Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Bio- Empathy Experience in Naivasha

My life has evolved mostly around the city center and its environs for many years not knowing what nature has to offer.  The Naivasha experience was an eye opener  for me; sharing good time to listen, talk and connect to nature and appreciate our beloved country Kenya. These lasting memories through travelling, learning, dining and staying with my fellows from diverse around the world continues to trickle good emotions in all aspects of my  life every day.

Connecting to Nature
One of the memorable moments where I connected with nature like never before is when we were asked to stay alone for three hours and connect, talk, observe and listen to nature. At first this was not practical and on a quick judgment I didn’t see any value in the process.  After some time elapsed I was totally convinced that I was wrong and the fears in me were creating roadblocks of impossibilities which when I conquered them I appreciated the value and positive feeling in me. Now  I’m full of energy and creative  ideas on how I can translate that which  seems impossible to something tangible that shall create a big impact in the future.

Picture by Jerry Zhu during the Bio-Empathy course
Impact
As a design enthusiast I was able to design two T-shirts that adds to my collection. ‘Twende Safari’  is a Kiswhili phrase that says let’s go travel. The idea is derived from the great appreciation of our beautiful country Kenya and the urge  for local tourism in Kenya.

Look at the bigger picture, this is a an idea that is derived from perception especially how human beings connect to the animal world and what relationships exist if any, and how we can learn from them and be innovative.






Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Career Advise 101: Youth & Career

Following many encounters with young people from different backgrounds such as country, cultures, and personalities, profession, I have observed that there is always a synergy that binds the team together or breaks it apart if not monitored and planned for effectively in a learning, family, community or work setting. For example, during an exchange program if you were to bring youths together from almost the same or different backgrounds who have ambitions, interests, personalities, concerns, and influence, there is a big chance there’s going to be Competition, Comparison and Complaints coming from different quarters.

This is not only confined to the school setting but also in professional life, family, community level and amongst other important sphere of our lives. This is why I want to share this article specifically with the youth who are just about to enter into different careers after school life, and it may also be useful to any reader who is working or otherwise .

At any one time in our lives we have either participated in the following 3c’s (Complained, Competed & Compared) that either hindered our success and personal growth, or caused a delay to take action;

  1. Competition: You have taken part in an unhealthy competition at school, family, work, relationships Etc. 
  2. Compared: Someone’s qualities don’t match yours and you need to be more appreciated or paid more etc. 
  3. Complained: Things were not done in the right way, without your knowledge, or you are being under-paid etc.
It’s normal for people to have experienced these common C’s syndromes in their lifetime. My advice would be if we must compete in any environment, let us make it healthy while we support different view points to everything that we do. If you are to compare yourself to other people look at them as role models and an inspirational link .

You can’t be like someone; you need to accept that you are a unique person with the drive to succeed too. So learn more and listen to your colleagues then decide the direction you want to take. You can emulate what other people do, but try and do more of personal discovery to connect ‘yourself with yourself’ Lastly, if you have to complain always use the right channels established at the company, school or organization. Your biggest down fall will be when you go public with something that you could have just spoken privately with someone to get an immediate answer and save yourself from the embarrassment.

Always start with the end in mind ask yourself what if?... Here is something you can read further on http://www.mindtools.com The Ladder of Inference Source (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_91.htm)

Avoiding "jumping to conclusions" Understanding The Theory:
The Ladder of Inference describes the thinking process that we go through, usually without realizing it, to get from a fact to a decision or action. The thinking stages can be seen as rungs on a ladder and are shown in Figure

  1. Starting at the bottom of the ladder, we have reality and facts. From there, we: 
  2. Experience these selectively based on our beliefs and prior experience. 
  3. Interpret what they mean. • Apply our existing assumptions, sometimes without considering them. 
  4. Draw conclusions based on the interpreted facts and our assumptions. 
  5. Develop beliefs based on these conclusions. 
  6. Take action that seems "right" because they are based on what we believe. Extract from where you can find more on the ladder of inference http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_91.htm

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Exchange Program Nairobits & Kampabits

Nairobits Trust (Kenya) in collaboration with Kampabits (Uganda) has been working in partnership to strengthen their training especially at the Media Lab level since inception of the new Bits in Kampala. Experienced trainers from Nairobits connect with other Bits teams all over the region (Kampala, Arua, Zanzibar, Addis Ababa and Musoma) either during the set up of a new Bits, curriculum development, virtual meet ups. Learning exchange and during Co-creation workshops Etc.

This initiative has seen the Bits model grow in many strides and very soon there’s going to be another Bits set up in Northern Uganda in Arua called AruaBits in collaboration with Butterflyworks and other partners. My visit to Kampabits was pegged on the same mission of the Learning Exchange (LE) and working together with the staff at Kampabits with the view of strengthening the already developed structures giving alternative approach to the training and self exploration for the grandaunts who will be graduating on the 14th June 2013 before they come in contact with the competitive market.

I have always developed a great passion in sharing skills and knowledge with the young people around the World and I thank Nairobits for making my dream come true through their unique program. The objectives and approach in my teachings during mission such as Kampabits, is to develop an all rounded students who can apply logic and creativity when necessary whereby my ultimate goal is to always inspire good leadership, positive thinking, responsible citizenship, tolerance, self-awareness, learning by doing, passion driven approach Etc.

Training Objectives mission May 2013;

The main objective of the training exchange at the media lab in Kampabits focused on technical, creative and soft skills. Below is the summary of what was covered in class:-  

1. Technical Skills
  • Joomla content management system
  • Understanding the CMS building Blocks
2. Business writing skills
  • Writing CV
  • Writing a personal Bio
3. Life Skills
  • Decision Making
  • Online Presence (Personal Branding).
  • Who I am? (Self Discovery) Personal SWOT Analysis
4. Learn to Learn ( Approach to Learning New Things)
  • The basics of Information gathering (5 W's & 1H) Who, When, Why, Where, What & How
"It was a great pleasure teaching the youths and working together with the team in Kampabits and I look forward to more initiatives to connect with youth around the globe!"  

 Some Pictorials!

 Wilson Visit Kampabists in Kampala 
 Wilson Masaka at Kampabits
 Wilson Masaka at Kampabits

Written and Posted by;
Wilson Masaka Senior Trainer / Web Developer
Nairobits Trust http://flavors.me/wilsenx