Community Learning Centers: Local Learning for Larger Lives

FENC aims to address challenges facing today’s youth by establishing digitally equipped Learning Centers designed for, with and located in the communities where youth live. Using new technology, these centers, targeted for rural and/or resource limited areas, will provide skill development and support that undertake global and local community needs.

     Each individual is unique and our objective is to develop the innate talents and strengths each student possesses through our Learning Centers. Our solution does not aspire to create a fleet of robots. Rather, we seek to empower our youth to become active and productive participants in both their local and global communities. Our approach is rooted in developing the identity and future orientation of our youth that balances the importance of preserving tradition and culture while also providing vital skill training to prepare our youth for the workforce of the future. 
     As the 21st century unfolds, a growing and expanding set of skills will be required. According to the World Economic Forum (2016), students require 16 skills for the 21st century. These skills include Foundational Literacies, Competencies (ie. critical thinking) and Character Qualities (ie. initiative, cultural awareness). Our strategic programming is targeted in four areas of focus that meet these changing demands:

• Intellectual/Academic
• Technology/Creative Arts
• Leadership/Community/Environment
• Health/Wellness

     Currently FENC Fiji helps provide social and financial assistance to cover the costs of school materials. While these are important aids to help students receive an education, FENC aims to increase its scope and address the challenges beginning first in rural and resource limited areas. Building upon knowledge gained from previously run and smaller scale Centers, FENC has developed a plan to make these Centers effective and sustainable. The Learning Centers will be open to all youth with a specific focus on those at risk. These Centers will be equipped with computers and Internet allowing us to provide a greater number of resources and will include offerings such as workshops, a library, technology training, a community garden and visits from various cultural and ethnic groups.

Our purpose is to address the high rates of poverty and unemployment facing youth. According to a recent study by the ILO, “73 million youth are currently unemployed and many more are affected by vulnerable employment and working poverty” (Kluve et al. 2016, 11). In Fiji nearly 30% of the population lives below the national poverty line (2017 Basic Statistics ADB). Additionally many youth do not complete their secondary education, thus reducing their ability to be employed. To complicate matters further, reliable and affordable Internet and computer access is inaccessible for most youth, particularly in rural areas. 

     We believe that our Community Learning Centers are uniquely situated to help youth through our holistic approach partnered with communities where youth can develop the skills of the 21st century. Oxford Economics recently wrote that, “developing nations understand that as technology changes rapidly and diffuses readily, sustained investments in education and training can pay off by helping young workers in their countries become critical players in future waves of innovation” (2012). Furthermore, we are a grass roots organization where decisions are made at the local level in partnership with communities allowing us to make inroads in oftentimes inaccessible areas. 

    The goals of this project are to establish sustainable and digitally equipped Community Learning Centers that will help increase community engagement and employment among local youth. Each program offering will be linked to specific skills and potential jobs relevant to the 21st century. This project will begin with a flagship Learning Center that can be scaled up and replicated in additional areas throughout Fiji and the Pacific. Each Learning Center will reach a target number of 500 youth each year.

Meet with local leaders, review national statistics, formalize agreements - Development Phase: Identify 5 initial locations for Community Learning Centers

Each area will have 6-8 program offerings with a specific job link and potential trainers - Curate and finalize content/curriculum for four targeted areas

Track/monitor youth involvement, attendance, and employment in each community - 80% of local community youth will be reached by the Learning Center

    With traditional approaches on one hand, we also are looking outside the box to find innovative ways to meet the complex nature of these challenges. Potential new partnerships with companies like Kacific will help us bring consistent and affordable Internet to remote areas. In connecting our community based Centers to the Internet – we can then connect our students to an increased number of training resources such as Scratch and code.org. Skills focused on leadership, creativity, critical thinking, etc. will also be fostered by programs such as Makerspaces and Berkeley’s YPAR hub. 

    Our Community Learning Centers are rooted in the communities where they are located and are also committed to the development of each youth who joins our program. Fiji has many rural and resource limited communities that are of primary importance to our organization. We were founded on the principles of aiding the poorest of the poor and that mission continues as we develop our Learning Centers.

    Because our centers are based in local communities and villages, they will be easily visible and accessible, thus eliminating the need for long or expensive transports. Our community partnerships with local leaders, schools and beneficiaries from our sponsorship program will also help us advertise and raise awareness of our programs and centers. As we believe education should be available to all, the vast majority of our offerings will be free, offset by funds raised through related enterprises at the center.

    Currently FENC’s operating costs and programs are funded through government and other grants. As this funding is not sufficient to support our Learning Centers we have designed a plan whereby each Learning Center would house an Internet Café – providing public access to the Internet and computers. Additionally, each Learning Center would also offer a Day Care using the same space as the Learning Center. The fees generated from these enterprises would then support the operating costs of the Learning Centers.

     FENC Fiji, being a smaller and grass roots organization, currently does not possess the financial means nor the organizational capacity and infrastructural support to deliver effectively or sustainably on our project. FENC Fiji needs financial and technical support for the institutional strengthening and enhancement of its capacity to provide quality Community Learning Centers to the youth in Fiji. We also need start up funds for the beginning stages of our Learning Centers to cover costs of purchasing equipment, paying salaries, etc. before revenue begins.

https://www.facebook.com/www.fencfiji.org/?ref=br_rs

At present, FENC Fiji is constrained in regard to its institutional and organizational capacity and has limited access to necessary supportive infrastructure and funding. FENC Fiji needs support to strengthen its organizational and institutional capacities for it to deliver effectively –especially in many of Fiji’s inhabited, smaller outer islands scattered through vast distances. In this particular regard, assistance from and partnership with the SOLVE community is sought for establishing, equipping and helping make fully operational, the FENC Fiji Community Learning Centers so that we can ultimately increase the well being and development of our youth in the 21st century.

-Office of the Prime Minister

- Ministry of Health and TB

-Fiji Broadcasting Corporation

-The Fiji Times