BIO

As a TED-Ed Innovative Educator, a TED Translator, and a TEDx organizer, Saad Hamid is an expert at gathering people around ideas. Recently, he used this community building expertise to create a new accelerated learning program for young adults in Pakistan. Below, learn more about the framework behind his innovation, and get some tips on how to replicate it in your area.

IDEA

Young adults everywhere need to develop skills in digital thinking, emotional intelligence, and social consciousness. By completing a skills development course that blends online learning tools with offline discussion groups, young people can gain the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century.

INNOVATION PROJECT

The Skills Fellowship is an accelerated learning program designed for young adults in Pakistan. The goal of the program is to help participants explore skills at the intersection of digital thinking, emotional intelligence, and social consciousness. “Our program bought together 20 bright young minds aged 18-24 for 6 weeks to help them discover their leadership through online explorations (on the TED-Ed Platform) and offline interventions (via in-class experiences),” says  Saad. Students were chosen from across Pakistan; half of the participants were female. The program offered two types of in-class experiences: sprints (fast-paced exercises), and huddles (slow discussions). “Blended learning is the best way to go in an emerging economy,” says Saad.

Below, read Saad’s tips on how to start your own accelerated learning program for youth:

• Use tech as much as you can — for us the TED-Ed Platform really helped
• Use resources and tools that are already available to you, instead of creating your own
• Use the power of the community to engage external mentors
• Let students take charge and curate the experience with you!

This article is part of the TED-Ed Innovation Project series, which highlights 25+ TED-Ed Innovation Projects designed by educators, for educators, with the support and guidance of the TED-Ed Innovative Educator program. You are welcome to share, duplicate and modify projects under this Creative Commons license to meet the needs of students and teachers. Art credit: Shutterstock.