STORY PREVIEW

2025

Academic and Work Transitions

eduSOIL

Abu Dhabi

MENTOR

Mohammed Saeed

Step 1 FEEL

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

Feeling out of place, sudden change and moving to a new place and having to suddenly adjust. Missing friends from school in Khartoum and separated from family. Academic stress, lots of homework, pressure with grades.

State the problem chosen to work and why.

The issue we chose to address was the difficulty of academic transitions as all of us had to move to new schools, our education was disrupted yet we are still under pressure to adjust and do well academically. We wanted to find a way to stay positive and encourage others to be positive too. We wanted our voices to be heard.

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

It affects all Sudanese, especially civilians families, women, elderly, Students and children who were supposed to be in schools.

Step 2 IMAGINE

List ALL the different solutions you came up with.

Creating a short video to raise awareness about the transitions and adjustments displaced youth have had to undergo, using images, voice recordings, and personal messages to share our experiences in a powerful and accessible way. We chose to participate in a music video project to give ourselves a stronger feeling of connection and community, despite all of us being in different places.

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

Step 3DO

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

Each team member selected a medium that suited them best for their individual pieces, which we coordinated through WhatsApp. For our joint poster, we clearly defined our responsibilities: Thalia Samer collected the visuals, Talia Amjed designed the layout, and Talya Asaad authored the content.

What was the result or impact of your project?

many people visited the website, and read about the Academic and Work Transitions story of change on the KANdaka Power website, they felt optimistic and knew that they are not alone. We came out of the fire, and we didn’t get burnt.

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

100

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

Our Academic and Work Transitions story of change on the KANdaka Power has reached many audience via the KANdaka Power website. Many readers, responded saying that the website help them to manage emotions better as they were experiencing same difficulties.

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

The challenges we faced during our project varied. Some of us found it difficult to join the online meetings because it was hard to find time due to exams and school work. (Talya) Some youth had challenges with internet connection (Mohammed) All of us found it hard to put our feelings into words because it was so intense. We were trying to forget about the experience and we had to face our fears and talk about it. We used our superpowers of trust to overcome these challenges. By sharing and describing our feelings to our friends, they helped us to put it into words. We persevered and worked around our school schedules to give time to the project.

How long did it take to implement your solution?

7-15 Days

Which global goals does your story align with?

Good health and well being

Please explain briefly why do you think so?

We realised that even though it was at first challenging to talk about our experiences, it was very comforting to talk to friends and know that we are not the only ones feeling like this. We ourselves have changed in many ways.

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 with our school friends and school community. We look forward to seeing more community contributions to the KANdaka Power website because we feel like we have helped create a space and help Sudanese youth feel comfortable to share their experiences and be understood, which supports them through their journeys.

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?

We sustain our impact by continuing to raise awareness among young people and the wider community, ensuring that KANdaka Power is not just a moment of change, but a lasting movement.

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