Learning & Change
I’ve seen complex water systems that stopped working because the community had no-one locally who understood the design.
At Engineers Without Borders (EWB) our strategy to affect change through appropriate and sustainable development is twofold: to work with communities, and promote learning and change in our own community.
In my last blog, The Four Cs, I talked about working with communities, and here I’d like to talk about one of the ways we’re promoting learning and change.
I’ve heard about expensive fridges, donated to communities for storing vaccines, being used as bookshelves because they didn’t run on the local electricity voltage. A very expensive bookshelf by anyone’s standards.
I’ve seen complex water systems that stopped working because the community had no-one locally who understood the design and they could not afford external people to maintain it.
To deliver sustainable development we need to learn from these mistakes, adopt more appropriate technologies and change our approach
EWB focuses on providing professional skills and support rather than money. Our volunteers are active in community projects that support initiatives such as clean drinking water, safe housing and affordable and renewable energy sources. We always work hand-in-hand with local organisations.
At the core of our philosophy is the notion that when we give we receive. Every time we manage a community project, it adds to our experience and helps us approach development in a more informed and responsible way. The benefits compound as each successful outcome, as well as the inevitable failures, inspire us all to be more active in working for change.
Hopefully after exploring what is appropriate in the field we’ll reassess what’s appropriate in our own lives. Learning to question whether that flat screen plasma TV or imported Italian marble bench-top is really appropriate at home can be the beginning of a wider cultural change.
Of course, the most obvious place we can use what we learn to promote change is within our own industries. As individuals many EWB members have access to larger engineering firms and when you’re in the business of promoting change like we are our, these individuals and their companies wield significant power – they’re responsible for making much of the ‘stuff’ we see around us.
That may sound superficial, but think about this: every object is designed by someone for a purpose. Imagine what the world would be like if every engineer and designer had a conscious and concerned attitude coupled with a comprehensive understanding of what they were being asked to design and manufacture before they took on the challenge of completing the task. Maybe the engineers designing the gas chambers during WWII would have said no.
Idealistic as we are, we know we can’t change everybody’s mind; but that’s no reason not to try. The EWB challenge, sponsored by BHP, is one way we’re trying to promote learning and change within engineering.
The EWB challenge is a design competition open to every first year engineering student in the country. Participating universities must incorporate the project into their course assessment to be eligible. We create an assignment based upon a real project EWB has committed to undertaking.
A real village they can find on Google Earth, with real people and complex issues. The students gain practical experience in responding to challenges such as waste management, water recycling and other technologically appropriate infrastructure for the community’s development. EWB outlines the assessment criteria which includes sustainability and appropriateness of design.
The winning team gets to travel overseas on an EWB working tour and witness first hand how some of the field work is done. Maybe, if their ideas fit in with the communities priorities, the community might implement them.
In its inaugural year over 5000 students were involved, we don’t even have that many members! This year close to 7000 students will be participating from more than 25 universities. That’s a lot of people who’ll now be coming out of university with a heightened consciousness of the question, "Is this appropriate"?
The EWB Challenge is a great tool for gaining access to the consciousness (Remember the Four Cs) of future engineers. By ensuring one of the first lectures they ever participate in is delivered by an EWB guest lecturer we’re getting in early to inspire them. We want to see graduates embarking upon their career in the mindset that they can affect positive change. It’s the ultimate learning and change experiment – and the vision? A sustainable world without poverty.
Daniel Almagor is the founder and CEO of Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) and the Managing Director of Medivax Pty Ltd. He also sits on the Board of the Jewish Museum of Australia. Daniel holds two degrees: a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering and a Bachelor of Business Administration, both from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). In 2003, Daniel won the Churchill Fellowship to further the growth of EWB in Australia. Daniel has been named in the 100 most influential engineers in Australia in 2005 and he was recognised in a list of the most inspiring young engineers as well as in the RMIT Acclaimed Alumni. www.ewb.org.au
