MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

F4rm School: Philippines

One-line solution summary:

F4rm provides the creative tech education (STEAM) and network of global mentors to empower the future of the most underserved in the PH

Pitch your solution.

We recognize that technology is the future and access to technology is a privilege, a privilege we want to democratize. F4rm is committed to solving the deep-rooted public education crisis in the Philippines by investing in the creative technology education of the most underserved through a project-based summer program. Together with our global network of mentors, we will create a program, provide the tools and resources to teach the skills and critical thinking that will empower the future of kids (k-12) from low-income families & underserved communities to become leaders and innovators in their own communities. The program is a curation of specially designed workshops in the intersection of arts, sciences and technology (STEAM) to create holistic future leaders in the community using creative computing, gamified practice and project-based learning. Our solution scaled globally can enhance public education and accelerate learning to create multiplied opportunities for the most underserved communities.

What specific problem are you solving?

The backbone and foundation of the development of our country is education.

Here is the current state of public education in the Philippines: total enrollment of K-12 in SY 2019-2020 in the Philippines is 27.7 Million, 81% (22.4M) of which is enrolled in the public school system, 4 Million unenrolled out-of-school youth in 2021 due to the pandemic.

The reality of public school education in the Philippines due to poor education funding & investment from the government are deteriorating quality of education, high dropout rates, underpaid, understaffed & overworked teachers, shortages of books & tools, widening social divide and mismatch of skills to relevant careers.

The government has been allotting between 2-4% of the annual GDP to education for decades. UN recommendation is 6%. The Philippines did that only once this decade in 2020 due to the pandemic. Despite this increased government budget in 2020, the education crisis has become dire due to the already poor public education infrastructure that is unprepared to handle this situation. Covid-19 further exposed the weaknesses and limitations of our educational system.

What is your solution?

Through capacity and community building, F4rm aims to build a school that supports the development of our students’ technology education. With our community of global mentors, we will design a unique 12-week summer workshop composed of STEAM workshops and build a strong network of mentors for our students even after the program. We will bring this program, the resources, tools, quality educators to an underserved community in the Philippines chosen in partnership with a local nfp.

There are five labs where workshops for the different ages stem from: Computing, AI and Robotics Lab (Coding a Virtual Robot), Immersive Lab (VR Game Design), Future Earth Lab (AI for Oceans), Art Hacking Lab (Future of Music Tactility) and Digital Citizenship Lab (Designing an Unbiased AI). By the end of the program, creators will produce a final project that solves a problem in their home, personal life or the community.

We are investing in K-12 students for this first initiative to start them early in their most formative years. We hope that students develop critical, holistic, creative and sustainable relationships with technology and can use programming concepts, immersive experiences and AI literacy to solve problems in their communities.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

The Philippines is the 12th most populated in the world and roughly 40% of them are under 18. Within that population are 20 million people under the poverty line. Due to extreme corruption in the Philippine government, the education system is poorly funded. F4RM will serve kids ages 6-17 years old in an underserved community in the Philippines.

The founders of F4RM, Ariana and KC, grew up in Manila and they have seen these challenges first hand. Having spent their years in an institution which molds women to become an agent of social change, they are both exposed to socio economic issues at a very young age. As an example, they spent their highschool days going to underserved communities of Baseco, Tondo, building houses under the “Gawad Kalinga” charity. Every exposure and immersion trip, they have seen the challenges and unfortunate situations of families striving for a living with just less resources.

With the F4RM founders' resources and network built in North America - US and Canada, along with their abundant and strong network in the Philippines, they could pull people and resources to give more to the underserved communities in the Philippines. There are more than 12 million capable and talented Filipinos overseas and among those are people who are uncertain on how to give back and help the country without going through the government funded charity or organization. So, F4RM is creating an avenue for Filipinos overseas to give back to the community without the need to let go of their life overseas. It could also be seen as a reverse brain-drain method. The F4RM already has a good amount of Filipino-Americans and Filipino-Canadians volunteers who are willing to put the time and effort to inspire and share their knowledge as mentors.

Our mentors are: 1. An Aerospace Engineer of Blue Origin. She believes in STEM education and a big advocate of aerospace and engineering education especially for girls and young women. 2. A social impact entrepreneur. Her passion lies at the intersection of technology and human behavior, helping design products and programs to solve real world problems for real people. 3. A flight dynamics software engineer at NASA Johnson Space Center creating simulations to support NASA’s Artemis lunar missions.

The F4RM STEAM education will provide a meaningful connection to young adults and will inspire the youth that there’s a place for them in the future. Living in an environment with very limited resources could limit the knowledge and imagination of the people. The founders are prioritizing holistic and practical education to bridge the gap of real world demands vs. skills and technology available.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Enable access to quality learning experiences in low-connectivity settings—including imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

Technology advances everyday and still the current education system is not catching up with these changes and the method of teaching hasn't changed either. Add up the socio economic problem of a developing world, the gap in knowledge is growing. There would be less people able to fill in the demands of a high tech future. This is where F4RM comes in, it’s a solution to the multifaceted global poverty problem. F4RM helps connect the fortunate and the underserved by providing kids a holistic education, access to abundant technology, and cultivate much needed STEAM skills to build an equitable future.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Toronto, ON, Canada

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

We have identified our execution plan including organizations we will potentially collaborate within the Philippines. We are currently in our fundraising project this summer 2021:raising old devices, donation from Filipinos abroad (US and Canada) as well as monetary fundraising.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Ariana Villegas and KC Adviento