Jamii OLPC
“Jamii” means community in Swahili, and is the foundational principle of Jamii OLPC's OLPCorps Africa proposal:
Real, sustainable development comes from communities, and the individuals they are comprised of;
technology is but a tool, albeit an important one.
We are a small but experienced multi-national team seeking to help further engage and empower young people in Tanzania to be drivers of development in their communities through the opportunities for education and innovation OLPC provides.
Our school partnership, team members and proposal are all currently works-in-progress, but stay tuned to catch the latest updates as Jamii OLPC grows from an idea into a real opportunity to make a difference.
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Jamii OLPC Team
The entire Jamii OLPC team is made up of two units: the international unit (comprised of university students deployed through OLPCorps) and the local unit (comprised of teachers, school officials and community members from the partner school).
Cooperation and collaboration between the two units is of paramount importance to the success and sustainability of the project. Because of this, the members of both units will be featured here.
International Unit
Project Coordinator & Political Lead
Sam Burton
Country: Canada
Age: 23
University: Carleton University
Program: MA Mass Communiactions
Sam has extensive practical experience working on the ground in the developing world, having participated in internships in Nepal and Tanzania. Both placements involved working with and liaising between local and national NGOs, implementing long-term sustainable plans and working with youth. She lived and worked in Mwanza, Tanzania in 2006, interning with a women's rights organization called Kivulini through Western Heads East. She also speaks conversational Swahili.
Sam has over five years of work experience in communications, public relations and project management. Positions include Adult Adviser to the Ottawa Red Cross Youth Action Ambassador Program (present), Political & Media Liaison for the Mobilize March (2008), UWO Faculty of Information and Media Studies Vice President Events. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including a CIDA Canada Corps Students for Development Internship Grant for her 2006 work in Tanzania. Full resume available here.
Primary Responsibilities
- Ensures that all operations not only adhere to, but also support and emphasize OLPC’s foundational principles
- Main point of contact for all internal and external communications
- Directs operations of team as a whole, ensuring cohesion
- Ensures all team members and operations receive adequate financial, technical and personnel support
- Drafts OLPCorps proposal
- Works with all team members (international and local) to draft a strategic plan, detailing the deployment strategy and long-term sustainability of project
- Helps to set achievable, yet ambitious, goals
- During deployment, works closely with Pedagogical Lead I to train teachers and introduce children to XO laptops
- Prepares a proposed budget for overall operating costs, to be presented to the Financial Lead
A) for initial deployment
B) for long-term project sustainability
- Provides any training necessary for local counterpart(s) to take over position following the international team’s departure
Technical Lead
team member to be confirmed upon finalization of school partner
Primary Responsibilities
- Organizes all technical aspects of deployment
- Advises Project Coordinator and Pedagogical Lead(s) about potential limitations and potential aspects of emphasis with regards to the XO Laptop, as well as help formulate solutions to integrate ideas within capabilities of the technology
- Directs and assigns technological-support related tasks to other team members as necessary
- Will inform Project Coordinator of all technological-support related tasks assigned to other team members
- Prepares a proposed technological budget, to be presented to the Financial Lead
A) for initial deployment
B) for long-term project sustainability
- Provides any training necessary for local counterpart(s) to take over position following the international team’s departure
Pedagogical Lead I
VACANT!!! Interested? Please apply to samantha.v.burton@gmail.com
Primary Responsibilities
- Prepares a flexible draft curriculum, comprised of several possible ways/activities/uses through which use of the XO laptop could be integrated into the school’s existing curriculum
- The flexibility of this document is of particular importance, as the local partner Education Lead(s) will have the final say in how the proposed curriculum is integrated into the existing.
- Approximately 1-2 of the first weeks of the on-the-ground deployment will involve an intense, collaborative work-shopping, adaptation and integration of ideas by both the international and local team members, the end result of which will be the final curriculum to be adopted.
- After final curriculum is agreed upon and implemented, will conduct ongoing evaluation of effectiveness during term of deployment, and make or suggest adjustments where necessary
- Potential subjects: Computer Science/Training (ie. typing); Swahili; English; Math; Science; History/Geography; Creative Arts
- The draft curriculum will provide activities/uses for each subject, for the following age groups: 6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12+. This will facilitate the initial deployment, as well as ensure the school is equipped with a curriculum that will grow and develop as the children do.
- Directs and assigns pedagogical-related tasks to other team members as necessary
- Prepares a proposed educational supplementary budget, to be presented to the Financial Lead
A) for initial deployment
B) for long-term project sustainability
- Provides any training necessary for local counterpart(s) to take over position following the international team’s departure
Pedagogical Lead II (Canada-based consultant)
Jackie Strecker
Country: Canada
Age: 24
University: York University and Ryerson University
Program: MA Communications and Cultures
Jackie Strecker is a twenty-four year old graduate student in the collaborative Communications and Cultures program at York and Ryerson University in Toronto. Her thesis research assesses the implementation of information communication technologies (ICTs) in participatory educational development. Jackie has worked with numerous NGOs in diverse countries and environments, transferring her communication technology expertise in several ‘train-the-trainer’ initiatives. Most recently Jackie returned from the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya where she interned with FilmAid International facilitating multimedia training seminars for the leaders of the Participatory Video Project (PVP). Jackie’s technological knowledge and practical educational experience positions her as an excellent asset for the OLPCorps team; however, due to time and financial constrictions, she will not be participating in the on-the-ground OLPCorps deployment
Primary Responsibilities
- Assists Pedagogical Lead I in preparing a flexible draft curriculum, comprised of several possible ways/activities/uses through which use of the XO laptop could be integrated into the school’s existing curriculum
- The flexibility of this document is of particular importance, as the local partner Education Lead(s) will have the final say in how the proposed curriculum is integrated into the existing.
- Provide all non-Swahili speaking Jamii OLPC team members will basic pre-departure language training materials and instruction (where location permits)
- During the deployment, act as the primary Canada-based contact and consultant for pedagogical and logistical inquiries from the team in the field
Financial & Logistical Lead
team member to be confirmed upon finalization of school partner
Primary Responsibilities
- Prepares and evaluates a detailed budget, comprised of reviewed section-specific budgets created by the Project Coordinator, Technical Lead and Educational Lead (s)
A) for initial deployment
B) for long-term project sustainability
- Responsible for researching, locating and approaching potential monetary support options, both for the initial deployment and long-term sustainability
- Coordinates any fundraising efforts to occur prior to deployment
- Monitors any funds collected through those efforts
- Prepares a detailed list of suggestions as to where those additional funds would be best spent, in the context of the strategic plan and existing budget
- After a team review of that list, creates an inventory of all project-related materials to be purchased and transported to partner school, or to be purchased locally. Responsible for monitoring this inventory, and making sure all required materials are purchased and accounted for
- Monitors spending throughout the deployment, ensuring all team members are accountable for funds spent
- Responsible for organizing round-trip transportation and lodging for international team
- Responsible for organizing transportation for local unit Project Coordinator to Kigali orientation
- Organizes receipt and transportation of XO laptop shipment
- During deployment, works closely with Pedagogical Lead I to train teachers and introduce children to XO laptops
- Provides any training necessary for local counterpart to take over position following the international team’s departure (ie. training in grant proposal writing, fundraising strategies)
