A New Culture on How We Learn and The General Education System in Kenya

Did You Know... 

In a fast-paced economy where there are numerous inventive disruptions to how and when we might learn, self-learning is becoming one of the most difficult types of learning. On the other hand, if you don't have a system in place, there are a lot of distractions that you may experience when learning. 

Keep in mind that in a self-paced learning setting, there is no one to supervise you or direct you. Overall, you have to do it alone and time management is key in the entire journey. Here are some ideas from my diary that you might want to consider: 

1.  Learn something you'd like to do in the future. 
2. Develop a workflow and plan, and schedule time for learning when there are fewer distractions in your daily activities. 
3. Learn something relevant to your career path and consider how you will apply it in the future; find the motivating factor! 
4. Make a pattern for completing anything you've started. Your mind will adapt to the levels of performance you give it. 
5. Conduct a self-audit before beginning a new subject. 
6. Avoid randomness because it will make procrastination your friend.
7. Enroll in a course that will allow you to earn a certificate, points, or a location to display your progress and product. 
8. Intentionally plan a public launch or showcase of your abilities (Tell and Show) 
9. Take several short courses rather than one long course. Short courses are a great motivator for creating a culture of self-paced learning. 
10. Establish your Leandro objectives and define your WHY, WHAT, WHEN, and HOW. 

I'm determined to finish this course by Creative Economy eLearning Platform (britishcouncil.org)

This is a great course for anyone who wants to learn more about the creative economy. Here is my first certificate;

Education in Kenya 

Boarding schools will be prohibited in primary schools beginning next year!  What are your thoughts?

 “We must create a way in which we can be with our children and the only way is through day schooling,” Dr. Kipsang noted. 

Read more >> https://bit.ly/3BipZLv 

 Yesterday, around 8 p.m., I encountered a group of children as young as 5 years old playing randomly in the street, with some playing dangerous games. It is extremely concerning that children have been left to play at random in the street late at night. Some would argue that it is a normal culture in informal settlements or underserved communities, particularly during school vacations. But I believe there is ample opportunity for us to challenge the status quo, beginning with how we approach parenting and instilling a new culture change. 

#QualityEducation #LifeLongLearning

African Football Federations Needs to Change Strategy

African Football Federations Needs to Change Strategy to Increase Their Chances of Winning the World Cup. Congratulations to Morocco in the first place for overcoming Spain in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. 

This is definitely good news for the African continent, as the World Cup's history book just got a new page. When will an African team win the World Cup? No African country has ever advanced to the World Cup semifinals or taken home the coveted championship. 

After witnessing Senegal, the top team in Africa, according to the FIFA rankings, compete in the World Cup, I'm certain it's time for African teams to implement a new strategy or set of policies that would allow them to maximize rewards even if winning the trophy proves to be elusive. 

Senegal wasn't able to advance past the round of 16, which disappointed me. Instead, Morocco did the unthinkable by defeating Spain to advance to the quarterfinals. All of the African countries' hope is now placed in Morocco as they get ready to face Portugal, who also qualified for the quarter finals. 

Julian Finney/Getty Images AsiaPac/Getty Images

Don't miss the match because there is a chance of another page in the World cup history to be written by Morocco. The Morocco versus Portugal match will be played on December 10 at 6 p.m. New Policy or Strategy Proposal. My recommendation is to implement a rule limiting calls up for the national team to 20% of players competing in foreign leagues, with the remaining 80% going to those competing in home leagues. 

 Many people would argue that players who compete in domestic leagues lack experience, but my concern is whether or not players who compete for abroad, clubs can compete with other great athletes on the international stage. 

Only a small fraction of players possesses qualities that can be matched on a global scale, and the rest would find it difficult to compete even in local leagues. 

 The primary benefit of implementing this strategy is...

1. It will provide a stage for developing fresh talent 
2. It will encourage the government, public and the private sector to fund or sponsor the game.
3.  More talents would be showcased on a worldwide scale for export, building a large pool of players playing in foreign clubs that will help boost the GDP and other developments. 

