TINKER CHAMPS

Tinker Champ is a student-driven and mentor-assisted programme for ATL students that aims to develop 21st-century skills and leadership qualities among student-tinkerers. It enables students to spread a culture of tinkering, innovation, and entrepreneurship far and wide in their schools and communities by empowering them to take initiatives and drive actions that make an impact on the ground. 

A few talented & experienced student tinkerers with self-drive & motivation are hand

-picked and groomed to become Tinker Champs or “Champions of Tinkerers”.   As champions, Tinker Champs are expected to drive greater participation among budding tinkerers in their ATLs through student-to-student interactions & engagements, online sessions, competitions, webinars, workshops, inspiration sessions, and Maker Faires.  Tinker Champs also develop tinkering & innovation support tools & products, apart from creating self-learning resources for use by fellow tinkerers.  They make use of collaboration tools to facilitate peer-learning and shared learning among tinkerers.  They also involve fellow tinkerers in creating a knowledge base of tinkering & innovation know-how and make it available for use by budding tinkerers new to the ATL environment. In addition, Tinker Champs groom fellow tinkerers and innovators through informal mentoring, guidance, and support.  They enlist the support and assistance of their ATL in-charge and mentors to achieve their goals and objectives.  Tinker Champs serve as brand ambassadors of their ATLs, while budding tinkerers and innovators look up to them as role models.

The first pilot of the Tinker Champ programme was conducted between August and October 2021.  The participating students were mentored by Mr. Kiran Kumar HS, Regional Mentor of Change associated with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India.

Over the course of 3-months, a total of 30 students (in class 6 to 10) from 12 schools across 8 states of the country participated in the programme.  They together conducted a total of 20 workshops, 5 webinars, and 2 competitions targeted at fellow students, tinkerers and innovators.  They also developed several eLearning resource materials including websites, videos, eBooks, tutorials, and podcasts for the benefit of tinkerers.  In addition, the participants built 7 ATL websites loaded with innovation support tools and eLearning resources to support budding tinkerers in their ATLs.  They went further along the way and mentored many students in their respective schools.  These Tinker Champs have become Change Agents for spreading a culture of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship within and across their schools and communities.

In the process of participating in the Tinker Champ programme, the participating students acquired a variety of 21st-century skills such as communication skills, collaboration skills, and creative thinking skills. They also learnt to take ownership and acquired leadership skills.  In addition, they learnt how to add value through their creations and initiatives, and earn an income by offering digital services.  

The Tinker Champ programme has the potential to be institutionalized in every ATL, and also to be launched at the national-level.

The long-term vision of the Tinker Champ initiative is to develop leaders among student-tinkerers who create a viral effect for spreading a culture of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship far and wide within and across schools, communities and the nation. 

ATL in-charges and mentors of respective ATLs can institutionalize Tinker Champ programme within their ATLs.  ATL in-charges can nominate talented & experienced tinkerers with leadership potential to the Tinker Champ programme.  These aspiring students can be mentored and groomed to become Tinker Champs by AIM appointed Mentors of Change associated with the school.

The Tinker Champ programme holds the promise of ensuring long-term viability and self-sustainability of ATLs by empowering students to assume leadership roles and drive increased participation of their peers in ATL activities; develop core capabilities & competencies through peer-learning, sharing learning, self-learning, and collaboration, while also improving the quality of learning and innovations coming out of ATLs.