NewGen

Educational technological kit for the construction of current and ancestral technologies for the understanding and resolution of real socio-environmental problems.

In Peru, 80% of young people about to complete their basic studies do not know what career to pursue. Three out of 10 university students abandon their studies. Among the reasons for this situation are economic reasons, lack of vocation, not having been properly informed or evaluated, or having given in to the influence of family or friends. Consequently, 45% of technical and university graduates are not happy with the career they studied, while those who do are 88% more productive. All this affects their vision oriented to innovation, creativity and problem solving, which unfortunately does not remain in an individual, but impacts an entire society. We are currently living in the face of accelerated global warming that diminishes the quality of life of people, especially the most vulnerable, whose human rights are at critical risk. In this sense, it is imperative to develop innovative solutions with a socio-environmental perspective. 

According to World Bank data, 85% of people suffering extreme poverty in the world live in rural areas. This means that they depend directly on the health of ecosystems for their survival. Fighting poverty and hunger in the world means taking care of the natural systems that sustain the lives of the poorest: land, water, forests, seas, biodiversity, natural resources. Unfortunately, people see the situation with a short-term view and are unaware of the reality and risks of climate change. It is believed that environmental issues can only be addressed by environmental engineers, foresters, geographers, and other environmental sciences, but the reality is that anyone can contribute to the development of socio-environmental solutions from their own area of knowledge.

The educational technology kit contains the knowledge, materials and tools necessary for adolescents to build technological solutions to a given socio-environmental problem and apply them. The kit gives teenagers the opportunity to experience the tasks that a professional does in real life. 

The teaching methodology that the educational technology kit provides is Project Based Learning (PBL), which allows teenagers to acquire knowledge and skills through the development of projects that respond to real life problems present in their community. By starting from a concrete and real problem, this methodology guarantees more didactic, effective and practical learning processes and allows students to develop complex skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and problem solving.

Some of the projects contained in the kits are the following:

- Automated irrigation system: the process and technologies used are mechatronic system design, automation, programming and precision agriculture.

- Air quality meter: The process and technologies used are sensors, gases present in the air and analysis of meteorological variables such as temperature and humidity.

- Noise meter: The process and technologies used are sensors, signal analysis and the material-sound relationship.

In Peru, 80% of young people, between 14 and 17 years of age, about to complete their basic studies do not know what career to pursue. Three out of 10 university students abandon their studies. Among the reasons for this situation are economic reasons, lack of vocation, not having been properly informed or evaluated, or having given in to the influence of family or friends. In that sense, the educational technology kit has 5 purposes: 

1. Early professional experience: The kit gives teenagers the opportunity to experience the tasks that a professional does in real life. For example, measuring air quality and noise, automated irrigation systems, among others.

2. Knowledge applied to socio-environmental issues: The knowledge and experiences they acquire with the kit are oriented to solve certain problems that are present in their communities. In addition, the adolescents learn that from different careers they can contribute to global sustainable development.

3. Revaluing ancestral knowledge: Peru is a country with a great cultural diversity that dates back to 3000 years B.C. and survives to this day. In this sense, the educational technology kit compiles these ancestral techniques, as well as current technologies to give adolescents a broad knowledge. This translates to the joint use of nature-based solutions and gray infrastructures.

4. Climate action at an early age: The kit is aimed at teenagers between 14 and 17 years of age. The solutions they build thanks to the kit make them environmentally aware and solve problems present in their community. In this sense, the kit forms young leaders who take action for the climate and their community from school age.

5. Reduction of inequalities: Due to economic factors, many students, when they finish school, are unable to study a technical or university career. This kit contributes to their cognitive and creative development to identify problems and develop solutions for their community. Consequently, the educational technology kit develops entrepreneurial skills in adolescents.

