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Making it possible to stay connected, learn more and continue the dialogue and exchange, DEDI Alumni Club has invited the members to attend some 12 meetings during 2021. Most of the topics have been suggested by the alumnis and they also take upon them to moderate the sessions.
By Isabel Bjerrum Moeller
“Gamification” is becoming more and more popular and Ahmed Gneedy, gamification expert and DEDI alumni recently shared his knowledge, when DEDI Alumni Club held a meeting about it:
“Games can play a major role in spreading ideas and promoting change for sustainable development. Gamification is all about making every learning process enjoyable. I want the participants to change their mindset. They can use gamification for everything,” Ahmed Gneedy says.
Ahmed Gneedy, gamification expert and DEDI alumni shared his insights with the DEDI Alumni Club. (Photo: Rowan El Shimi // DEDI)
Learning about the UN Sustainabel Development Goals and discussing how to reach the goals can also be fun and made more easy by gamification, and this is what Jakob Erle has made possible by developing the SDG.
Jakob Erle is the director at International Academy for Education and Democracy (IAED) and he joined the session by videolink. He explained how he developed, the game, its various stages, and how to play it. Afterwards the alumni had the opportunity to try it out themselves and reflect on it as a tool for promoting SDGs.
To teach the Alumni the main elements that should exist at any game to make it fun and entertaining, the trainer used a number of popular kids games. Here they are playing musical chair. (Photo: Rowan El Shimi // DEDI)
“The SDG board game is a super tool. You cannot help not to engage and you get a lot of new ideas and insights during the discussions,” Yara Thabet said afterwards.
Yara Thabet is an ambassador for sustainable development at the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. She first got aware of the field of sustainability during a workshop at DEDI in 2017 and has been engaged ever since then.
While itself being a space of dialogue, The DEDI Alumni Club also addressed to question of how to create spaces for dialogue at another session in October this year. Mads Dahl joined by video-link and held a talk about vounteering at the MS Café in Aarhus that is run by volunteers. Mads Dahl, who works as carpenter, is also a participant of DEDI Green Gate project.
“I am surprised that in Denmark you will find volunteers working as carpenters. You would not see that in Egypt. I am also impressed of how organised the voluntarism is,” Mohab Mostafa said.
Mohab Mostafa, Filmmaker and DEDI Alumni, joined the session called “Creating spaces for dialogue”. (Photo: Rowan El Shimi // DEDI)
Mohab Mostafa is a filmmaker and very happy for the possibility of frequenting DEDI:
“I have always had a passion to know how other people who are different from me think. At DEDI there is an openminded atmosphere, so everyone feels comfortable to join the talk.”
DEDI Alumni Club is also a place where the lines between teaching and learning faint, since all learn from each other.
“Being a trainer is not that different from being a participant. We are on a journey together. Its more about knowledge sharing than teaching,” Ahmed Gneedy, gamification expert and DEDI alumni says.
And the organizers of DEDI Alumni Club are also learning alongside the participants:
“I always get inspired by their persistence and dedication to learning and growing. That motivates me and reminds me that learning is a journey that never stops”, Yousra Fouda, Project Officer at DEDI, says.
