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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.

Welcome to ReimaginED, Metis’ podcast! Together we learn from the best practices, challenges, and stories of education innovators in Kenya. You may just find your next co-founder, board member, principal, or friend on this podcast. Did you know life skills can be taught through dance? Listen to our first episode as Francis Odhiambo shares how ChezaCheza is reimagining education using dance. You will finish the conversation feeling inspired by how he is using his local knowledge (metis) to address challenges in Kibera. Get inspired here! As the podcast is in its pilot phase, we would love your feedback so that we can improve. Tell us what you want to hear, how we can improve, or if you know of an innovator we should hear from!

By Amber McMunn Students attending post-secondary school do so with the hope of gaining the skills they need to pursue a fulfilling career. They are dedicating their time, finances, and talent to an institution they believe will help them. However, it takes an average of 5 years for a Kenyan graduate to find a job. Youth finish school lacking the skills and competencies they need to be successful in the 21st century. The 2018 Skills Mismatch Report by the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), details how individuals with degrees have taken up positions meant for diploma and certificate holders such as clerical and receptionist positions. Those with diplomas and certificates are then edged out of jobs and unable to find work. Unemployment rates have been reported as the highest for those with secondary levels of education, who also make up a majority of the labor force. This suggests significant skills mismatches in the labor market. The FKE report further explains that employers are now spending an average of Sh20,000 up to Sh100,000 to train new employees. This training is to address the skills gaps employers are finding with their new hires. As post-secondary graduates are unable to find work and employers are paying to train them, this demonstrates a gap in the system. There needs to be a change and there are a number of organizations doing the work to make this change happen. Organizations aiming to address these skills gaps are growing throughout Nairobi and across the continent. Some, like Moringa, CAP-YEI, ALX, Tustawi, and Tunapanda develop technical and soft skills. Others, such as Shortlist, Fuzu, and Kipawa support with placement. Sunflower and Lumen Labs are examples that develop life skills in younger kids and some, including GMin, Educate!, and Junior Achievement develop entrepreneurship. We can grow the efficacy of these organizations, and close the skills gap, through more intentional collective learning and collaborative action. On Wednesday, September 18th, we saw the potential of this at an event Metis co-hosted with Nairobi EdTech--Innovating for CBC: Building competencies for leadership and life. Representatives from some of the above organizations shared a dilemma they are facing in their work. Collaboratively, attendees brainstormed and discussed solutions. This event allowed everyone present to share successes and failures from their own work and to leverage synergies. If we are going to address a challenge of this scale, it is going to take the collective efforts of a myriad of organizations. Wednesday night was a small testament to the potential of a more coherent ecosystem in closing the skills gap. To advance our collective mission, we need diverse leaders and institutions who are willing to support each other and understand how their work fits into a broader picture.

By Wanjira Mathai Wanjira is a Metis Fellow in Cohort II who is an inspiring leader, with over 20 years of experience on both local and international platforms. She is currently leading the development of the Wangari Maathai Foundation’s programs to advance the legacy of Prof. Wangari Maathai by nurturing a culture of purpose and integrity through curriculum for students and teacher training that inspires courageous leadership In January 2016, the East Africa Institute released the results of the East African Youth Survey. About Kenya we learnt that 80 percent of our population is under the age of 35! So we have a very youthful population into whose future the delivery of countless development goals rests. We also learnt from the survey that youth in Kenya (and East Africa) are optimistic about the future, they believe corruption is a legitimate way of doing business, and a large percentage of them reported that they are afraid to stand up for what they believe in for fear of retribution. How is this possible in a country that produced one of the boldest activists in the world (Professor Wangari Maathai) who went on to win the most coveted prize in the world, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize? There has never been a time so critical in our history to inspire courageous leadership in our young people. A somewhat fearful and optimistic population that believes in corruption as a tool for progress, will not get us there. We must do something to change this and do it fast! And we must start early in their lives. The Wangari Maathai Foundation (WMF) recently collaborated with Crossing Thresholds to bring over 100 children from Kibera’s Mobjap and FAFU Schools, and some of their teachers, to Karura Forest. It was magical in many ways. None of these children