PLAN 12: First free continental course made by and for teenagers
América Solidaria and UNICEF initiative, supported by Socialab and Red de Adolescentes Concausa (Concaus Teen Network), launched a learning platform for young people seeking to develop skills for the new scenarios caused by the pandemic, and in result, lead projects that transform their realities and those of their surroundings.
On October 28th at 11:00 A.M. ART, via Zoom, the launch of “Plan 12: el curso” (Plan 12: the course); first free online course made by and for teens. This is a new initiative promoted by Fundación América Solidaria and UNICEF, in collaboration with Socialab and together with the Red de Adolescentes Concausa (Concausa Teen Network), a network of young people from Latin America and the Caribbean that works to face different challenges of social and environmental impact in the continent.
“Plan 12: el curso” (Plan 12: the course), breaks out as an outcome of an unprecedented intergenerational work methodology, which promotes the development of projects and campaigns created from the beginning by teams of teenagers and adults, with equal decision-making capacity and autonomy.
According to Camila Ponce, director of the Educación de América Solidaria line (América Solidaria Education line), “the world in which we live requires us to have the capacity to adapt, either because we are forced to change countries; or change the modality in which we work; adapt to a distance learning system, even adapt to a new way of relating between people. The world is uncertain and changing, and developing skills to be able to reinvent ourselves and adapt to this ‘new normal’ will be essential. This course is an invitation to young people in our region to learn those skills that will be the key to navigating the future”.
This initiative is part of the Plan 12 project, which under the same intergenerational work dynamics, seeks to develop skills by sharing knowledge, from teenager to teenager, through various communication channels (RR.SS., podcasts, interviews with experts, downloadable courses, etc.) and with special focus on those people without access or with limited access to the internet.
“Our goal is that teenagers from all corners of Latin America have the same opportunity to develop essential skills for today’s world. That is why the proposal has an online platform and also downloadable materials for those who have less access to the internet”, Alejandra Trossero mentions, a specialist in adolescence for UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The skills to be promoted in this course are focused on sustainable development, world citizenship, communications, project development, advocacy and life skills.
In this regard, Eyleen Menchú, a teenager from Guatemala who participated in the development of the content, adds: “In this course we learn about tools and skills that help us create a project with impact. In addition, it has the experience of both adults and teenagers, who for years have worked and learned about the development and implementation of projects. This is an interactive course in which we can all participate and put into practice what we learn, because our generation has great potential and it is time for us to be the protagonists of change”.
The adolescents who participate have the freedom to access the content that is available without restrictions of time or place; this provides an opportunity for autonomous and self-regulated learning. The downloadable material works as a replacement for the educational capsules, so it can be used offline and access the certification.
It should be noted that “Plan 12: el curso” (Plan 12: the course), aims teenagers who have an interest in developing projects, regardless of the level of knowledge they have about the topic to be developed, or previous experience of participating in projects.
For more information, write to plan12@americasolidaria.org.