May 2016 – Oysters and Pearls

Teaching STEM in Uganda, an indelible memory

August 14, 2013

I recently returned from an enlightening excursion to Uganda. I spent 3 wonderfully filled weeks in Gulu, a city 6 hours north of the capital, Kampala. My purpose for the trip was to teach STEM and Leadership to girls enrolled at Gulu High school, the second oldest school in the entire country. What made my trip even more significant was the connection this institution shares with ours: Both are celebrating a centennial of impacting lives through service. What an honor to have participated in dual centennial celebrations. I tell you, turning 100 never looked so good!

As an educator, I am passionate about the work I do to impart knowledge on the lives of future generations. More than just “teach”, I aim to inspire them to be bold, take charge, make decisions, and more importantly, impact society to advance us all. I carried that same spirit with me to Uganda, and connected instantly with my students. My classes consisted of 25 energetic, and eager-to-learn young women who were on the verge of a new journey. I say ‘new’ in the sense that they are aware of a global need for change, but struggled to find a way to bring the importance and significance of their role

Open Hardware, Software & Minds

By Linday Craig, Consultant, Educator, Technologist and Artist: questbotics.com

The people who attended the 2016 Annual Gulu Technology Camp found a doorway to future that they had never seen before — who knows where it will lead them?

Imagine a camp for 10 to 18 year-olds that combines robotics, microcomputers, pcDuino, video game design with Unity, self-defense training with an international kickboxer, Samsung’s virtual reality gear, Android app design, musical performances, quadcopters, and Legos. Now imagine this camp took place in previously civil-war-torn northern Uganda.

Just to make things interesting, throw in a small documentary crew and a large group of technically savvy instructors who wandered the grounds amongst the energetic students. Finally, add to all of this the fact that almost half of the camp’s 100+ students were blind. Even if you have an extremely active imagination and you can wrap your head around these foundational facts, I can guarantee that you can’t imagine the amount of sheer joy, inquisitiveness, and boisterous energy that inhabited Gulu High School in the form of children during the 2016 Oysters & Pearl’s Annual Technology Camp.
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