Project-based learning

Most people learn best when working on specific tasks. In Albalab, young people learn in interdisciplinary projects that are carried out in smaller groups and in collaboration with organizations or companies in the area. The projects consist of something that someone needs. The pride in contributing in their communities is one of the reasons why the Albalab participants are motivated to learn. They also know that they are gaining experience and contacts that can help them when they one day will be looking for a job – or attempting to set up a business of their own.

At Albalab in Sierra Nevada, participants have begun developing a digital coffee toaster. The isolated community consists of 7,000 inhabitants, all of whom live directly or indirectly from the sale of coffee beans to buyers in the cities.

Recently, an entrepreneur started his own coffee roasting business in the community, but the mechanical coffee roaster he had made is unable to produce coffee of the required quality. The young people at Albalab have now, in collaboration with volunteering experts, started work on developing the coffee roaster into a digital roaster using sensors and the Arduino electronics platform. This will enable the coffee entrepreneur to better control the roasting process and to produce quality coffee for the world market.

At Albalab in Cartagena, the participants are engaged in assisting and providing solutions for their communities during Covid-19. They have been involved in raising funds for food rations for the most disadvantaged families and planned and implemented the procurement and distribution of “food boxes”. They also work with the village school and the village council to assist students with homeschooling in a society where the very few have a computer or internet at home.

At Albalab in a fishing village in Cartagena, youngsters learn 3D modeling, 3D printing and CNC milling. The aim is to strengthen the tourist offering in the village by developing new products in collaboration with the village artisans. In particular, they focus on creating customized utility products with the customer’s name, and using the large amount of beautiful driftwood that is continuously washed up on the village beaches.

Albalab participants in the fishing village are working on developing a website for their village. The young people will run this as a simple online newspaper for the villagers (hardly anyone of them has a computer at home, but everyone uses a smartphone) with local news and relevant information from the authorities.

In addition, the site will have information about the village’s history, sights, shops and services, etc. so that it can also be a source of information for tourists and residents of the region who want to visit the village and make use of what it has to offer.

The community of coffee farmers in Sierra Nevada wants to invest in coffee tourism to ensure better and more stable income. The Albalab participants are working to develop a website with associated accounts in social media that presents the various stages of coffee production that tourists can experience in the community. The website will also present the various providers of relevant services in the community, such as accommodation, transport, experiences etc.