Kenyan Football 

I learned yesterday from the news that the cabinet has approved Kenya's bid to co-host the 2027 AFCON. My sole query is: given that this is fantastic news, what do you think needs to be done? In general, the African continent has a lot of untapped talent that has to be professionally organized and supported by the right infrastructure in order to be very valuable in fostering sustainable development.

Good Read >>> Achraf Hakimi's nerveless 'Panenka' penalty seals stunning World Cup shock as Morocco beats Spain in shootout to reach quarterfinals | CNN

Start Up Business - Youth And Business.

 The Market Share!

It takes a lot to have a good portion or percent of the market share when starting a business. There is a trend in SME market where traders compete to sell the same product within the a certain location. Having many players selling the same product in some ways  creates  a mass market for customers, but the disadvantages come with the competing prices and quality.

Street Smart Vs. Book Smart

Running a real business and reading on how book how a business is run can never be the same. Running a business gives the best experience that is yet to be featured in books and in the confines of a classroom.

Thoughtful..

How does one create a Unique Selling Point (USP) within a crowded market? Here are some tips, I will use the shoes as my primary product to put the message across.  So if everyone is selling shoes there are many options you can think about  if you want to tag along the same product line as follows;

1. Add shoe laces on your product line.
2. Add shoe brushes and shoe polish.
3. Sell variety of shoes second hand and brand new. Variety can also mean sizes and for different groups.
4. Have a shoe repair corner.
5. Sell both on retail and wholesale prices.
6. Have an online store or invest in online marketing even in the simplest way using social media.
7. Build a brand identity don't just sell shoes but create a value that people would love to connect with.
8. Build your own brand.
9. Good customer care is important. This cut across from how you communicate, how you do your packaging, the time you give you customer to choose etc.

And many more...

Value addition is key in selling any product and it can come in different form that would make the customer love and need your products.

This is all for today, I hope you have learned something. Get in touch with me for a session on Creative Entrepreneurship whereby in a 5 days session  we will cover the 9 business fundamentals using the Business Model canvas that would enable you launch any business of your choice regardless of how the market is saturated.

 the best author of your story is YOU!

Do More / Be More  /Be Different

Read More >> https://wilsenx.blogspot.com/2020/02/creative-entrepreneurship-crafting.html?m=1

9 Reasons Why You Need a ToDo List.

#ProjectPlanning #ProjectManagement

There is power in keeping a To-do list. I have been using a To-do list for more that 20 years to ensure maximum productivity and proper planning. There are many reasons why youth don't achieve their set goals and if you pay attention you will find that they don't follow up, they don't have a to-do list and procrastination rule in the way they do things. 

How many times have you said to yourself, I will do it tomorrow and never to remember anything. Just take note, one day there will be no tomorrow! In case you are wondering where do I get this extra hours to do many things, I will tell you that there is great power in keeping a To-do list. 

 So What is a To-Do list?

 A list of errands and other tasks – often written on a piece of paper as a memory aid – that one needs or intends to accomplish. Mowing the lawn and chopping the weeds topped his to-do list of chores. Source :- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/to-do_list 

In the simplest term a to-do list means, a list of things to be done. Everyday present to us an opportunity to do what we must do, what we love, what we don't love, but must do, plan for the uncertainty, etc. all these within a 24hrs schedule unless you carry forward some task. In general, every person needs a work and life balance to be productive in what they do. 

There are many reasons why we should keep a to-do list, which can be either through a mobile application, notebook, white board, etc. Below are 9 reasons from my diary why you should keep a to-do list;

1. It helps prioritize work. 
2. It keeps you motivated once a task is done. 
3. It helps in tracking progress. 
4. It helps manage time. 
5. It creates harmony in a collaborative project. 
6. Manage anxiety and randomness. 
7. It drives focus.
8. It helps in reporting. For example, what has been done and what needs be done. 
9. It helps create a happy hour or time to relax.

One of my happy hours, that I also plan for is writing or reading an article while on traffic jam. Most of my ideas have been born through intentionally planning for my time everywhere I go ( The creative hours). 

Good read on Todo list 

By keeping such a list, you make sure that your tasks are written down all in one place so you don't forget anything important. And by prioritizing tasks, you plan the order in which you'll do them, so that you can tell what needs your immediate attention, and what you can leave until later.

