With students aged 12 to 15 from the Association for the Protection of the Environment from Pollution (APE), we started implementing “A Journey of a Question” initiative ( Educquest Program).
APE is an NJO based on serving the residents of Al-Izbah, a neighborhood most of its residents work in garbage collecting and recycling.
When we first met the students (12 to 15 years old) before we started working with them, they lacked any innate curiosity about learning anything about themselves, others, life, or the wider world.
They start coming up with their own questions. After we started our initiative, we heard some wonderful inquiries:
Why do some people hate others?
How can I foresee how I will be in the future?
Is football only played by men?
What will happen if humans discover a new living thing?
How can I be concerned about how others feel? etc
Working with students who attend underwhelming schools is amazing because you get to see the impact of questions.
You’ll observe how the questioning boosts one’s level of cooperation with others, self-actualization, and self-assurance.
“A Journey of a Question” : is an initiative that aims to train students aged 9-17 on research and inquiry skills through the participation in a writing contest, which would produce a book about the students’ inquiries, and their journeys to find answers, under the supervision of trained facilitators.
It’s amazing to work with students who attend unimpressive schools because you can observe how questions affect the students.
You’ll see how the questioning raises a person’s level of confidence, self-actualization, and cooperation with others.
