Dear All,



Am Technical Director at a Christian non-profit run Technical Training
Centre, for young men, leaving homes, as a diversion from gang life and
corruption.

They are taught many life skills, in residential and walk-in mode, hoped to
help them be able to make valuable and decided choices in life.



Some of the subjects they are taught are:



Ø AQUAPONICS

Ø BARBERING

Ø COOKING / CAKE - BAKING

Ø ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION

Ø GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

o CARPENTRY

o MASONRY

Ø GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

Ø GREENHOUSE OPERATIONS

Ø HOUSEKEEPING

Ø LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

o AQUACULTURE

o BEES

o CATTLE REARING

o GOATS

o POULTRY

Ø PLUMBING

Ø SOLAR ELECTRIC AND HEATING TECHNOLOGY

Ø WELDING



Ø ACADEMIC SUBJECTS



o READING / WRITING / COMPREHENSION

o MATHEMATICS

o BUSINESS SKILLS / INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY



Ø PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT



Here is my challenge however.

Many of the young men, understandably, have literacy issues. We have found
that to move past a certain skill level there is just a definite need to be
able to read and do simple math.



We can get off the shelf software to help with literacy, but not specific
stuff to assist with some things. Take reading a measuring tape,
understanding conversion and measures for baking a cake, measuring a window
space in carpentry, dividing a piece of steel into equally spaced lengths to
be able to make a wrought iron grille. there are fractions involved..this is
something for example that is FUNDAMENTAL to the youth becoming independent
of their teachers in their developing skills..



Without the grasping of concepts such as this, there is GREAT difficulty in
moving a young man from a "labourer" to a "tradesman" even though he can
perfect the skill set while learning to improve his literacy.



There are very few programs that can assist with this.



I am amazed from my research online at how easy it seems to create games and
Flash stuff these days. I however am up to my neck with things I need to do.
am trying to facilitate the instructors and teachers to remedy the
situation.

Can I bring the two together in a way, where programs, animations, games can
be developed for this subset of marginalised youths?



Are their any animators willing to help with this? Can you help me in this
idea to develop games, animation, and exercises that can help youth in an
interesting way?



Please email me off-list if you are interested in getting more information.



We are a non for profit, we work pro-bono, and so no compensation can be
given for your work, but you of course can take all credits and we are
willing to acknowledge same.



Thanks so much!





Mike Barnett

JAMAICA