Source: https://www.mindtools.com/aug8p7g/to-do-lists

 Insightful 

 Being jobless can rob you many things from your energy, passion, aspirations and eventually keep you off the track from your set goals. On the contrary, no matter how strange this might sound, being jobless is an opportunity to learn something new and for that to happen you need the right attitude to see it that way. Apart from money, talent, knowledge and skills are some form of 'currency' that helps you attract opportunities on your side. 

 Do More / Be More / Be Different www.wilsenx.blogspot.com

Play Safe With Dignity - How it all started

Play Safe With Dignity. How it all started, the football shoes and general resource mobilization for teams and players in Mathare North. 

My football journey started in different spaces from playing in the corridor, staircases, in school and many other open spaces with my peers and we used whatever we could call a football that we made from waste materials.

Even though time has passed some elements of how we used to do things are still alive within the activities of the current generation. I remembered vividly the time I got the chance to play a more organized football match was through Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) community league whereby I was attached to Mathare North Zone. 

I remembered most of us played barefoot with a MYSA branded vests which were shared amongst all the participating teams in the community league. I played barefoot until around 14 years when the transition happened after receiving a pair of donated football shoes from the late Helge from Norway after scoring the only goal against a more talented side, the Mathare United Youth team in a tournament that was organized in his honor known as the Helge's cup played in 1996 at St. Benedict parish grounds along Thika road. 

The Football Shoes Campaign

I started the football shoes and resources mobilization campaign for teams in Mathare North especially for the age U10 - U15 to help them play in a more dignified way and in a safe environment. My goal is to also restore the children's and youth hope of becoming the next stars in future by going through an experience that will encourage them to Do More, Be More and Be different. I also strive to train them on values that would help them aspire to become role models and change makers in our society. 

Read More >> 

• https://wilsenx.blogspot.com/2022/09/golden-goal-for-golden-boots.html?m=1
• https://wilsenx.blogspot.com/2020/10/soccer-balls-and-shoes-boots-campaign.html?m=1 

Sport is a great vehicle that can help instill life transforming values outside the confines of a classroom. When I see the kids play, I see more in them that needs to be  nurtured and supported further. So, aside from my vision of seeing every child in my community, play in a safe environment and dignified ways I want to invest time training them in values and soft skill that would enable them to adapt in different life transitions.

These values are for example; improved self esteem, fair play, teamwork, leadership, role modelling, responsibility, self confidence, respect, discipline, professionalism, compassion and many more.

Highlights of my achievements playing football. 

1. Founded the Mathare North Festive Season Football Tournament (MNFSFT) for the senior teams and junior teams (U10 - U15). 
2.  Organized and coordinated a peace tournament in Mathare North that featured twelve teams during the December holiday the year 2013. 
3. Participated in the Diversity Cup in Hamburg Germany with other 14 fellows from other countries as part of the Dekeyser fellowship now known as the Do School http://thedoschool.org/
4. Played the Norway cup with Mathare United U16’s in the year 1997, 1998 and 1999 respectively. In the year 1998 assistant team captain and 1999 I was the overall team captain. 
5.  Team manager of Otto-Benecker football girl’s team. www.otto-beneckerfc.blogspot.com. 
6.  Founder and head coach of Metro Sports FC which is youth lead initiative through sports in the slum. 
7.  Played for Mathare United under 17 team, winning the Coca-Cola youth tournament in 1999 in Nairobi. 
8. Captain of Don Bosco secondary school football team 1999, Nairobi-Kenya.
9.  1999 Winner of MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association) Best Player and Fair Play awards.
10. 2010 founded Mathare North Rangers F.C under Wilsen initiative (Wi).
11. Played for De La Rue and Pumwani Sportive in the Kenya Football Federation league (FKF).
12. Played for Otto-bene
13.  Mobilized and connected football resources to more than 20+ teams and 500+ players . And many more... 

 "Anyone who criticizes the power of sports in creating opportunities for the youth and children means they have never tasted the benefit of any game" - Wilson Masaka founder Wilsen Initiative (Wi), Team Leader, Youth Advocate and Social Entrepreneur. Do More / Be More / Be Different. 

Why Do We Go To School?

