impact, making it a significant step towards educational transformation in the country.
In addition to the focus on PBL, the workshop also provided participants with an overview of US geography and culture. This component of the training was designed to broaden the educators’ understanding of the global context in which they operate and to help them incorporate international perspectives into their teaching and participating in the Building Cultural Bridges program. By understanding different cultural and geographic contexts, educators can create more enriching and diverse learning experiences for their students.
Another key objective of the Building Hope 2022 Project was to introduce workable Astronomy lessons that could be integrated into PBL lessons. Astronomy, with its inherent ability to spark curiosity and wonder, was seen as an ideal subject to inspire students and engage them in hands-on learning. By providing educators with Astronomy lessons tailored to the PBL approach, the workshop aimed to make science education more accessible and exciting for Namibian students.
Overall, the Building Hope 2022 Project represented a significant investment in the future of Namibian education. By focusing on Project-Based Learning, and by equipping educators with the tools to inspire and engage their students, the project laid the groundwork for a more dynamic and interactive educational system in Namibia. The workshop’s success in training a core group of educators and empowering them to train others ensures that the impact of the project will be felt for years to come, as more and more schools across Namibia adopt and benefit from the PBL approach.
Namibia 2019
Discovering a community through Brett’s Peace Corps service in the Sub-Saharan African country of Namibia, Educators of America was able to have a discussion with community leaders and Brett that identified challenges faced by students and teachers within the local public school. Challenges for the teachers included acquiring techniques for including students with learning disabilities and strategies for behavior. Students identified that they wanted to know more about entrepreneurship, financial literacy, healthy lifestyles and improving self-esteem.
Oranjemund is the name of the community and its desire to empower itself both educationally and economically is awe-inspiring. A delegation selected by Educators of America and a cohort of Oranjemund community leaders including school principals, teachers, and young entrepreneurs teamed up for a capacity building and knowledge sharing workshop to enhance inclusive education skills of teachers while strengthening students’ mastery in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, healthy lifestyle decisions and improving self-esteem.
Two weeks of experiences, relationship building, workshops, language learning, and the occasional games of newly learned foursquare with Namibian students humbled and expanded the minds of the American eight-person volunteer delegation sent to Namibia and Oranjemund. While the delegation shared knowledge and hosted participatory workshops with Namibian teachers and students, the volunteers discovered far more about Namibia, Namibian cultures, and international views than they could have ever imagined.
Building Hope in Namibia opened doors for Namibian teachers who now have the skills and assets to work with students with learning disabilities, effectively manage behaviors with positive reinforcement, and implement math and literacy centers in their schools.
Join Our Next Building Hope Mission
To learn more about the Building Hope Mission or to volunteer your service please contact us today!