MAXINE BRENYA
GHANA, 19
Project: The Gap Class
Basic Human Needs: Education, Environment, Water
While growing up Maxine’s mom used to provide impoverished girls from Northern Ghana with shelter and funds for an education. Maxine witnessed the drastic educational disparity in her home country of Ghana, and throughout the African continent. In September 2018 Maxine founded The Gap Class – an initiative to equalize a holistic education among children in rural communities throughout Africa. The Gap Class educates youth in rural communities across 12 African countries on leadership, design thinking, climate action, sanitation, digital skills and 21st century skills, with the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Gap Class has directly impacted 400+ students across Africa and supported students to launch SDG initiatives in their communities. They also provide students with access to opportunities and resources from their partner universities across North America, Asia and Africa. When the COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from leading in-person workshops, Maxine launched the Study Space – a platform to guide students on how to study while learning remotely. The Study Space was selected to work with the Digital Opportunity Trust in Canada to leverage their impact across the continent, and the Gap Class received a grant from The Queen's Commonwealth Trust and was awarded the 2020 Social Impact Award from the Future Foundations United Kingdom. In 2021, Maxine plans to launch a Study Space YouTube channel offering variety of curricula, and anticipates the platform reaching students across Africa.