Introducing the DSG Facilitators

[Dylan Busa]

In order to better support your needs and assist you with any concerns that may arise throughout the course of the club, you will be assigned a DSG facilitator.

Your DSG facilitator will conduct a training workshop to get you familiar with DSG and prepare you to confidently lead the club. In addition, the facilitator will be available throughout the 10-weeks to help facilitate partner exchanges and collaborations through the community of practice, guide you through any challenges you might encounter leading different activities, and assist with any technical issues.

You will have a weekly check-in call with your facilitator to give your feedback on the effectiveness of the various resources available to you including the club guide and community of practice.

With your facilitator you have the opportunity to share and discuss your observations, reflections, and insights about the club in order to improve it and make it a great project for many other educators like yourselves.

Saranya Sathananthan - US Sites Saranya Sathananthan is the Outreach Project Director for Design Squad Global at the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering and received her Master of Science in Bioengineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. With the desire to share and create educational opportunities for deserving people around the world, she joined the Peace Corps where she taught Computer Technology to 8-10th graders at an Industrial Professional School in Northern Mozambique for two years. During that time she also taught novice adult computer classes, led a community based literacy project for 1st-3rd grade children, and participated in community sports including a local women’s soccer team. She also helped organize a city marathon. Saranya’s experiences in Mozambique strengthened her advocacy for education, and she is now a part of a team managing engineering outreach and contributing to the development of Design Squad Global.

Dylan Busa - Southern African Sites Dylan Busa is the DSG Programme Manager at FHI360 (an international NGO headquartered in North Carolina, USA) working out of Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Zoology and a post degree qualification in Mathematics Education. Dylan taught Mathematics and Science for 8 years at Greenside High School in Johannesburg. He then moved to Mindset Network, a South African non-profit company supporting education in South Africa by developing and distributing learner and teacher development media through broadcast television, the Internet and physical products. At Mindset, he lead the education division. During his career, Dylan has developed a deep interest in the role of technology in education and in how to develop the core 21st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity in learners (and teachers). As such, Dylan is thrilled to be involved with DSG and its objective of building these critical skills in learners through engineering and the design process.