By Amber McMunn
I met the Fellows of Cohort II one week after arriving in Nairobi from Ontario, Canada. Nairobi was to be my home for the next year as I completed a fellowship at Metis through Engineers Without Borders Canada. As the Metis Director of Storytelling, I arrived with the excitement of meeting education leaders within Nairobi and sharing the stories of their work to inspire others. Through this work, I wanted to grow the Metis Movement of reimagining education.
My Metis journey coincided in a timely manner with Cohort II Fellows. We started our journey
at the same time. As they completed their fellowship, I was six months into mine and halfway through my time living in Nairobi. This job had a learning curve, not only through adjusting to a new position but through life in a new city, in a new country, on a new continent. Throughout all this, it was the dedication and inspiration from our Fellows that kept me going. They welcomed me into their place of work and happily shared their personal and professional goals during their time with Metis.
As I got to know the Fellows and learned more about their bold ideas, I was introduced to the challenges experienced in the education sector in Kenya. More than this, I got to know the people who were addressing these challenges and passionate about changing them. I saw many challenges that reflected issues I experienced in the Canadian education system, which further reinforced to me that we need a global education revolution. And here I was, meeting people ready to lead it.
The issues addressed by the Fellows covered a wide range of topics from how best to educate street youth, to connecting learning to life, to STEM for out of school youth. But the similarity was that they all wanted more for the youth they work with. They were all ready to give their time and energy to help ensure the education experience was made better for youths of today and youths of the future.
As the second Cohort comes to an end, I am sad to say goodbye to the Fellows. Though I feel extremely lucky to have met and worked with every person in Cohort II. They have inspired me more than they will ever know. The Fellows taught me to persevere through challenges, to always look for a solution when presented with a roadblock, and to believe that if we don’t agree with how things are currently being done, we can play a role in making it better. I look forward to the privilege of continuing to share their work and keep up to date on all the positive changes they are making within the education space. I am also excited about meeting and getting to know Cohort III. I do not think I can even anticipate what the incoming Cohort’s bold ideas will be, as every leader I have met working to reimagine the education space is addressing different challenges with innovation and passion.
If you are an individual that works in education and has an idea of how education can be made better, apply for Cohort III. We seek leaders who want to create an education sector that works across silos to create the best experience possible for all learners. If that is you, I can not wait to meet you and share your story.
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