This month we are launching our new IGNITE programme!

Ignite is designed to further enhance the impact of our network of over 250 local volunteers, who are a diverse mix of teachers, students, parents, and wider community members.

The programme will enable our community volunteers named ‘Catalysts’ to share ideas and engage in quality training ahead of leading a range of activities across our 50 community-led education spaces named ‘Spots’, impacting an estimated 15,000 students and adults.

The programme kicks off on Friday 28^th April with four 3-day regional training academies, with Catalysts coming together in Tamale, Akumadan, Elmina and Ho with online training also available.

A key focus of the training is to ensure that all our Spot volunteers have a strong understanding of child safeguarding and protection alongside our policies for ensuring everyone is safe whilst in our education spaces.

Alongside training in our existing long-running programmes for Junior High School students – EduLit and EcoSTEM – the programme will also see the launch of three exciting new strands of our work: Ignite Girls, EduKidz and Spot Ops.

Ignite Girls aims to empower JHS girls with the skills, knowledge, and mindset to meet their own goals for education and wider life. Our Spot volunteers will form Ignite Girls clubs, enabling girls to engage in a series of monthly activities, also supported by a mentor from the local community.

EduKidz aims to enable children to build a strong foundation of literacy skills, and cataylse a lifelong love of learning through establishing locally-led EduKidz Clubs. Our Catalysts will be supported in ensuring the Spots are welcoming for early years students, with sustainable resources to enhance their learning.

Finally, Spot Ops looks to engage Catalysts in a series of monthly activities that enable them to drive forwards the sustainability, impact, and community ownership of their Spots.

In this process, EduSpots are equipping all Spots with resource boxes for literacy and STEM, including over 7000 storybooks by local authors and local textbooks, alongside electronics kits for every Spot.

Alongside catalysing change relating to core literacy levels, this programme will lead to significant advancements in over 10,000 students’ engagement in education, confidence, and wider leadership skills, with 250 Catalysts empowered as active citizens and educational leaders.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for their support of this programme, but in particular the British and Foreign Schools Society and the Fonthill Foundation.

If you are interested in supporting or engaging with EduSpots’ work, email info@eduspots.org or visit our website www.eduspots.org