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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A TINKER CHAMP?
Not every school or ATL student may be cut out for change-making. However, one who wants to become a Tinker Champ needs to have the following qualities:
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Passion for tinkering & innovating with basic skills in it
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Problem-solving skills
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A positive attitude
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Can-do spirit
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Self-drive & motivation
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Patience & perseverance
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A desire to guide, support or mentor your fellow students
WHAT KIND OF INITIATIVES CAN YOU TAKE?
Let’s say you have a new student at your ATL. She is stuck in her tinkering project and is seeking help. You volunteer to guide her and get her to complete her project. Soon, more budding tinkerers come asking for your assistance. You use your spare time in the school to guide them. Realizing your potential to guide your fellow students, your teacher urges you to conduct a short training session for your buddies. You do this, and is soon recognized as the “go-to person” in your ATL. Peer-Mentoring is of the simplest and easier ways to start your change-making journey as a Tinker Champ. Here are a few more ways in which you can support or guide your fellow students in your school, or tinkerers and innovators at your ATL:
It's important to remember one thing though. Merely develop a learning resource or tinkering tutorial itself will not constitute a change-making initiative. A change-making initiative is one that makes a concrete impact on fellow students in your school or ATL. So, you have to put the learning resource or tutorial developed by you to practical use among your peers. Your fellow-students should learn from it and benefit from your initiative. More importantly, your change-making initiative will be valuable if it helps spread a culture of creativity, tinkering, innovation or entrepreneurship among several students in your school or the ATL.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME AS A TINKER CHAMP?
Well, it’s plain simple and clear, isn’t it? You are not doing this for some award or certificate. You want to be a Tinker Champ because you believe deep down in your heart that you can be a champion. You really want to spread a culture of tinkering, innovation and entrepreneurship among your peers and make a positive impact through your initiatives & actions. You delight in giving rather than taking. You intuitively know you can experience greatness by doing good to others. You know you are a born leader and you wish to demonstrate the same to everyone around you with your change-making skills.
In the process of driving these initiatives, you get to hone your life-skills and acquire several 21st century skills (such as leadership skills, collaboration skills, critical thinking skills, creativity thinking skills, communication skills, etc.). These skills will stand you in good stead in your future years. You also get the satisfaction and fulfillment of sharing your knowledge & expertise with your peers and help them grow. Through this change-making journey, you emerge as a better leader, a better individual and a better human being.
As you gain greater skills in change-making, more doors will open up for you. You will get to showcase your talents at bigger forums and be recognized for your initiatives. New opportunities will come your way that enable you to drive even bigger change-making initiatives.