Waterloo Global Science Initiative Invests in Young People as a Force for Change in Education

PHOENIX, April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI) is pleased to launch its Equinox Fellowship, a program that funds projects initiated by young people between the ages of 18 and 30 inspired by the priorities outlined in the Equinox Blueprint: Learning 2030 which launched globally last week in Oxford, UK at the World Literacy Summit. Equinox Blueprint: Learning 2030's student-centered vision for the future of education was developed at last fall's Equinox Summit: Learning 2030. Half of its collaborators were high school students, student leaders, entrepreneurs, and activists between 18 and 30.

In partnership with leading youth social entrepreneurship network, TakingITGlobal, a cohort of 30 young innovators participated in the Sprout e-course to develop a project and be eligible for a Project Launch Grant and mentorship opportunities provided by TakingITGlobal and MaRS Discovery District.

WGSI is pleased to announce the recipients of the Equinox Fellowship:

Iyinoluwa Aboeyeji (Lagos, Nigeria) - Teaching for Learning 

Aboeyeji is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fora, a start-up that connects young Africans to e-learning resources, and a recent graduate of the University of Waterloo. His new project, Teaching for Learning is a program that will use e-learning resources from Coursera and the Commonwealth Education Trust in Foundation of Teaching and Learning to expose primary and secondary school teachers in Lagos, Nigeria to new ideas about pedagogy and tools that will allow them to become better teachers.

Eric Kennedy (Phoenix, AZ, USA) - International Interdisciplinary Student Network 

Kennedy, a PhD. Student in the Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University and graduate of the University of Waterloo's Centre for Knowledge Integration, is developing The International Interdisciplinary Network (IIN) to link, empower, and support interdisciplinary student associations and their young leaders around the world.

Bryson McLachlan (Waterloo, ON, Canada ) - Design Thinking Module 

McLachlan, a student in the Centre for Knowledge Integration at the University of Waterloo, is developing a learning module for middle and high school students that introduces them to design thinking and collaborative work. The long-term goal is to equip young people with a resilient and flexible skill set that can be adapted to difficult problems that stretch across multiple disciplines and outside school walls.

Olatunde Ajoke Omoware (Agbado, Nigeria) - Agbado e-Learning Centre 

Omoware is the Human Resources and Project Coordinator for the non-profit AGDC Employability and Enterprise. Her project targets children from the poorest homes in Agbado, Nigeria who are almost a year behind their classmates by the time they start school. In an area serviced by only one government secondary school, Agbado e-Learning Centre will provide children with access to the basics of ICT and Internet usage as well as books and literacy resources.

About the Waterloo Global Science Initiative 

Founded in 2009, Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI) is a non-profit partnership between Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the University of Waterloo, a pairing that has previously resulted in the distinguished Perimeter Scholars International program and the University of Waterloo's pioneering Institute for Quantum Computing. WGSI's mandate is to promote dialogue around complex global issues and to catalyze the long-range thinking necessary to advance ideas, opportunities and strategies for a secure and sustainable future. The organization's core activities include the Equinox Summit Series, Equinox Blueprints, Equinox Fellowship for young leaders, and a range of impact activities programmed around each summit topic and its outcomes. For more information visit wgsi.org.

Image with caption: "Young education innovators working to develop Equinox Blueprint: Learning 2030. (CNW Group/Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140423_C4885_PHOTO_EN_39575.jpg

Image with caption: "Young education innovators working to develop Equinox Blueprint: Learning 2030. (CNW Group/Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140423_C4885_PHOTO_EN_39574.jpg

For further information:
Hayley Rutherford
Content & Programming Coordinator
Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI)
hrutherford@wgsi.org
+1-519-569-7600 ext 7613