Aim for die sterreweg, a three year interdisciplinary challenge

The challenge

'Die Sterreweg', a day care center for children with special needs in South Africa, is facing a challenge. It wants to set an example for the rest of South Africa, where children with special needs often do not get the care they deserve. But Die Sterreweg can not do this alone. Students from Artevelde University College team up with students from Stellenbosch Universiteit, South Africa, to look for solutions that suit Die Sterreweg best.

An interdisciplinary and international team...

...Looks for the best solution through different methodologies.

The challenge for Die Sterreweg is no less: in three years it wants to scale up its operations to the rest of South Africa. A lot is involved: a business plan, campaigns, stories, media attention, documenting and improving practice, and so on. That is why we need a team that works from different angles.

For the first year we selected a team of students from different study programs. That team not only did a comprehensive analysis of Sterreweg and its environment, but also worked on a strategic action plan. Last year's team took the goals set out in the strategic action plan and organized a whole series of inspiring workshops. In 2020 we are looking for a diverse team for the final, important phase of the project: evaluation and adjustment.

Once in South Africa, the team is enriched with students from Stellenbosch University, Cape Town

In 'Aim for Die Sterreweg' we work with a number of methodologies, including 'design thinking'. That is a creative strategy that helps you to come up with the best solution tailored to the target group of the client. The team learns the right questions about the challenge and engages in dialogue with the target group as much as possible. On several weekends, the team explores the challenges ahead. 

The different steps of design thinking - https://dschool.stanford.edu/

2020 edition: the 'Check & act' phase

Applications for 2020 closed!
 
​The first two years of the project 'Aim for Die Sterreweg' are over and the teams have done a fantastic job. Not only did the students carry out an extensive analysis of the organization and the environment, they also developed a strategic action plan to enable Sterreweg to become a 'center of excellence' and organized workshops showing Sterreweg the way to reach the goals as set out in the strategic plan.

For the third and final year we are looking for a new Artevelde interdisciplinary team that will try to find an answer to the challenge 'How to speed Die Sterreweg on its way in implementing the action plan in a sustainable way?'. Are you interested in joining us in this last year? Then please apply via the button below, but first read this profile description. 

In this third year we are looking for a diverse team of students from all Artevelde programmes with the following profile:
​  

• You are social and communicative.
• You are practical, you are an organizational talent.
• You are a team player, but you can also work independently.
• You work efficiently and are a problem solver. 
• You are flexible and you have perseverance.
• You possess coaching skills and you can empower people.
• You are analytical, a knowledge of evaluation methods is a plus.
• You are attentive to cultural sensitivities and you anticipate them. Diversity is an opportunity for you, not an obstacle.
• You have a practical command of English.
• You can handle social media and the most common modern communication channels well.

There are also a number of conditions for registration:

• You are motivated and available on different nights and weekends in the preparatory program (from 28 February 2020, not during the June exam period, see timeline below). The entire program is in English.
• You are available for the trip to South Africa from 26 August to 13 September.
• You are for the most part of your courses at least in the second year of your study program (not applicable to postgraduates, bachelor after bachelors and other tailor-made programs) at Artevelde University of Applied Sciences. Students in their final year are also allowed.
• You are prepared to commit to this project on top of your regular educational program at Artevelde.
• You are willing to pay a maximum fee of EUR 1,600 for the entire program (includes: airline tickets, overnight stays, transport, local meals and expenses). *
• After selection, you will have to enroll in 2 x 3 ECTS Aim for Die Sterreweg. Your performance is evaluated throughout the project on several criteria. If positively evaluated, you will receive the 6 ECTS as a supplement to your degree obtained at Artevelde. **

Interested? Apply before 3 February 2020 using the button below. In the week of 10 February you will be invited for a selection interview.

* This does not include extra expenses like fees for passport purchase. If this cost is an obstacle, solutions can be looked at in collaboration with the Student Facilities of Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (e.g. in the form of a study allowance, interest-free loan or other). See also https://www.arteveldehogeschool.be/bij-ons-stude/studenten Facilities/studiefinanciering/aanbod-stuvo.
​** For the ECTS you pay an additional tuition fee. Check the tariffs for non-scholarship students, scholarship students and near scholarship students on https://www.artevelde-uas.be/faq/what-tuition-fee. 

Applications for 2020 closed!

timeline 2020

A three year program

​​
​'Aim for Die Sterreweg' is a project that spans three years according to the PDCA cycle of Deming ('Plan', 'Do', 'Check' & 'Act'). Every year another team of students works on the project. In the first year (2018) a first team of students is dedicated to research and drawing up a plan (Plan), the second team (in 2019) ensures the follow-up and implementation of the action plan ('Do'), the third team (2020) evaluates and adjusts ('Check' & 'Act'). This way we have the best guarantee for sustainable development.