had ever been to the forest, and some had never left Kibera. But thanks to both organizations, we made it possible through the Green Jeneration (J is for ‘Junior’). The Green Jeneration is an initiative created by children, for children who told us they want to be part of “making the world a better place”. This movement, supported by the WMF, creates beautiful learning environments by greening schools, improving the learning environment, and developing the value of responsible stewardship. The Green Jeneration creates opportunities for children of all walks of life to spend time in nature at the Karura Forest under the stewardship of the Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust. According to Six Seconds research, the climate in a school determines the success of the school and is linked to the level of engagement of the school community - teachers, students, governors, and parents. That the more conducive the climate in a school, the more engaged the school community will be. In the process of engaging with the Green Jeneration, children will also enrich their environmental awareness as they care and nurture the plants in their school. Education should be about building life skills for a future we know little about. Children need to be prepared for jobs that do not currently exist. But what we know is that whatever those jobs will be, they will need people of character to staff them. So as we pursue our various missions, let us do so knowing that the great work is laying the foundation for the future. Winter Wheat by Anita Roderick captures the essence of the slow deep work we are all engaged in. We must persist because it’s worth it: When I was young I thought that failure was impossible All wrongs would be righted in my time. Now I am old I see that failure IS impossible I pass the torch to you. Will you hold it high? For we are sowing winter wheat That other hands will harvest That they might have enough to eat After we are gone. We will plant shade trees that we will not sit under We will light candles that others can see their way We’ll struggle for justice though we’ll never see it flower Our children’s children will live in peace one day. As a Metis Fellow, I was inspired by the articles we read at the beginning of this journey. By far my favorite was one by Fred Swaniker, about Moments of Obligation. I loved it because it confirmed that the challenges we face pursuing purpose are meant to be hard. It’s hard work pursuing purpose, but when we are addressing what seem like massive challenges, drawing on our passion, and knowing that we are uniquely equipped to tackle them is all we really need. The rest is heart. Stick with it for the long haul.

By Rukia Sebit Photos by Rebecca Crook Rukia is a Metis Fellow in Cohort II. She is a change maker who believes in improving lives of the economically disadvantaged by providing literacy among children. She is passionate about using technology as a force for social change, empowerment, literacy, and the education of young women and girls. What does it take to support children to believe in themselves and become who they want to be? Learn from Sunflower’s approach in Kibera, Nairobi. Students head home after an afternoon at Sunflower full of learning, laughter and growth. Joyce* is a grade six pupil at a local private school in Kibera slum. She was born and raised in Kibera and lives with both parents and four other siblings in a two roomed house. She has been in and out of school for the better part of her school years because of either school fees arrears that her parents could not raise or learning resources that were never there. These factors make Joyce and other girls and boys from the same environment lag behind academically and branded as low performing children. This means that any academic opportunity will be given to the ones who are top in their class. Joyce was one of our first beneficiaries at Sunflower Trust. She joined Sunflower with an aim of being linked to a scholarship or sponsor who would enable her to smoothly finish her primary education. At Sunflower, instead of finances, we provided her with a space and an environment where she can be heard, where she expresses herself without any fear of victimization, and somewhere she can interact with learners like her who are facing similar challenges. She also has access to learning resources and people she can see as role models. These are people who have stories similar to hers and are now successful. Through Sunflowers after school program, Joyce has not only improved academically, but also her attitude has improved, mental health, behavioral change, and most importantly she has people around her who listen. A young girl peaks over a car window as she leaves Sunflower to go home at the end of the day. Sunflower believes in its LEADership principles which are the guiding force behind all programming; we are building LEADers through the active cultivation of Love, Education, Action, and Discipline. Every day, we challenge our Fellows to demonstrate our LEAD principles through their actions towards themselves and one another. We celebrate and track when they do! When children demonstrate a LEAD principle they receive a bead: red for love, blue for education, green for action, and yellow for discipline. They wear the resulting bracelets with pride! Literacy as leadership and a form of justice is at the core of our programming. Free literacy is not simply the ability to read and