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Autodesk Volunteers Return to South Africa

Next week, a new team of Team4Tech staff and Autodesk volunteers will return to Makupula High School in South Africa to continue the work they started in the community last year.

The 10 international volunteers will work with 30 local high school teachers over two intensive weeks to integrate project-based learning and technology into their lesson plans, and deepen student engagement and learning outcomes in the underserved community.

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Makupula High is a public school in the Kayamandi Township which is located 20 miles outside of Cape Town, South Africa. It’s the second oldest township in the Western Cape, and Kayamandi’s 35,000 residents largely live in informal housing and have historically had low economic and educational opportunities.

Working in partnership with the Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust (GSDT), this year’s team will expand outreach to Kayamandi Primary School using the mobile computer lab and 3D printers which were donated to GSDT by Team4Tech and Autodesk last year. The volunteers will also lead hands-on design workshops at Stellenbosch University and the Vision Afrika community center, and engage the local education community at an EdTech Stellenbosch Meetup.

“The collaboration with Team4Tech and Autodesk was a high-impact, high-energy project, and it has since sparked many further projects and collaborations. We are very happy to expand and grow our partnership to create sustainable impact within the community,” said Moija Van Zyl, project manager, Eduvate, program of GSDT.

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This project is part of Autodesk’s Employee Impact and pro bono program, which supports employees to make a positive impact at work, at home, and in the community. It is also aligned to Autodesk’s commitment to education and equipping teachers and students with tools to help advance learning in the classroom.

Stayed tuned for experiences from South Africa, and follow the group’s journey with #AutodeskLife.

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