The Balkans by Ana Forgit

Empathy

ana_forgit — 2022-11-18 22:47:58 UTC

The Balkans had many factors to why it was in extreme poverty, but the main reason was lack of education within the region. We put ourselves in their shoes for a moment and decided that we needed to focus on education and making that our priority focus.
- High Crime rate
- No innovation within the country
- No jobs
- No high income, no better quality of life
- Limited opportunities for people

Define

ana_forgit — 2022-11-18 22:59:12 UTC

Romania lacks an adequate education system that can successfully educate young students.

The system lacks many important factors, such as adequate funding, facilities, transportation for children, teachers, and supplies such as pens and papers.

Ideate

ana_forgit — 2022-11-18 23:04:03 UTC

The three alternatives to solve our problem in the Balkans regarding getting an education would be:

Prototype

ana_forgit — 2022-11-18 23:06:37 UTC

We created a miniature prototype of what one of our classrooms would look like in Romania. The classroom consisted of a large whiteboard/chalkboard facing rows of student desks.

Decision

ana_forgit — 2022-11-18 23:07:33 UTC

We believe that entrepreneurship is a solution to ending global poverty- as long as it's used with the right intentions. The projects and videos we have participated in throughout this semester show that entrepreneurship can be a tool for global good. Entrepreneurship can open the door for inventions and programs that can help lift the impoverished out of poverty- this can be through educating them, supplying jobs, providing aid, giving access to healthcare, and many others.

The Balkans

2022-11-18 23:53:27 UTC

By Ana, Grace, Dany, and Robin

Responses to Questions:

ana_forgit — 2022-11-19 00:57:56 UTC

1. How will we establish a school?

ana_forgit — 2022-11-19 01:00:11 UTC

* We will pick a location near Bucharest, the capital of Romania, in order to give the most children access to the school. We will use an existing facility because building an entirely new summer school will be very expensive.

2. Where will we get teachers from?

ana_forgit — 2022-11-19 01:01:21 UTC

* Teachers will be volunteers. We will mimic organizations like GVI USA and International Volunteer HQ, which send volunteers and students abroad to teach young children elementary school basics. We will send student volunteers from Suffolk University and other schools in the Boston area to Romania.

3. Will we pay the teachers?

ana_forgit — 2022-11-19 01:02:54 UTC

• We won’t pay the teachers, it will be volunteer work. Qualified people can sign up and pay to be a part of the program but they will not be paid for teaching the kids. Instead, we will fund their life in Romania.

4. How long will the semesters be?

ana_forgit — 2022-11-19 01:04:58 UTC

* The school year will take place during the summer months- May to August- allowing for the most volunteers to be available.

5. How will we get funding?

ana_forgit — 2022-11-19 01:05:59 UTC

• We would like to partner up with charities that raise awareness for improving educational systems in countries where poverty is a big issue. Partnering up will brings us
• Media exposure
• Funds
• Future perspectives for expansion into other regions of the Balkans.
• Another source of income would be a GoFundMe to help raise money for the building of classrooms, the transportation of volunteers, and the housing of volunteers. Admirable individuals like Zachary Ogunsulire and Margo O'Sullivan have also used GoFundMe to help make their mission of bettering children’s education in poor countries a reality.

Citations

2022-11-19 01:16:01 UTC

https://www.volunteerfdip.org/teaching-abroad-programs-international-volunteer-teach-away-opportunities
https://www.volunteerworld.com/en/volunteer-abroad/building-schools
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-send-kids-to-school-in-africa

Alternative 1

2022-12-01 22:05:49 UTC

Online school
Pros :
-Cheaper
-More convinient for teachers
Cons :
- Childrens unfamiliarity with the technology
- Lack of social interaction between students and teachers

Alternative 2

2022-12-01 22:14:30 UTC

Private Tutoring Sessions
Pros:
1) Strong interaction between the teacher and the student
Cons:
1) Not convenient for teachers to move around
2) Student to teacher ratio would be too high; it will be much easier to get all the students in one classroom.
3) Not safe to send teachers around the city which they aren't familiar with.

Alternative 3

2022-12-01 22:32:06 UTC

Providing transportation for students:
Pros:
-allows for children living far away to have a way of getting to school
Cons:
-Existing schools are unsafe for children
-there would have to be many forms of transportation as thousands of children don't have access to tranportation
-this would be a very expensive project

Our Solution:

gracekunysz1_1 — 2022-12-02 00:09:23 UTC

Creating a summer school in Bucharest where there will be volunteer teachers that will teach Romanian children. They'll be taught the elementary basics (math, writing, science, etc.). This is the best solution as it will solve the lack of teachers, allow as many students as possible access, and provides a safe environment for children to learn.
If this project is a success, we will expand our program to other problem areas in Romania