This question might sound like a simple one with obvious answers, but if you believe that we go to school to get jobs, then just know you're still living in the era of the stone age. 

 There are many people who have gone to school and acquired better academic qualifications, but the world is still short of innovators, thinkers, Pacesetters, problem solvers, serial entrepreneurs, philanthropist etc. 

 Ask yourself why is this still the case? 

 My Take 

 Unless we change the way we train the youth and make them believe that we go to school not get jobs, the gap of jobless youth will increase relentlessly. I'm my books, we go to school to seek knowledge so that we can plug into already existing systems, but also challenge the same systems as problem solvers, change makers, innovators, philosophy, transformational leaders etc. 

Sometimes I find it fascinating why we train youth on skills that they will never use anywhere or remain with the same skill without any idea of monetization. 

We shouldn't learn for the sake of learning , but rather we should do so with an intention of making transformational change in our life and that of others by challenging the norms, creating new innovations, plugging into already existing best practices etc. 

 Just thoughtful ❤️

 It's either you are working in a space where there is an evolution or revolution of IDEAS. Just thoughtful Sometimes we don't have to create anything new, but what we need is just to give an already existing product a new touch, approach or look, whatever you want to call it. This is where innovation and creativity thrive in UNLEASHING NEXT BIG THING!

Skill Up Master Class At Oasis Mathare #SkillUpMasterClasses

 #QualityEducationLifeLongLearning 

 On Thursday 24th November 2022, I had the pleasure of spending time with 26 young people at @oasismathare Oasis Mathare who are aspiring to become software developers / engineers in future. 

 The session covered the following; 

 1. The job description.

 2. Creating a Curriculum Vitae (CV).

 3. Why they need a portfolio. 

4. The essential soft skills required in the World Of Work (WOW). 

 In December I will also create a day to meet another youth group within Nairobi. Get in touch with me incase you need a youth facilitator who is creative, knowledgeable and passionate about youth agenda

In pictures 

Do More / Be More /Be Different www.wilsenx.blogspot.com 

FAILfaire :- Reframing How We Perceive & Receive Failure.

Generally, there's nobody who wants to be associated with failure. That is why you will find in some workplaces the top leadership will make all efforts to disassociate themselves from any form of failure. 

On the other hand, if they don't blame it on anyone or department they would rather paint a merry picture of success even when failure is at the center of everything. 

 In schools and some workplaces we are also trained to avoid failure at all cost which sometimes comes in the form of warnings, for example, if you fail count yourself fired, out and so on. I would rather change the conversation to, do your research and plan well and execute. If failure happens don't be ashamed to document and learn from every step. 

Incase you are running a start up, there is this phrase or philosophy, (FF) Fail Fast, meaning get all the important lessons from the earliest stage to gain momentum and stability towards the next phase.

Anyway, I came to learn, in some cases, failure is inevitable and it is a great way to prepare for the big wins only if you are keen to pick the lessons at every stage with an open mind and attitude. The fact is, you will never come across any monument erected at any place to celebrate people who tried and failed nor will you find any award in the same category. 

 In any contest people only remember the winners. As time goes the first runners up also fades slowly hence the need to be winners at all times. 

 "Our journey to success is closely connected to many things, and failure is part of it." - Wilson Masaka, Youth Advocate and Social Entrepreneur 

"Failing doesn't necessarily mean you didn't plan, that is why we need to reframe our thinking, perception and reception about failure. " - Wilson Masaka, Youth Advocate Social Entrepreneur 

Failure might have happened because of some unknown situations that took precedence in what you had planned to do that are linked to external environment beyond your control for example the COVID-19 pandemic is a classical example.

To achieve our optimum impact as organisations we should embrace failure as part of the process and allocate quality time to document all the failures that might have happened during a certain period (Failfaire). The only part I can't buy is when failure is made deliberate by not doing what is required. Many organisations are found of creating layers of strategic plans, one after the other without taking a deep dive into the failures that would help them generate new ways of thinking before creating new strategies.

Below Are Five Reasons Why We Should Have a FAILfaire in Our Organisations.

 Here we go... 