Maria Vera-Tudela Bustamante (Team Lead)

Born in Lima-Peru, she is a mechatronic engineer, focused on sustainability, global development and education. She has done various volunteer work on issues related to the environment, education, migration and women's empowerment. Analytical, altruistic and loves to learn, teach, dialogue and listen to different positions and analyze them. In 2022, she did an internship in the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States, where she wrote 2 speeches for the Secretary General, Luis Almagro, made a presentation on Green Hydrogen to interns from all departments of the organization and wrote and presented a white paper entitled "Inka Technology and Integrated Water Resources Management", which proposed the reuse and adaptation of Inka and pre-Inka technologies for adaptation and mitigation of climate change from a water approach. In 2021, she was a university parliamentarian for the Lima region and in recent years I have conducted volunteer work and environmental awareness workshops for children from 4 years and older in the AAHH Los Humedales de Ventanilla and the Colegio Héroes del Cenepa, both located in vulnerable areas. She is currently a Mentor in Empowarmi Tayacaja, a project funded by the US Embassy where she advises 9 adolescent women from the Nuestra Señora de Lourdes School in Huancavelica to identify and solve environmental problems in their community through the Design Thinking methodology. She is also the Environmental Projects Officer at Engineers Without Borders UTEC, an organization of students and alumni of the University of Engineering and Technology, where she manages engineering and scientific projects with socio-environmental themes such as the construction of an automated bio-garden for a women's home without access to drinking water. With all the aforementioned experience, Maria discovered that her passions are education, technology and sustainability, which led her to the definition of her purpose: developing and building sustainable technology for global development.

In 2018 I volunteered teaching mathematics classes to 9 year old children in a school located in a vulnerable area. I noticed that the motivation of their learning was based on dynamics and projects, so I conducted a series of experiments that explain mathematics in a fun way which aroused the interest of children to continue learning and applying what they learned. I am currently working as a Mentor in Empowarmi Tayacaja, a project funded by the U.S. Embassy where I mentor 9 adolescent girls from the Nuestra Señora de Lourdes School in Huancavelica to identify and solve environmental problems in their community. The students have identified that access to medicinal plants native to their community are becoming extinct due to anthropological and climatic factors. For this reason, they are building a phytotoldo to promote the production and sustainable use of these plants. In that sense, they recognized the importance of technified irrigation for the efficient use of water, so I built an educational kit for them to build an automated irrigation system and implement it in their project. In this way, the students learn and apply all the knowledge to a socioeconomic problem present in their community.

Statistics show that in Peru, 80% of young people between 14 and 17 years old, about to complete their basic studies, do not know what career to follow. Consequently, 45% of technical and university graduates are not happy with the career they studied, while those who do, are 88% more productive. All this affects their vision oriented to innovation, creativity and problem solving, which unfortunately does not remain in an individual, but impacts an entire society. But then, the biggest problem is that we live in an accelerated global warming that undermines the quality of life of people, especially the most vulnerable whose human rights are at critical risk. In this sense, it is imperative to develop innovative solutions with a socio-environmental perspective.

The educational technology kit proposes to provide a solution to both problems. This kit is an educational guide that fulfills 3 functions:

• The opportunity for teenagers to experience the tasks that a professional does in real life.
• Solve certain problems that are present in their communities and turn them into leaders for sustainable global development.
• The development of complex skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and problem solving.

The kit contains tools, materials and a guide that allows teenagers to build their solution and then apply it to environmental problems that affect the development of their community.

Problem 1: 85% of the world's extreme poor live in rural areas and depend on healthy ecosystems for survival.

• Impact Objective 1: Increase to 90% the number of youth leaders from 14 to 17 years old from Mentor Schools located in San Juan de Lurigancho through their action for the climate and their community.
  • How?: With the guide included in the educational technology kit, sensitize and raise awareness among adolescents about the importance and impact of ecosystems and natural resources on community development.
• Impact Objective 2: Reduce by 30% the socio-environmental problems present in the homes of students between 14 and 17 years of age at Mentor Schools located in San Juan de Lurigancho.
  • How?: 80% of students between 14 and 17 years of age at the Mentor Schools school located in San Juan de Lurigancho implement solutions to socio-environmental problems present in their community through the tools and materials provided in the educational technology kit.

Problem 2: 80% of young people about to complete their basic education do not know what career to pursue.

• Impact Objective 1: Increase by 60% the decision of fifth year high school students of the Mentor Schools located in San Juan de Lurigancho to study a technical or university career.
  • How?: Provide teenagers with the opportunity to experience the tasks that a professional does in real life through the projects proposed in each educational technology kit.

Problem 3: Due to economic factors, many students are unable to pursue a technical or university degree after graduating from school.

• Impact Objective 1: To develop entrepreneurial skills in adolescents between 14 and 17 years of age at Mentor Schools located in San Juan de Lurigancho.
  • How?: The kit contains tools that contribute to the cognitive and creative development of adolescents to identify problems and develop solutions for their community.