write fluently, but the ability to freely express oneself through reading, writing, discussion, and arts. While there are many literate youth in the world, there are few who are truly freely literate; whose voices are heard, whose opinions and beliefs are listened to and taken into account, and who have the ability to fully express themselves and be who they want to be. The Pathways to Alternative Learning and Education (PALE) is an alternative primary school program for vulnerable girls at risk of ending their education early due to a myriad of different challenges. Our PALE program begins in fifth grade. We work to identify girls at risk of ending their education early and transition them to the PALE program. PALE changes the trajectory of a girl’s life. PALE students receive a holistic, high-quality education from our highly trained educators. We strive to provide Sunflower Fellows with a world-class curriculum emphasizing critical thinking and reasoning, as well as opportunities for collaboration and enrichment activities at our partner schools. A robust after-school program with supplemental art, literacy, technology, and reproductive health programs provides daily enrichment to our PALE students. Bright, driven, and enthusiastic, our PALE students are the future leaders of their community and the world. This young student is as excited to attend Sunflower as we are to have everyone there! Joyce is in her second year at Sunflower and the improvement has been tremendous both academically and character wise. We are working with her until her final grade of primary school and we hope to make her dream come true by linking her to a scholarship that will see her through her secondary education. There are many young boys and girls like Joyce who haven’t gotten a chance to explore their capabilities which enable them to shine academically. Only if we come together can we identify and support these boys and girls to believe in themselves and become who they want to be.

ByClifford Oluoch A meal time at the inception of the organization Shule Mtaani in Deep Sea slums. The boys cook for themselves and eat as a family. Clifford is a Metis Fellow in Cohort II. A dynamic, fun-filled, and creative teacher, with a mentoring and writing career path spanning almost 30 years in local and international curriculum is what defines the “Odijo”, as fondly referred to by his street children. Education is at the heart of everything he dreams of. Junior was 18 years old when he passed away in the streets of Nairobi in early February 2019. He had been living on and off the streets of Westlands for the last twelve years, having dropped out of school twice, first when he was 7 years old and barely into standard 2. He had joined up with a group of other street boys with similar dispensation to eke out a living on the plush street of Westlands where revelers would part with generous amounts of money or leftovers of sophisticated foods. Junior became addicted to the street life and did not see a reason to go back to school, after all he was making as much as the housegirls in Westlands. But one thing that Junior did not contend with was that he would grow up and lose his childhood charm that made people part with money so easily. The older he grew, the scarcer the money became leading to frustration and possible foray into petty crime. At 15, Junior got his second shot at formal schooling when he met sponsors eager to get him back to mainstream schooling. He did not last a month, mainly because at 15, his Literacy and Numeracy skills were too rudimentary and he was put in a class with much younger and sharper students than him. He dropped out of school. Shule Mtaani session with one of the many volunteers. The focus being on basic literacy and numeracy skills but coloring and painting do play a big role in the therapy sessions. The final attempt to help Junior was to get him into rehabilitation. The urge to change was there, but Junior lacked the resilience and staying power to see him through whatever he got involved in, a common trait among street people. It came as no surprise when Junior and four other street boys walked out of rehab after only a week, citing rigidity in rules and hard work. But two teenagers stayed back and went through the six month course, graduating with some basic vocational skills and a renewed vigour in life, thus making Junior regret his decision to stay out of rehab. As Junior hurtled dangerously towards full time crime, a script well followed by those before him, one wonders what would have made Junior and his street family prefer the unpredictable streets to a structured system. Firstly, there is freedom of movement and a fairly loose code of conduct in the streets: you sleep when and where you want, eat at your convenience (when you get food). Secondly, there is the monetary side where, like businessmen, money comes in daily. During club days, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, the stakes are high and on average, a street boy/girl can make as much as ksh.1000 per night. Thirdly, there is the comradeship where they hang around each other waiting for the next phase of their lives to kick in. Below the veneer of a dirty street person, is a well calculated and thriving drug/alcohol business where the street people are used as mules to transport the drugs/alcohol from one point to another at a ridiculous low fee of about ksh.50 per trip giving a blind eye to the risks. Worse is the peddlers