 1. Failure creates room for alternatives ways of doing the same thing in a different way (creativity & innovation). 

2. It encourages great performance than in a situation where it isn't embraced which leads to staff faking results. 

3. It helps an organisation understand better their S.W.O.T analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity & Threats). 

4. Create room for personal development and capacity building. Nobody is perfect and if you try you either win or fail and in between there's great learning. 

5. Open our mind to think of meaningful partnership to address the gaps. 

Picture credit https://unsplash.com/@reddalec

I hope starting today, you will plan and target to win and should failure happen, you will take a pause and documents the lessons with an open mind. 

We shouldn't deliberately let things fall apart or encourage failing. We should always strive to recognise failure as part of the things that are bound to happen even after great plans. 

In case you're a youth led or a pro-youth institution part of what I train is organisational culture and documenting failure (this is a new area in many organisations) as one of the subtopics. 

 

Get in touch Do More / Be More / Be Different www.wilsenx.blogspot.com

Heroes Day (Mashujaa Day) Well Celebrated.

Every 20th October Kenyans celebrates heroes' day also known as Mashujaa day to collectively honour all those who contributed towards the struggle for Kenya's independence and continues to positively contribute in the nations development and honour in different spaces in the post independent Kenya. It was a great honour to host the first skill up session for the girls under the umbrella of She Can - I am a sHERO at Wilsen Initiative (Wi). Read more https://wilsenx.blogspot.com/2022/09/she-can-im-shero-project-under-wilsen.html

The Skill Up Session - 20th October 2022 During the Celebration of Heroes Day (Mashujaa Day).

 A total of 20 girls between the ages of 13 and 15 who plays football attended the session. Our main aim is to inspire, connect and educate (ICE model) girls on how they can live a more responsible lifestyle despite the many challenges faced by young girls living in underserved communities. Short Profile of our Speakers / facilitators Our great facilitators / speakers during the session were; 

Kate Syprine who is a mentor at Dream Program and ex-footballer. Read more of her story https://wilsenx.blogspot.com/2011/09/unknown-heroes.html?m=1 

Esther Mazira, She Can - I am a sHERO co-founder and Data Analyst

 Grace Mbaye Training coordinator and Mentor at Digital Divide Data (DDD).

General Overview Of The Session 

The speakers / facilitators were able to share their insightful journeys from education, career, football for development, personal development just to mention but a few. There was also a special hour that we called (GT = Girls Talk) whereby our speakers / facilitators were able to openly discuss issues that surrounds the girl child and gave insights on how to mitigate the same. 

Some of the main highlights during the discussion were for example;

•  Early teen pregnancy.
• Menstral hygiene, self esteem
• Self awareness
• Open talk. 

 Parents Meeting 

To wrap the day we also hosted a parents and guardians meeting in collaboration with Gudush Soccer Academy. We took the parents through some key points on what we do, what we aspire to achieve and also how they can be one of our support pillars towards the development of children that are engaged in our activities that cut across on and off the football field. 

Appreciation

I take this opportunity to thank everyone who made the day a big success and I look forward to hosting this type of events for both the girl and boy child Even though we might aspire to do more, all our activities are subject to availability of resource and required support and currently we sponsor the activities from our own contribution and support from our friends network. If all is in place we would like to hold this even on a quarterly basis whilst providing sanitary towels and other personal essentials to the girls during the session. We believe by that will enable them stay in school and avoid be luade into other distractive activities. 

 Call To Action

 I invite all my friends, wishers and anyone who wants us to collaborate in this journey to help our sisters pursue their dreams by taking the appropriate steps starting now. 

 "I believe in a society were both the boy and girl child are provided with the right platform and resources to work alone based on special need and also recognize the importance collaboration towards creating a society that wouldn't discriminate any gender. This is a society that will ensure a conducive environment for everyone be what they want to be regardless of their gender" - Wilson Masaka, Youth and Social Entrepreneur

 The Wi-Experience - The Story of Self and Us.

 It is easy think of what you do for yourself and a bit challenging to think of what you can do for others and do together based on values. Wilsen philosophy is based on the three pillars with the overriding theory are YOU towards development as follows; 

1.  What can you do for yourself to become better and not bitter ? (Your story) 
2. What can you do for others (Your Aspirations or Vision Beyond Self) 
3. How can you combine effort together with others to create the change that you wish to see? ( Collaboration and Togetherness). 

