Educate 4.0 is an initiative that takes place at the Devon Valley Primary school and partners with the Youth Outreach Centre to bridge the gap in education. The specific focus of this group is teaching primary school learners robotics, an often neglected in the education system, specifically in rural areas.
Jordi Swartz, a fourth year BEng (Mechanical Engineering) student at Stellenbosch University (SU) and a volunteer at Educate 4.0, explains that “[the] program aims to inspire primary school pupils to broaden their aspirations for future careers. In rural areas, it is typical of the youth to have a narrow view of what they are capable of and what they have access to. Although there are real limitations, Educate 4.0 aims to encourage these pupils to see the bigger picture in terms of what is out there for them.”
This initiative is open to all volunteers who enjoy mentoring and teaching Grade 6 learners new skills and prospective volunteers can sign up for the program through a link on the Educate 4.0 Instagram page. But why should university students sign up? Volunteers become the examples that these students follow and in teaching them new skills, you can learn from them and their boundless curiosity.
Thomas Forbes, a fourth year BA (Humanities) student and volunteer for the initiative, explains that the program “is a great opportunity to make a consistent impact on the youth of the local community” and that its highly fulfilling “seeing the kids smile.”
Martin Luther King Jr once said “intelligence plus character — that is the true goal of education.” Educate 4.0 embodies this idea in its purest form. By enriching the learning experience of students, a new facet of curiosity is developed and from that the learners are able to expand their ideas and conceptions of what they are capable of.
By Emma Theron