selling the drugs to the street people on credit to permanently keep them hooked and in debt, leading to a vicious cycle of petty thieving to sustain the habit. It becomes harder to break out of this rut. We have a big problem on our hands. Mlango Kubwa in Mathare slums hold their Shule Mtaani sessions every Saturday. With a population of almost 300 street families, this proves to be one of the most challenging sessions that volunteers go through Junior was one of the 250 000 street youth in Kenyan and 60 000 in Nairobi. Whereas street boys and girls have always been part of the society, though mainly around slums, the explosion of street families in Kenya happened from 1992 as a result of highly politicized land clashes starting off initially in Rift Valley province. From then on, every election year saw the number of street children and families increasing exponentially to reach a dizzy and maddening 600 000 Internally Displaced Persons in 2007 Post Election Violence. As the number of street families spiral out of control, and a central and county governments look the other way, as a society we can do more. Much more. The begging question emerges of whether religious organisations can play a larger role than the one offs that leave the street families hungering for more. For example, Westlands / Parklands region is home to almost 20 religious centres, none of which have a structured program for street families. Against a background of almost 500 street families, each religious centre has the capacity to take in 25 street families and turn around their lives. Last year, a volunteer from India had a chance to share with the street families how he had teamed up with a few lawyers to compel the Indian government to allow public schools to be used as feeding centres in the evenings. He also talked of how, after work, people have volunteered their time to teach street children. Kenya can borrow a leaf. Public schools can introduce evening classes/vocational training for street children. This can also double up as feeding centres where those willing to donate food/clothing can do so. Many companies have a Make A Difference Day (MADD) where their employees engage in mentorship programs for the underprivileged. This can, and has, been extended to include private, local, and international schools to partner/adopt many of the slum schools. They can initiate feeding programs that will enable many of the slum students to stay in school and keep off the streets.

By Amber McMunn Christine Owinyi, of the government’s Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI), shares her perspective at last week’s education meet-up. Education across Africa is improving. Do you agree or disagree? This was one of the statements posited to the attendees at the education ecosystem event Metis co-hosted withEdTech Nairobiand theAL Group. Over 100 attendees were challenged to engage in discussion and debate around a variety of education-based topics. The room filled with shuffles and chatter as people moved to stand on the side of the room for either disagree or agree to the statement. While few people were willing to stand with disagree to the concept that education is improving, attendees were challenged in their perceptions when a woman who positioned herself with disagree gave her view. She argued that until education was taking place in an African context, and not a British or French or other colonial background, and students are learning about themselves and their history, education is not improving. She further explained, “[School] doesn’t teach me about myself, it doesn’t ground me in my identity. And yet you tell me that our education system is getting better?! I don’t think so.” As the room filled with clapping and cheers, it was clear that with only the first statement asked, people began to question their viewpoint and open themselves up to their ideas being challenged. The room was more evenly split with the second statement: everyone should learn to code. With polite and respectful but passionate discussion back and forth, both sides shared their view with cheers and claps of encouragement from the people around them. As the statements progressed and debate was sparked, people moved back and forth across the room for standing with agree or disagree. When the prompting questions came to an end, attendees were encouraged to carry on the discussions on their own. The room remained lively as people introduced themselves, heard about new organizations throughout Nairobi and the work they’re doing, and then continued to engage in conversations we so rarely open-up to. People moved about the room entering into conversations and starting discussions with people that were previously strangers. The opening statements had given the room points to start conversations on and it was clear they were anxious to continue. These are questions we do not need to wait for a networking event to ask. Talk to the people around you about if they think schools should focus on social/emotional learning as much as academics. Ask your coworkers where they stand on the view that vocational training is more valuable than a university degree. These conversations might be hard as they force us to reflect on why we have taken certain positions, and we must be open to other perspectives but changes within the education sector can only occur when people are willing to talk about their views, why they hold them, and are willing to have them challenged.