 Lastly among many thing that Wilsen initiative (Wi) does we also offer pro-bono services to emerging youth led initiatives that are less than 1 year since inception of their ideas. Part of what we offer in this package are as follows; 

1.  Setting the right organization culture. 
2. Resource mobilization 
3. Training and mentorship Among others! 

Here are some of the highlights of the day in pictures!

The Birth of Wilsen Initiative (Wi)

#TheUntoldFoundersStory #Founders360 

The Light Bulb Moment

Wilsen initiative (Wi) idea started somewhere in 1997 - 2000 during my prime years of playing football, different exposure I have received through education and exchange programs. In my 20+ years journey as the founder and social entrepreneur I can comfortably say the founder's role is much more tougher and challenging compared to that of a manager who has been employed in an already running organization with all the systems in place. I'm talking from both side of the experiences working in managerial position and pursuing my dream as the founder. 

Here Are Few Insights About Wilsen Initiative (Wi) Also Known As The 'Wi-Experience'

As the founder and leader, I'm ready to explore different possibilities towards achieving an accelerated impact through partnerships, innovation and creativity.

The iceberg illusion

"If by any chance there's luck in whatever I do, then I would say it could count for 1% and 99% is all you may not see are for example; the thinking process, many failure, many attempts, many rejections, working hard and smart and so on." - Wilson Masaka Youth Advocate, Social Entrepreneur & Founder / team leader at Wilsen initiative (Wi).

The Founder's Journey 360 degrees!

It Is Either You Start Up or Shut Down!

Early Stages 

The founder’s roles are even tougher when you have to play all the possible roles in your enterprise especially when you don't have the resources to employ the team that could help you with the set up and drive the mission towards the vision point.

The Call Vs. The Job 

As a founder, the call is much bigger and I can go for the next extra miles without expecting a pay but I believe one day I will be able to get the full support to enable me recruit a team that will work with me around the clock towards realizing the vision. At the moment we have to soldier on with the little resources we can access and strive to achieve the best impact.  The question is, how many years should one spend at the level of being called early stage start-up? 

My idea has been around for more than 20+ years and despite the many challenges one being fundraising I'm not thinking of shutting down anytime because everything is done out of genuine passion towards living the full circle as envisioned in the dream.

The Journey

So before you quit, ask yourself why you started?  

Just a summary of the Wilsen initiative (Wi)

I have been able to initiated different activities to support both the children and youth especially in football and education. I'm an advocate of SDG1: No poverty, SDG4: Quality education and lifelong learning and SDG8: Decent work and economic growth.

Below is a summary of my achievement under Wilsen Initiative (Wi);

• 2010 -2017-  During this period I was employed and I could save some money to support my idea and off course my family and friends offered great support. The year 2017 I lost my job but the passion even grew bigger to do more.
  
  
• In 2012 - I got an opportunity to attend the Dekeyser fellowship in Hamburg, Germany this was a great opportunity that enabled me to sharpen the idea further around the change I would wish to see taking place in my community. The fellowship offered great skills in fundraising, media, project management just to mention but a few.
  
  
•   2013 - I got a full scholarship to attend the Amani Institute fellowship in Kenya. This was a God sent opportunity at the right time towards sharpening my idea further. A lot of research work, insights from my fellows, case studies etc. Anyway, to date I can say I have done a lot but there's more that is still on the plate yet to be done especially in acquiring funds that would enable me to go the full cycle.

Appreciation : Friend-raising = Fundraising 

I want to thank all my friends and family members who have supported all my calls by offering great advise, the funds, the time, material support etc. I look forward to add many new friends into to my network for possible ways of working together. My profile on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilson-masaka-4b39439

I want to also appreciate all the volunteers that have worked with me and those that continue to believe in the cause despite the challenges especially in raising the resources that could help us in the implementation process.

In case you didn't know,  at Wilsen Initiative (Wi) we are open to meaningful collaborations, linkages, co-fundraising etc.  

You are most welcome to support one or all the Wilsen initiative (Wi) pillars. All our programs are subject to availability of funds and required support.