You build things - real things that solve human problems and not just talk about your 'world-changing' ideas and go back home.
You make solid friends and not just expand your network or add more people on Linkedin
and you have FUN
Like any other good global program, IDDS brings together smart people from across the globe in a developing country and works on designing solutions faced by the local community. The general belief is that everyone is creative at some level or the other and the program helps us to surface our talent and increases our ability to innovate.
In the first 3 days of the program when we were inside the classroom, I dont remember a single day when we did not build anything.
On the first day, we were given a 3 feet long wooden block and a rolling object, and the task was to control the speed of the ball using various tools available.
On the second day, we were thrown into a market place with some IDDS Money and were supposed to build something tangible and then sell them to the entire IDDS folks. It was one of the most fun things I have done in a long long time.
On the third day, we visited Twende, Bernard's workshop who does super cool things with bicycles. He taught us how to make a blender using a cycle and water bottle. If you ever happen to be in Tanzania, you have to have to meet Bernard. This guy is a true genius.
After the introductory session, all of us were divided into 8 teams and taken to our respective communities to work on our projects. My team is working on introducing innovation in the local school curriculum and eventually using the practices to solve problems of the local Masai community.
You also make awesome friends during the program. I remember how on the first day the organizers harped on the fact that we will be teary eyed when parting with our IDDS buddies, and I was like what the hell. Who does that? But only in the first week I made some really solid buddies and the thought of leaving this life and set of friends definitely did not make me very happy.
The best thing about IDDS is you are having fun almost all the time, even during the sessions. A lot of it is due to the similar level of intellect, humor and creativity that is shared amongst both organizers and the participants.
