The Thinking Playground in West Africa

We are practicing our pedagogical approach beyond North America!

Under the supervision of our educational director, we have started a Thinking Playgrounds project in Old Fadama, Ghana (finished) and Abobo, Ivory Coast. Funded by the Vancouver Institute of Philosophy for Children (VIP4C), Arthur worked with a group of children aged nine to sixteen and their teacher in Ghana from 2016 to 2018, with the goal being to nurture a sensitivity to critical, creative and cooperative thinking and, thereby, to enhance agency. While cultivating philosophical sensibilities relevant to their cultural context, Arthur has kept a diary that includes celebratory and challenging times.

Having been awarded a generous grant by the JICUF Foundation, Arthur is now organizing a critical, creative, and collaborative thinking project in Ivory Coast (2023-present). The project includes designing and teaching an online course for students in Japan, organizing and developing philosophical educational activities at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Abobo (Abidjan) and two schools, and organizing the program for these students’ visits to Ivory Coast.

We are eagerly looking forward to the next phase of our project, where we hope to send THINKING PLAYGROUND counselors to Ghana and the Ivory Coast. This expansion will allow us to reach more children and further our mission of nurturing critical, creative, and cooperative thinking.