January 2023 - Bicycles Create Change

13/01/202324/02/2023

Winner 2021 GAET Sessional Teacher of the Year

I went to Sierra Leone to do my bikes-for-education PhD fieldwork and got back in February 2020, 10 days before COVID ceased all international travel and pushed education online. It was a super hectic time for teachers, academics, students, parents and education administrators – which is why being awarded the Griffith Award for Excellence in Teaching (GAET) – 2021 Teacher of the Year (Sessional) was such an honour. I haven’t shared this news on this blog yet as it happened in July 2022 while I was on my blog break. But now I’m back, here are some details. Hooray! NG.

Winner 2021 Teacher of the Year. Bicycles Create Change.com 13 January 2023

Regular reader of this blog know I love teaching.

I have been teaching for 17+ years and this is my 10th year at Griffith University.

I have worked hard to become the kind of inspirational teacher I wanted to have when I was a student at Uni.

In 2019, I received a Highly Commended recognition for my work with international students.

In 2020, like every other educator, I was busy managing students, classes, and colleagues as we all responded to the educational and institutional disruptions due to COVID lockdowns and migrating everything online.

So, it is an absolute honour to be recognised for all that hard work with the 2021 Griffith University Award for Excellence in Teaching – Teacher of the Year (Sessional).

2021 GAET Teacher of the Year (Sessional)

I received this award for dedication to improving the quality of education and learning experience for Griffith students and my use of a strength-based approaches to promote lifelong learning through themes of community, care, confidence, and curiosity.

The panel feedback commended my ability to make students feel more valued, empowered, and connected to learning.

CLICK HERE for more about my GAET.

After such a hectic time – this award is a wonderful boost!

Thank you to all who have supported me over the years – to the countless students, colleagues and friends who encouraged, provoked and joked with me along the way.

What is the GAET Teacher of the Year (Sessional) Award?

Griffith University’s Awards in Excellence in Teaching is a prestigious, annual award that recognizes the outstanding contribution of sessional teachers who have demonstrated excellence in their teaching practices and have made a significant impact on their students’ learning outcomes. The award aims to promote and celebrate excellence in teaching, acknowledging the hard work and dedication of sessional teachers who play a vital role in the university’s academic community.

This award recognises teaching skills, innovative teaching practices, student engagement, and contribution to the enhancement of the learning experience of students.

08/01/202316/02/2023

1, 000 bikes for girls’ education and young women’s leadership in Malawi

As part of my bicycles-for-girls-education PhD, I am always on the look out for inspiring projects where bicycles create change. This week, I came across a join venture between CAMFED and The Clara Lionel Foundation from a few years ago. Enjoy! NG.

CAMFED and The Clara Lionel Foundation delivered over 1,000 bicycles to girls and young women in the Salima District of Malawi.

These bicycles are part of a comprehensive aid program offered to high school students, with the potential to revolutionize the opportunities for girls who confront up to 10km (6 miles) commutes to and from school.

The success and longevity of this initiative will depend on the CAMFED Association (CAMA) network, as they acquire proficiency in entrepreneurship, bike upkeep, and repair skills.

The collaboration between CAMFED and the Clara Lionel Foundation is facilitating the continuation of secondary education for 7,500 Malawian girls, a crucial effort considering the low 30% enrollment rate of females in secondary school due to insufficient facilities and long distances.

These bicycles has generated a lot of attention in rural communities where girls often face challenges commuting to school, such as exhaustion and hunger from walking and attending to household duties. The bicycles provide a pathway for academic success in rural areas.

This programme is part of a wider and multifaceted strategy to remove obstacles to girls’ education, which also includes paying for school fees, peer mentoring, supplying necessities like sanitary pads, and bridging huge distances from home to school.

The Malawian alumni of CAMFED programmes are essential to bringing about change for the next generation of females. CAMA members serve as mentors and role models in rural areas where there are few female teachers and professionals. So far alumni have helped 20,000 females pursue education in just five years.

See more on this project here.

THE CLARA LIONEL FOUNDATION

The Clara Lionel Foundation is a non-governmental organization founded by the singer and entrepreneur Rihanna in 2012. The foundation aims to support and fund education, health, and emergency response programs around the world. It prioritizes initiatives that promote education and provide access to healthcare in impoverished communities, particularly for girls and women. The foundation also works towards disaster relief and climate change resilience. The foundation partners with local organizations to achieve its goals and has provided significant support to countries in the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States.

CAMFED

CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education) is a non-governmental organization that aims to eradicate poverty and improve the educational opportunities of girls in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting them through primary and secondary school and into adulthood. The organization provides assistance with school fees, mentorship, and life skills training to ensure that girls are able to complete their education and become confident and economically independent leaders in their communities. Since its founding in 1993, CAMFED has helped over 4 million students in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, and Malawi.

03/01/202313/02/2023

Gentle Reorientations 2023

Hi BBC friends. Welcome back. It has been a while since my last post….

Heat Alla Bartoshchuk (Ukrainian-American, b. 1988). Source: Artvee CC

I thought I was taking a 6-month break.

Turns out, I needed longer than that.

Now I am slowly, gently, orientating to 2023.

I took a break because I was over working.

I could feel myself spreading just a little too thin.

I had to catch that before if became the norm.

I needed mental health time: to recharge, reset and refocus and have a chance to clear my mind.

I needed to reduce cognitive load: to lessen the impact of task shifting, intellectual over stimulation, and constant decision-making demands.

I needed to get physical: to get on the bike, to do gardening, to walk the dog.

I needed to time repair my body.

I needed time to be playfully creative.

I needed time to be quiet.

I needed time to read.

I needed time.

….and now it is 2023…..

A lot has happened since my last blog post …

I feel different and have learnt a lot.

Some big changes and new decisions made.

….so now ……how to return?

…what and how (much) to share ….

…of the break…

….of moving forward…

…of changes since the before….

…of what is the new not-normal…

…………………..thinking………………………..

…………thinking…..

………………………….thinking……..

I will sit with this a little longer.

Until I decide, this post will suffice.

Welcome back.