By Cherrelle Druppers and Francis Odhiambo For this guest blog, we are joined by Cherrelle Druppers and Francula Odhiambo from ChezaCheza Dance. We were lucky to have them join us at our retreat in May. ChezaCheza empowers youth in underprivileged neighborhoods through dance. Their classes incorporate life skills and capacity building in order to empower the children within the community and create a safe and creative space where children can express themselves. At ChezaCheza, we believe that dance and movement can be an excellent tool for learning so when Metis asked us to create an alternative learning experience for their Fellows, we used what we do best, dance! Usually, we work with young children and adolescent, providing life skills education through dance. We got nervous and thought hard about which approach to take with these adults. Should we change our curriculum? What music should we use? Can they even dance? We decided to shake it all off and do what we know: creating a safe, fun, and an interactive environment to dance. As the class began, we explained who we were and what we do. Immediately some people got excited, while doubt covered other faces. In some whispers you could hear, “But I can’t dance”. As the sweet beats of the Kenyan afro music started playing, you could see shoulders relax and bodies swinging side to side. “Oh, this is not so hard after all” you could hear one Fellow say. Familiarity with the music and moves started to grow, and people felt comfortable enough to express themselves through movement. We asked everybody how they felt and not to tell us, but show it in a move. Every move, by every fellow, showed a unique expression of how that person was feeling. You felt the doubt and reservations people initially had just melted away, and a feeling of complete joy started to arise. Even a short dance routine did not seem to scare anyone any more, and there was an absolute focus on getting the steps right as a group. A performance at the end created a sense of accomplishment and community, with fellows cheering and applauding for the moves of their peers. Most importantly, we did a debrief and asked the Fellows what they learned from this experience. They told us they felt safe, creative, and challenged. It showed that sitting behind a desk is not the only way to learn something. They saw that you could learn by doing, using body language to communicate, and lead by example. So, is there a difference between teaching adults and teaching children? Well, adults might have more reservations and constraints at learning something new than children. However, if you create a learning environment where people feel safe, encouraged, accepted, and that mistakes are part of the learning process, then you see that adults are just big children longing for the same feeling of safety and security. So if we as adults want this, why not create such environments for the children we work with every day?

Take a sneak peek at the first three days of Metis Fellows’ six month journey! On Friday, May 10th, the second cohort of Metis Fellows started their Metis journey with a weekend retreat in Thika, Kenya. The theme of the weekend was connect. Over the three days, they grew their connection to themselves, to others, to the education challenges their work addresses, and to a sense of possibility. Over the next 6 months, Fellows will design, test, and iterate innovations in education. They now have the most important thing for their success: community. Over the course of the fellowship, our leaders will design, test, and iterate education initiatives that ensure Nairobi youth from cradle to career access high-quality learning opportunities. The Metis Fellowship provides them with the curriculum, coaching, connections, and community they’ll need to succeed. This short film documents the kick-off retreat. Watch the magic of the #MetisMovement!

It’s all about the child. A student gleefully practices writing her name at Kidogo’s Kawangware ECD hub. ByJanet Mwitiki Janet is a Fellow in Metis’ Cohort II. She is a passionate visionary Child Care and Development Specialist with over 20 years of experience in Early Childhood Development (ECD) lobby and advocacy. “They looked at me helplessly, “These are the words he heard from the people killing his dad.” Hearing Brian repeating what he had heard from them became a new normal thing to the teachers.” “Kata shingo songa mbele...” (English: Cut the neck, move forward…) I heard young Brian screaming it repeatedly. I looked confused to his teachers and asked them: “Why aren’t you stopping him? Why do you let him say these cruel things in front of his classmates?” They looked at me helplessly, “These are the words he heard from the people killing his dad.” Hearing Brian repeating what he had heard from them became a new normal thing to the teachers. My heart suddenly felt heavy and I realized: It’s not just our traumatized children, but also our teachers that urgently