Solar Lab at Tiempo de Juego Youth Centre

Computer Aid International, in partnership with Dell, launched the Dell Solar Community Hub in Cazucá near the outskirts of Bogotá in the Summer of 2016.

The aim of this program is to build local institutional capacity to ignite aspiration-led learning for marginalised youth of Cazuca who came to the area to escape the violence caused by the armed conflict between illegally armed groups and the national army.

Regrettably, Cazucá has been living under a confinement and just recently started to wake up from it; we have been victims of all kinds of violence and nothing has ever happened. No one did much to change this reality apart from Tiempo de Juego. Since the Lab arrived, the younger generation has naturally been curious and excited, but the emotion that this event has stirred in the elders has been really special. The fact that someone has finally considered Cazucá a priority is not only important because of the technology and training provided, but also because of the optimism it inspires in the entire community.

William Jimenez, Regional Coordinator at Tiempo de Juego

The Solar Community Hub is part of a multi-country youth learning program, bringing together Dell technology and long-term engagement with Computer Aid’s ICT4D expertise. They provide a unique space for enriched learning and access to some of the best skills training, for traditionally underserved children and young adults. The program brings together expert in-country trainers, who can build local partners’ capacity to deliver 21st-century skills that are valuable to young people in the community.

Solar Community Hub Specific Objectives:

• To provide a unique, technology-rich and resource-rich learning space, that brings together high-quality training partners for the benefit of local educational institutions.
• Enable educators to provide valuable 21st-century digital-skills and ignite youth learning in ways that are most relevant to their beneficiaries’ aspirations to help them succeed in their local economy.

Even the architecture of the Solar Community Hub has been redesigned to create a more inclusive environment. “In 2015, we consulted London based architects Squire & Partners to rethink the model,” stated Keith Sonnet, Chief Executive at Computer Aid International, “The side opening doors and the outside deck creates more natural light and makes the Solar Learning Lab a natural gathering point for the community”.

Through the Solar Community Hub programs and quality of resources and learning they enable, we are motivating hundreds of young people around the world to develop transferable skills crucial to better life, school and work situations. The program works on a student-centric level to help each participant select skills that align with personal life goals and become positive leaders for change in their community.

Este proyecto contribuye a lo siguiente Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS):

	Nuestro trabajo contribuye directamente a Objetivo 4.1 de ODS 4mejorando los resultados de la educación secundaria de chicos y chicas. Además, los estudiantes están adquiriendo competencias técnicas pertinentes que mejorarán sus perspectivas laborales, contribuyendo a Objetivo 4.4.
	Este proyecto contribuye directamente a Objetivo 5.B de ODS 5En el caso de los niños, seleccionamos escuelas con una proporción similar de niñas y niños y promovemos activamente el uso de los equipos por ambos sexos, garantizando que ninguna persona quede excluida.
	Al dotar a 10 centros de secundaria de laboratorios informáticos y tecnología de apoyo, como proyectores, que permiten a miles de alumnos acceder a las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, contribuimos directamente a Objetivo 9.C de ODS 9.
	Los equipos de TIC utilizados en los proyectos proceden en gran parte de donaciones de empresas; los equipos se limpian de datos y se reacondicionan antes de enviarlos a los proyectos. Por lo tanto, este proyecto contribuye directamente a Objetivo 12,5 de ODS 12reduciendo los residuos electrónicos y permitiendo la reutilización de la tecnología.

Financiado por