Implementing a strategy
We need a strategy where the international community experiences each other in a complete manner—a process where the online experience is woven into an on-site experience. To build a rich learning experience, we must walk in our students’ shoes as closely as possible.
Key Goals
- Provide co-discussion spaces where partners from all four areas can discuss ideas for improving employment and education in Africa.
- A volunteer structure where faculty can experience teaching Africans without officially teaching BYU-I or Ensign curriculum.
- A mechanism for the Church Education System to provide innovative support that builds out its critical partners in skilling up Africa.
- On-site experiences where those from each continent can see and understand the needs and potential of each community.
Discussing the Goals
Volunteer structure
One of the critical tenets of this structure is that the team works under the volunteer association with the Brigham Young University Management Society (BYUMS). It provides a structure loosely connected to the Church Education System but disconnected from the funded curriculum.
They currently support international chapters with local citizens who can play a crucial role in mentoring faculty, non-profits, and employers who want to gain a deeper understanding of Africa.
Their mission allows all four building blocks to feel equally supported as they seek to meet their mission in Africa. Hence, BYUMS is the cover under which our building blocks work.
Supporting Partners
Brigham Young University Pathway Worldwide (BYUPW) feels the pressure to improve the employability of its students. With their partners in Idaho, Hawaii, and Salt Lake City, they can offer funding to support those employees who can help the employability mission.
They can provide travel funding for the teachers, curriculum designers, and employment specialists from their respective institutions to travel on-site as long as those parties volunteer their time to build unique non-institutional experiences for the on-site visits.
On-site experiences
Much of the teaching and curriculum that connects students to employability needs lived experiences. If we are going to build certificates that lead to employable skills within six months, we have to understand the spaces in the country that require the skills we teach.
Co-discusion spaces
Powerful and productive insights have the best chances of occurring when teams with diverse backgrounds and skill sets have co-partnering spaces where authentic interactions occur based on common goals.