need our support. Traumatization In Early Age Comes With A Major Impact Recent research underlines the impact of child abuse not just for the individual health of children, but also the well-being and economics for families, communities, and countries across our continent. With an increased focus on early childhood development, improved outcomes cannot be expected without addressing the adversity of child abuse and neglect which is a major threat to the achievement of the sustainable development goals on the continent. According to a Child Protection Report launched by Childline Kenya between (2006-2016), over 33,929 cases of child abuse were reported through the 116 helpline. Among these, child neglect was reported as the highest form of abuse, making up 41% of cases for a total of 13,878 reported cases. The report showed that 75% of child neglect was perpetrated by immediate family members followed by parents and extended family at 17% and 8% respectively. When neglect was reported at a high rate, all other forms of abuse rose as well. Neglected children are at an increased risk for impaired cognitive, language, emotional and social development, especially in early years where the brain development is rapid and critical, negative influence is harmful and permanent. It’s therefore impossible for me to accept that child abuse is still a largely unaddressed topic in our Early Child Development (ECD) Programs. Facilitating Child Protection Training to the Kidogo Trainer Of Trainees. The Role Of Our Teachers & Community Is Crucial Despite the family, our community, including teachers, are the crucial base of child protection. They can help identifying, treating, and preventing child maltreatment. On the one hand our teachers have close and consistent contact with our children. On the other hand, educators carry the professional responsibility. Children cannot learn effectively if their attention or energy is sapped by the conflicts inherent in being maltreated. Teachers have a unique opportunity to advocate for children, as well as provide programs and services that can help children and strengthen families. According to studies from the US Department of Health & Human Services, positive and balanced relationships with an adult may enhance the resilience of children who have been abused. It is therefore urgent to build teachers’ capabilities to answer to the special needs of abused children. I still find a major lack of awareness, sensitization, and knowledge throughout Kenya. Janet providing a Child Protection Training at Kiambio Slums Child Protection – My work with Metis I envisioned to initiate a child protection training to support both teachers and grassroot organizations with the target to help them identify and respond to common forms of abuse in their ECD programs. With the incredible help of Metis, I am training and mentoring a group of twenty Directors and Proprietors of ECD Programs from the Kiambio slums of Nairobi. In addition, we empower the local community child protection leaders and caregivers in the informal settlements of Kagemi and Kibera as part of the Kidogo childcare programs. Our training enabled the heads of these childcare centers to identify common forms of abuse. They initially could identify an abuse but had no idea of where or who to report to. However, through this training they are now able to link the abusers with the local reporting and referral systems in nearby health facilities. For the purpose of community sustainability, the trained teachers and community leaders are in the process of forming a Community of Practice (COP): 10 members are conducting monthly meeting to share best practices on children’s’ concerns and help each other to identify appropriate systems to respond to these abuses. “The responsibility of protecting children lies in the hands of us all.” My vision Despite my efforts, I truly believe the responsibility of protecting our children is not just in the hands of care givers or teachers, it is all our responsibility! Starting from the community to politicians and up to government stakeholders. Child protection is not a one man show! It’s a multi-sectoral approach! I ask you to join me today fighting for the importance of child protection. Together we have the power to convince our government to increase resources and prioritize our children. “Let children be children” and ensure that young girls and boys, like Brian, get the care they need and deserve.

Bridging siloes to create community On Friday, May 10th, the second cohort of Metis Fellows started their Metis journey with a weekend retreat in Thika, Kenya. The theme of the weekend was connect. Over the three days, they grew their connection to themselves, to others, to the education challenges their work addresses, and to a sense of possibility. Over the next 6 months, Fellows will design, test, and iterate innovations in education. They now have the most important thing for their success: community.

