STORY PREVIEW

2024

CAREER GUIDANCE USING 8 CORE GENIUS

Freretown Secondary School

Mombasa

MENTOR

Omar Said

Step 1 FEEL

List the challenges or problems in your surroundings (school,neighbourhood etc.) that bothered you.

1.Wrong Choice of Career by Students. 2.Wrong Choice of Career by Students. 3.Lack of Access to Digital Learning Resources. 4.Stagnating Water In School Compound After the Rain. 5.School Drop Out by Some Learners. 6.Limited Extracurricular Activities Due to Lack of Playing Field

State the problem chosen to work and why.

The chosen problem to focus on was the "Wrong Choice of Career" by students. This issue was selected because it has a profound impact on students' futures, potentially leading them down paths that do not match their skills or interests. This misalignment can result in job dissatisfaction, lower productivity and increased unemployment rates. Addressing this problem was essential to help students better understand their strengths and interests and guide them towards more fulfilling and suitable career choices. Additionally, this issue was directly linked to the broader educational goal of preparing students for success in their future professional lives.

Who were the people affected by the problem? What were their primary concerns?

The people primarily affected by the problem were: 1. Students: Their main concern was making informed decisions about their future careers. Without proper guidance, they risked choosing career paths that could lead to dissatisfaction, unemployment, or underemployment. 2. Parents and Guardians:They were worried about their children's futures and the potential economic and emotional consequences of poor career choices. They wanted their children to have stable and prosperous careers. 3. Teachers and School Administrators: They were concerned about the lack of resources and support systems to provide effective career guidance, which affected students' overall academic performance and future readiness. 4. Community : They were impacted by the mismatch between the skills students were developing and the needs of the local job market, contributing to local unemployment and a lack of qualified candidates for available positions .

Step 2 IMAGINE

List ALL the different solutions you came up with.

1. Integrating the 8 Core Genius Principles: We considered incorporating these principles into our career guidance program to help students identify their strengths and align them with suitable career paths. 2. Conducting Career Guidance Workshops: Organizing interactive workshops with professionals from various fields to expose students to different career options and the skills needed for each. 3. Personalized Career Counseling: Providing one-on-one counseling sessions to help students better understand their interests, strengths, and potential career paths. 4. Developing a Career Guidance Website: Creating a dedicated website, www.cbccareerguide.co.ke, to offer continuous support and resources, including career assessments, videos, articles, and interactive tools. 5. Implementing a Mentorship Program: Pairing students with mentors from different professions to give them a clearer understanding of various career paths through first-hand experiences and advice. 6. Organizing Career Fairs and Expos: Hosting events where students can meet professionals, explore different careers, and participate in hands-on activities related to various fields. 7. Training Teachers as Career Advisors: Providing teachers with training to act as career advisors so that they can offer guidance and support to students in their career planning.

Which solution from those listed above did you choose to implement and why?

We chose to integrate the 8 Core Genius Principles into our career guidance program and combine this with developing a career guidance website (www.cbccareerguide.co.ke). We selected these solutions because they offered a comprehensive approach to addressing the issue of uninformed career choices. The 8 Core Genius Principles provided a structured framework for students to identify their strengths and align them with appropriate career paths. This method was highly effective in helping students gain self-awareness and confidence in their career decisions. Additionally, the career guidance website was an accessible, scalable tool that allowed us to reach a larger number of students beyond the classroom. It provided ongoing support, resources and interactive tools that students could use independently or in conjunction with other interventions like workshops and personalized counseling. By combining these solutions, we were able to create a sustainable, multi-faceted approach to career guidance that could be easily integrated into the existing school curriculum and potentially expanded to other schools.

Step 3DO

Describe very briefly the process of implementing your solution(s).

We began by conducting surveys to understand students' career guidance needs and gaps. Then, we organized workshops to introduce the 8 Core Genius Principles and provided personalized career counseling sessions. Simultaneously, we developed a comprehensive career guidance website (www.cbccareerguide.co.ke) to offer continuous support and resources. We trained teachers to integrate these principles into their teaching, ensuring a holistic approach to career guidance. Throughout the process, we collected feedback to measure impact and adjust our interventions.

What was the result or impact of your project?

The project significantly increased students' awareness and confidence in their career planning. Many students reported a clearer understanding of their strengths and were better equipped to make informed career choices. The integration of the 8 Core Genius Principles and the availability of resources on the website resulted in more students feeling prepared for their future careers. Additionally, teachers felt more empowered to provide career guidance.

How many people were impacted by your solution(s)?

300

What did the impacted people have to say about your project? Provide 2 quotes or testimonials:

"The workshop, individualized guidance and the website really helped me understand my strengths, core intelligence and what career paths I could pursue. I feel more confident about my future now." Said Hussein Nzaro, a form two student. "Integrating the 8 Core Genius Principles in CBC solves the problem of how we shall be placing these learners in the different career pathways. " Madam Mwatamu, a teacher at Frere Town Junior School.

What challenges did you encounter while implementing your project, and how did you overcome them?

We faced several challenges, including limited resources for organizing workshops and developing the website, as well as initial resistance from some teachers who were unfamiliar with the 8 Core Genius Principles. To overcome these challenges, we sought partnerships with imanasoft company to develop the website for us, our school administration to provide funding of setting up the web-site, ministry of education, Technical University of Mombasa and community leaders to provide sponsorship and support. We also conducted training sessions for teachers and learners to familiarize them with the principles and demonstrate how they could be integrated into their lessons.

How long did it take to implement your solution?

MORE THAN 30 DAYS

Which global goals does your story align with?

Quality Education

Please explain briefly why do you think so?

Our project aligns with the global goal of Quality Education because it aims to provide students with the necessary tools and resources to make informed career choices, thus enhancing their educational experience. By integrating the 8 Core Genius Principles into the curriculum and providing continuous support through workshops and an online platform, we are promoting lifelong learning opportunities and ensuring that education is relevant, equitable and geared towards students' future success.

Step 4 SHARE

How did you share your project with your school and community? Who did you share your project with? What was their response?

We shared our project through multiple channels. At our school, we conducted workshops to introduce the 8 Core Genius Principles and their impact on career guidance. We extended these workshops to other schools, promoting the same principles and approaches. Additionally, we shared knowledge and experiences with other schools via online communities of practice on WhatsApp, which included teachers and educators interested in improving career guidance. We also presented our project at the Technical University of Mombasa, where we received positive feedback from the registrar, who suggested patenting the idea and offered to help us connect with officials from the Ministry of Education for further presentations. The response from both teachers and learners was overwhelmingly positive, showing a strong interest in adopting our methods and expanding their reach. Considering that our online communities of practice each have around 700 members, totaling about 2,100 people, combined with the 300 people we reached through physical workshops and the additional reach through our presentation at the Young Scientist Kenya event and online voting, we estimate that our story of change has reached at least 3,000 people.

Approximately how many people did you share your story of change with?

More than 100

Briefly share your plan to sustain the impact of your project?

To sustain the impact of our project, we plan to continue conducting workshops and sharing our methods through communities of practice both online and offline. We aim to expand our reach by partnering with more schools and educational institutions. We are also working on patenting the idea, as suggested by the Technical University of Mombasa, to protect and formalize our approach. Furthermore, we plan to seek support from the Ministry of Education to integrate the 8 Core Genius Principles into the national curriculum, ensuring that career guidance becomes a standard part of education across the country. By maintaining an active online presence through our website whic will cost 2500 per year for the domain and social media platforms, we will continue to provide resources and updates to students, educators and other stakeholders interested in improving career guidance.

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