46 DAYS, that's it. Our journey is coming to an END, and I can’t believe how HASTILY it all went. My first IA days still remain vividly in my mind; it doesn’t make sense how two years have already passed by. I lucidly remember the first time we ever united as a group to run the 5 km for Down Syndrome. Also, it doesn't seem that long ago, when Randy came from California and taught us the design thinking process, or even when we skyped at 4 am the day the documentary was due. It makes me gloomy to think that this REMARKABLE journey will end soon.
The IA has changed my life, not to be cliché or anything, but it has certainly impacted me in a POSITIVE way. It happened in the right time, and I'm exceptionally GRATEFUL to be part of it. Without the IA, I wouldn’t have a clear idea of who I am or what I want to do, I wouldn’t of learned how to find value to make my life more purpose, and without it, I wouldn’t have learned how to fail and be perseverant. These are just some of the many valuable lessons the IA has IMPRINTED and gifted me with. Because this has been such a REATTRIBUTING experience, we—as the first IA class—have decided that we want to give back to our community by sharing everything we’ve learned these two years. The lessons and experiences acquired here are unparalleled.
The class has been divided into two groups: BlendZ and IA final thesis. We have to to maximize our PRODUCTIVITY and test out if BlendZ can be managed by only 6 people, this is the perfect time to do so. The IA final thesis group is currently working on a project, somewhat like the iWEEK, where we go to a secondary school—somewhere in Peru, the location is still to be determined—and we give the kids (14+) workshops on some of the MAJOR lessons we’ve learned in the IA like: autonomy, passion, mastery, mindset, personal branding, and others. We want to give lessons that will REMAIN with them, not theory that will fade with time. The idea is to challenge the students to create an innovative solution to a local problem, and at the same time applying what they’ve learned in the workshops, learn how to collaborate, and also learn about design thinking through the process. Also, the last day, each group would pitch their ideas and we pick the project we believe in the most, and we will also help fund it with the money of BlendZ. Finally, through the week, we would also film a documentary that not only ENCOMPASSES what we'll be doing, but also captures what the IA means to us and how it's CHANGED us.
Nothing will be set in stone until we've found the schools. Therefore, we are in the process of searching for schools that are willing to give us the TIME of their teachers and students, so that we can carry out our project. We've just started, but contacting schools, has been our biggest challenge so far. As I think more and more about this project I get infinitely INSPIRED and DELIGHTED to work. The project still needs to be defined and twitched around, but I'm certain that our interaction with a small school and community will make an IMPACT, in them and also in us.
When you have a clear audience, you are able to understand their needs and SERVE them better. By having a set community and school, we will be able to change our plan to make and make our visit more RELEVANT. Additionally, once we know the school we can do deeper research and serve their needs closer. Yesterday, during lunch, I was brainstorming and talking about the project with my classmates and I realized that even though they would BENEFIT from workshops and the challenge, we could maybe--as we learn more about the community--pose a bigger challenge to help them LONG-TERM. I would maintain the workshops, but like I mentioned previously, with lessons and not with heavy content that they will forget.
During lunch, Paolo mentioned his idea about installing a well, we would bring the materials and we would CHALLENGE the community and us to build it over the week. Even though, the idea of building a well was metaphorical it got me thinking on how we could MODIFY the project we have now and make it even more significant to our audience. I see the VALUE in both ideas, and I don't see why we can't merge both. Right now, I’m not quite sure where I want to go with this thought, but I’ll keep thinking about it, and it will become more clear as we have a established community. I believe that our main focus this week is to find our AUDIENCE, so we can develop further the project.
I feel E M P O W E R E D.
EMPOWERED to make a difference in a some children's lives, to GIVE BACK to my community, and to create something that will give VALUE, to others and to me. Taking on this project is the perfect GOLDEN FINALE to end our crazy adventure. It comprises who we are and what the IA means to us. And as we find the school, the more we will define the project, and the more meaningful it will become.
EMPOWERED to make a difference in a some children's lives, to GIVE BACK to my community, and to create something that will give VALUE, to others and to me. Taking on this project is the perfect GOLDEN FINALE to end our crazy adventure. It comprises who we are and what the IA means to us. And as we find the school, the more we will define the project, and the more meaningful it will become.