We are looking for teachers in Ghana who want support in creating educational projects that drive change in their communities. They will be the first teachers to officially join our teacher changemaker program (which includes a grant for £500- £1000), following the success of our youth changemaker programme.

This information on the opportunity found below can also be downloaded in a word document here:

Reading Spots – Teacher Changemaker Grant Application

Deadline: 30th June 2019 

Reading Spots Teacher Changemaker Programme

Background

Reading Spots was established in 2015 by teachers and pupils in the UK keen to support educational provision in rural Ghana whilst educating pupils globally in sustainable development. The project initially supported the creation of solar-powered community-led education centres across Ghana (of which there are over 25) supported by a network of roughly 200 volunteers. Pupils in the UK offer significant support for the project through our global citizenship programmes which have a focus on giving pupils a critical understanding of sustainable development.

Last year we decided to diversify our approach to focus on social leadership development, and awarded 4 youth ‘change-maker’ grants to students from the African Science Academy after an extensive application process. This led to the creation of a STEM summer camps for girls in Free Town and a community education centre in Bolgatanga, amongst other projects.

The success of the project inspired us to empower teachers already creating change in their communities or the communities in which they work. Last year we supported four teachers with a book drive in Kalpohin. The impact in their community that they were able to achieve with these books convinced us to support in the creation of a solar-powered Reading Spot at Kalpohin Kamaria government school in Tamale. We immediately saw the potential of linking with teachers who have evidence of a long-term commitment to creating change in their communities.

The details of this grant opportunity are as follows:

• You have to pitch an idea for an education project which will use a £500-£1000 grant to create a significant and sustainable impact. This project can be a fixed space (e.g. a library/education centre/ IT centre), a summer camp (e.g. STEM camp/ Maths Club), an online platform (e.g. a STEM magazine for girls), an awareness campaign (e.g. reducing plastic waste). If you are applying for £1000, the initiative should not be a timed-limited event or activity. There are no limits as long as there is an educational focus and the funds have long-term impact.
• The grant winners will be supported by the Reading Spots management team in Ghana and the UK and will also be partnered with pupils and teachers in the UK who are very eager to learn more about education in the international context and support your projects.

What are we looking for? (Amongst other factors)

1. Candidates who have responded to a clear community need, and are able to engage the whole community in establishing the aims and outcomes of the project.
2. Candidates who offer an idea that will have a significant and sustainable impact in their community, and a clear strategy for measuring this impact once achieved. It might be that the idea is scalable to other areas, though responding to a local need is the initial priority.
3. Candidates who already have evidence to suggest that they have taken the initiative to create educational change in their community without significant funding.
4. Candidates who are likely to be dynamic contributors to the wider Reading Spots volunteer network, offering examples of best practice via our Whatsapp feed, and sharing udpates from their project online to help gain further sponsorship for this initiative from UK donors.
5. Candidates who would be able to work effectively with Ghanaian and UK youth changemakers, sharing their experiences of community-led education, and contributing to our annual online international development discussion-based course.

The Application

Send the following details and answers to the questions listed below to Cat Davison (Chair, and a UK teacher) at contact@readingspots.org by 30^th June 2019 for consideration by our teams in the UK and Ghana.

1. Provide your full name and contact details (including Whatsapp contact and email address)
2. What are the aims of your project?
3. What exactly would the project consist of? (e.g. location, activities, facilities, timescale)
4. Who will benefit from the project, and how many people will it reach?
5. How would you spend the 6000 cedis (£1000) – please give a breakdown of costs.
6. Who would support you with the running of your project to guarantee success (short-term and long-term)? How would the project be sustainable?
7. What do you think the impact of your project would be? (Returning to your aims) How would you measure this impact?
8. What further support would you benefit from (e.g. from partners in UK, mentors in Ghana)?
9. How would you be a great active ambassador for Reading Spots?
10. How might you support other teachers and youth leaders in Ghana leading similar projects?

No more than 1000 words in total. Following this you will be interviewed either by skype or in person. Any questions at all, don’t hesitate to email contact@readingspots.org