Breaching barriers for borderless breakthroughs
The last stroke that breaks the boulder cannot claim the victory any more than the random shepherd on duty can claim full responsibility for the birth of a bouncing calf. The eventual outcome is the result of a chain of contributors, many of them veiled, self-effacing, and hitherto unsung heroes. So it is with the journey of transforming your scholarship and career. Youth need motivation, mentorship, updated tips, networking, compelling support letters, and even some good measure of good-natured chances.
Scholarships and careers are common words, but they escape common understanding. Many a youth find themselves falling prey to the disinformation and misinformation shared by their peers or seniors who mostly talk out of their limited experiences and limiting mindsets. The post-pandemic era is going to see an increase in work and scholarship funding opportunities that disobey the limiting and self-imposed territorial and disciplinary barriers that have been dominating decisions and work culture before COVID-19.
Since their inception in January 2020, the youth talent talks on Talanta TV (Talanta Talks) have been growing in popularity. These TV talks have been delivered under the broad theme of cultivating talents for borderless influence. They complement the regular IBD Youth Talent and Career Fair series. Talanta Talk No. 2 was aired live on September 25, 2020. Talanta Talk No. 3 will double as the 15th IBD Youth Talent and Career Fair, to be aired live in October, 2020. The talk will illuminate scholarships and careers with diverse examples. The previous Talanta Talks already addressed CVs, interviews, and the skills youth need for post-pandemic competitiveness. Viewers will be able to join online from the Facebook page of Talanta Institute (@talantainstitute) and engage on twitter using @ImpactBorderle1 @talantadigital @voi2day, and #TalantaTALKS. Keep checking the IBD calendar for the announcement of the exact date.
Banking on a demonstrated track record
No sooner had the first case of COVID-19 been announced in Kenya than Impact Borderless Digital (IBD) started a series of virtual youth forums to continue mentoring young learners and professionals on the emerging topics essential to global competitiveness and awareness. The disruptive pandemic transformed the traditional physical delivery mode of the IBD youth talent and career fairs to take on a new strategic and global perspective. By the end of September 2020, seven virtual forums had been held, all under the theme of Education 4.0. The forums have addressed career development, employability skills, digital and data literacy, data and decision science, fintechs and start-ups, and global citizenship.
Education 4.0 and scholarships
Education 4.0 is the contemporary catchword for technologically leveraged learning in an environment of internet-enabled borderless connectivity and digitalisation. This is within the mainstream of Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The uptake of digital learning contents and e-conferences peaked at the height of the worldwide COVID-19 containment measures. As such, flexible and blended physical and online learning and conferences form the next normal in the post-pandemic education and networking landscape.
As higher learning institutions reopen in Kenya and across Africa, paving the way for the reopening of the basic education sector, the disruptive lessons of COVID-19 will be the first point of recollection and reimagination of borderless possibilities. By boosting remote working and borderless collaboration, the pandemic has expanded the space for competition for skills and talents. Youth should be keener than ever on how to empower themselves as innovators and global citizens in the emerging sharing economy that is seeing a rise in remote working, e-commerce, and subscription services via online platforms. Scholarship funding models are also expected to be more innovative to capture the growing diversity and democracy in post-pandemic training service delivery. The next Talanta Talk will explore these areas of growing interest to empower youth with key information about scholarships and careers.
Nashon, a geospatial expert, lecturer and trained policy analyst applies dynamic models to complex adaptive systems. He is a youth mentor on career development and the founder of Impact Borderless Digital.