Metis alum Dr Maina WaGioko sat down with young leader Aziza Mwendwa to reflect on paradigm shifts in his career, and the role Metis has played in his journey. Pictured above, Maina with Gr. 2 students during an environmental learning activity. I have dedicated my life to wielding the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world: education. Through this journey of educating myself and others, I have experienced major paradigm shifts. I used to be a teacher. I’d stand at the front of the classroom, and my pupils--equal parts bored and anxious--would transcribe copious notes from the board. I would act as a knowledge dispenser to learners who would memorize and replicate the information successfully in their examinations. For 10 years, I was that teacher. Then, I transformed into a learning facilitator. A learning facilitator motivates and empowers students to be active contributors to an interactive learning process. I have been a learning facilitator for the last 15 years and now I find I learn just as much from my students as they do from me. This perspective definitely goes against conventional Kenyan teaching methodologies, so I have often found myself frustrated within an antiquated system. Dr Maina learns with Metis Fellows Kenneth Okolo of Kidogo, Teresa Njoroge of Clean Start, and Esther Gacicio of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Design at a monthly Community of Practice session. Thankfully, I found my “tribe” through Metis. In the company of broad-minded educators pushing the boundaries of teaching and learning, I had my second career paradigm shift. For the last decade, my mission has been serving the underserved. Through my work at Aga Khan, I ran projects for out of school youth and under-resourced classrooms and teachers on the coast of Kenya. However, my perspective on the scope of marginalization was narrow until I went through the Metis Fellowship. My interaction with the other Metis Fellows made me realize something humbling: I still privileged able-bodied and neurotypical learners, and still privileged boys. Not because I was consciously desiring this, but because I was blind. Joining the Fellowship changed this. I met educators who worked with and for the incarcerated, for girls, for the disabled. I have many anecdotes to share, but I will stick with two. Firstly, in the fellowship, I was with ten strong women. They pushed me specifically to think about how the program I was running on the coast had to address gender stereotypes if I wanted to increase overall participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). “Are you getting to the root of why girls aren’t participating in STEM if you’re also not engaging teachers and families?” they asked. I have evolved from gender-biased to gender blind, to gender neutral, to gender conscious, and finally, gender responsive. My interaction with the other Metis Fellows made me realize something humbling: I still privileged able-bodied and neurotypical learners, and still privileged boys. Not because I was consciously desiring this, but because I was blind. Joining the Fellowship changed this. I met educators who worked with and for the incarcerated, for girls, for the disabled. Secondly, I visited Maria Omare at her Hub for The Action Foundation. Seeing her work with children with disabilities made me realize that there is so much more I could do for many more groups of people. In the trainings I had been doing for the national curriculum reform, I didn’t even hint at inclusion. I didn’t speak about modifications for the differently-abled. My visit to Maria completely changed this. Teachers across Kenya need to build their toolkit of how to engage with learners with autism, with physical disabilities, and with other learning disabilities. Maria, Founder of The Action Foundation in their community hub for inclusion in Kibera Beyond being challenged by the cohort of Kenyan leaders in the Metis Fellowship, the content and structure of the fantastic Metis design thinking curriculum led me on a broader path to innovative education intervention. It gave me the framework to creatively strengthen the programming we created for Aga Khan for girl’s STEM education on the Kenyan coast and improved my national teacher training for the curriculum reforms. Without Metis, I would not have the skills for inclusive pedagogy. The one-on-one mentorship sessions with my coach Rebecca helped me fine tune my ideas. The other fellows and invited experts were a well of knowledge, inspiration, and safety. They gave me a space to voice my ideas and learn about the best ways to implement them. I saw people who dared to realize their own wild dreams for education and this invigorated my ambition. Metis continues to impact my work across the continent. For a new seven-year project to reach educators across East Africa our materials, delivery, and reporting are gender-responsive and as a prerequisite the educator should have taken a course on gender responsive pedagogy to equip the teachers with critical lenses. I am also integrating digital and in-person support for teachers to differentiate for learners with disabilities. The lessons received from the Metis Fellowship have transformed my work practice, decision making, and idea generation from marginally marginalizing the marginalized (MMM) to engaging everybody equitably (EEE). I am glad to be a part of the Metis Community and to furthering excellence and equity in Kenya and beyond! Dr Main WaGioko is a national teacher trainer for the Competency Based Curriculum, part of Kenya’s three-year reforms in education. Dr. Maina WaGioko is the Vice Principal of Professional Development and Outreach at Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, a Microsoft Showcase school. He teaches World Studies, Physics and Design Technology. He featured among the Top 50 Finalists for the Varkey Foundation 1 Million Global Teacher Prize (2018), and the Top 100 Most Influential People inOnline Learning in Africa (2018). He is also a Learning Toolkit Ambassador for Africa. Dr. WaGioko has contributed to Kenya’s education reform by sharing his expertise both for the Digital Literacy Program, and in the creation of Kenya’s new competency-based curriculum. Aziza Mwendwa graduated from Strathmore Law School with Honors and is studying for the bar at the Kenya School of Law. At university, she was the Organising Secretary of the Legal Aid Clinic. She teaches and mentors students from Kibera and Deep Sea Slums. She has a passion for education reform which is the focus of her current research. “I try to be a guide by the side, rather than a sage on the stage,” says Maina.