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O-Lab: Empowering indigenous youth with modern education for success.

Empowering Youth through Education

Limited access, disengagement, and lack of job skills hinder many indigenous youth. We ensure access to accessible and modern education.Partnering with corporations, we provide personalized, gamified education and job skills labs in-person and digital.Our offline app works on low-tech devices and supports indigenous languages, ensuring inclusivity. With up to 80% increased engagement and outcomes.

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2020

Established

1K

Children

3

Countries
Target group
Students upper
Updated
April 2024
O-Lab ensures equal access to 21st-century education for indigenous and vulnerable youth, boosting motivation and learning outcomes by 80%. Through personalized, gamified learning, digital and in-person labs, and strategic partnerships, we empower youth with essential skills and career pathways. We bridge the educational digital divide by providing offline, low-tech access in native languages.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Growing up in Colombia's indigenous region, La Guajira, I witnessed its high rates of high school dropout and unemployment. Only 5% access higher education or jobs. Inspired by my grandmother's role in co-founding a public school and my father's pioneering work as a computer engineer, both teaching youth to succeed in school and life, I created O-Lab to empower young people like myself to thrive.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

We ensure that youth, regardless of where they come from, have access to a modern education that equips them to thrive in today's world.

O-lab makes AI-powered gamified learning experiences. Think: educational computer games. We create games for all subjects.
But then we go further.
We partner with companies to co-create educational games that teach job skills.
Students see what it’s like to be a package driver, an engineer, or a scientist.
Students aren’t just playing games. They’re gaining real-world expertise. They create real-life solutions like solar panels and hydroponic systems.
Students present projects created to corporate partners to gain additional career support.

Our platform features bite-sized lessons and animations to make learning fun. It works offline, in low-tech devices, and is adaptable to any language, even indigenous tongues. Students can use O-lab in and out of school.
AI allows teachers to monitor and customize learning at their students’ own level and pace

How has it been spreading?

O-Lab's expansion is driven by empowering teachers and community leaders to develop digital skills and engage students through customized digital labs. They act as frontline leaders, bringing education directly to their communities using O-Lab's platform. This approach ensures tailored learning experiences and fosters community ownership and sustainability in education initiatives. Our engagement with communities and educational organizations has organically reached unexpected countries, impacting over 10,000 youths in our first year of launch outside our region.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

To access generic and open content, download our app. For a personalized experience, use the code provided by your school, organization, or sponsored company. This grants access to tailored content and programs, offering the best experience. Your sponsoring organization receives progress reports, ensuring seamless integration and tracking of your learning journey.Access is free for beneficiaries.

Implementation steps

Partnerships
We partner with companies to co-create educational games that teach job skills based on the needs and opportunities of the community requesting support.
Co-creation process
Corporate volunteers contribute to the curriculum - they teach students about the day-to-day of the job.
Training of tutors
We train teachers and local leaders on digital skills and how to engage with students.
Students access
Students aren’t just playing games. They’re gaining real-world expertise. They create real-life solutions like solar panels and hydroponic systems. AI allows teachers to monitor and customize learning at their students’ own level and pace.
Presentations
Students share learnings and projects created guided by O-lab, to corporate partners to gain additional career support.
Publishing Reports for Accountability
Embedded within O-lab is our Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning system, providing real-time reports on students' progress, educational and employment competence development, and program success. These reports are made public to governments, schools, corporates, and stakeholders for transparency and accountability.

Spread of the innovation

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