* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
For more than 30 years, Ashoka has been selecting and supporting social innovators around Africa. In addition to championing these leaders of change, we are now working to support primary and secondary schools that are offering younger generations the necessary tools to face tomorrow's challenges.
With 30 schools in eight countries, Ashoka Africa is leading the way to re-think education for the 21st century. Read some inspiring examples of the Changemaker Schools selected across the continent:
South Africa
Imagine a school where your motto is “teach me and I’ll forget, engage me and I’ll always remember”
Imagine a school where you get to meet the leader of your country and challenge her/him to support a hands-on curriculum in all schools;
Sahel
Imagine a school where your parents accompany you in learning a new language
Imagine a school where you lead a public awareness campaign on safety
Imagine a school where your mentor is the local chief of your community
Imagine a school where you attend camp instead of a study session to prepare for exams;
East Africa I
Imagine a school where you get hands-on with farming and directly apply these skills at home
Imagine a school where you share stories during a student assembly
Imagine a school where you are able to control your own nutritional nourishment
Imagine a school where you learn and play side by side with students with special needs
Imagine a school where you practise patience and gentleness in addition to math and reading
Imagine a school where you have no rules and are supported to be responsible and think deeply;
West Africa
Imagine a school where you practise sports in sync with a social and emotional curriculum
Imagine a school where “Adventure” is one of your learning ideals
Imagine a school where you team up with your fellow students to preserve your cultural heritage
Imagine a school where collaborative learning is the highlight of everyday learning
Imagine a school where practical leadership is incorporated to the curriculum
Imagine a school where creativity and leadership is embedded in learning.
For these 30 Ashoka Changemaker Schools, reality has outmatched imagination. These schools across Africa are bringing empathy, leadership, creativity and team work to the classroom and teachers are creating a new generation of Changemakers. In a context of high youth unemployment and increasing challenges, Ashoka Changemaker Schools are offering a new future to the children of Africa.
This month, Ashoka and Virgin Unite are bringing you stories from the new Africa. Meet the next generation of African Changemakers and learn from today's leading social innovators who are busy transforming the continent.
- Keep an eye out for more within this series by following AshokaUK and Virgin Unite on twitter, using the hashtag #newAfrica.
- Article by Nourdin Maghrebin, originally appeared on VirginUnite
