TOPIC 1: IDENTITY

Imagine this common scenario: You’re at the airport, ready to check-in and
board your flight. You know the drill. Show your passport and boarding pass,
check-in your bags, and go through security. It’s the same process no matter
which airport you’re in. That’s because everyone knows and accepts the
passport as a legitimate and unique identifying document.

While the process is pretty straightforward in the physical world, the same
cannot be said for the digital realm. When the internet was first built, no one
envisioned the need for an identity document that would allow us to enter and
exit various sites and applications. Fast forward to the present and identity has
become heavily siloed online.

Some of the proven benefits associated with digital identification systems

are:
● Ease of access to services: digital identification systems enable a more
efficient digitalization of all the services that require personal
identification. As individuals face fewer hurdles to prove their identity,
and as the sectors – public and private – engage in more effective
communication, accessible and effective centralization of services
becomes possible.
● Fraud reduction: digital identity verification systems can offer several
benefits for digital security, including high levels of identity management
and client data protection, thus reducing the incidence of cyber threats
and fraud attempts. Cases of digital identity use in Uganda and Thailand
show a significant reduction in fraud, which saved US$ 6.9 million and
US$ 29.7 million in the countries, respectively.
Some of the challenges observed with digital identification systems are:
● Biases and exclusion: we know that the technologies that make up a
digital identity system, like every other technology, are built by humans.
These algorithms can carry structural biases from our society that are
responsible – in the digital world – for maximizing social problems.
Difficulty in identifying – especially through facial recognition – black,
transsexual, and Asian people, among others, have been reported in
 several studies around the world and may lead to the exclusion of
population groups.
● Errors: errors such as duplicate records, inability to add essential
information, or the incorrect validation of an individual may prevent
access to basic services made available through digital identity. In African
countries such as Kenya and Uganda, as well as in India, several cases of
errors were found associated with validation, which presented citizens
with challenges.

TOPIC 2- DESIGN THINKING

Design thinking is a process that seeks to solve complex problems by
approaching it from the user's perspective. It also aims to turn your ideas into
tangible testable products as quickly as possible.
The Design Thinking framework can be drilled down into three distinct phases
(immersion, ideation, and implementation) These phases can be broken down
into five actionable stages that make up the entire design thinking process
(empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test).

As a model for reframing methods and outcomes, design thinking reconnects

educators to their creativity and aspirations for helping students develop as deep
thinkers and doers. Teaching young students design thinking helps them develop
a growth mindset and important problem solving, analytical and spatial thinking
skills. If you're considering how to embrace design thinking in your school
culture, I believe you should focus on four critical modes underlying the
process:

1. Lead with empathy.

Leading with empathy builds on the classic definition of "walking in someone
else's shoes" to get us out of our own heads and into the lived reality of others
so that we can understand the implicit needs and root causes of the situations in
which we wrk. Listen more; talk less. Immerse yourself in how others
experience your school or program.

2. Challenge assumptions.

Challenging assumptions means that when confronted with a problem, you seize
the opportunity to do better than you've done before. Useful phrases to build
into your lexicon are "What if. . . ?" and "How might we. . . ?" Challenging
assumptions lets us see what both children and adults are truly capable of doing.
Harnessed for good, challenging assumptions steers you in the direction of more
effective policies and practices because you're willing to see things differently.

3. Make experiments happen.

"Just do it" is more than a pitch for selling sports gear. It means try something
and learn from it. We can tangle ourselves in all kinds of knots about
"embracing failure," but what really matters is trying something, letting people
know that you're trying it, and generating opportunities for feedback. You'll
learn the most from what doesn't work. When you find yourself sitting in one
more meeting to make a plan for a plan, just stop and say, "What could we try in
order to figure this out?" This sets you on the path to experiment with quick
hacks and low-resolution prototypes.

4. Share your process.

Design cannot thrive in isolation. As you share your empathy work or your
experiments, share what's hard, not just what's shiny and new. You can share
those things as well, but we'll all learn more when you share your process, warts
and all.
TOPIC 3-

Positive thinking means approaching life's challenges with a positive outlook.2

It doesn't mean seeing the world through rose-colored lenses by ignoring or
glossing over the negative aspects of life.

Positive thinking does not necessarily mean avoiding difficult situations.

Instead, positive thinking means making the most of potential obstacles, trying
to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a
positive light.
Positive thinkers are more apt to use an optimistic explanatory style, but the
way in which people attribute events can also vary depending upon the exact
situation. For example, a person who is generally a positive thinker might use a
more pessimistic explanatory style in particularly challenging situations, such as
at work or at school.
Remind yourself to focus on the good things, no matter how small
they are
Try attaching thought triggers to items you use every day to remind
yourself of things that make you happy. For instance, you could change your
phone wallpaper to trigger a memory of a certain place, put a sticker on your
water bottle that reminds you of your favorite hobby, wear a bracelet that was
given to you by your best friend, or even make the password you use everyday
something that reminds you of something you are grateful for. Little triggers
like this can build up over the course of a day and make a difference.
4.2. Do something nice for someone.

Don’t wait for someone to inject positivity into your day. Instead, take charge
and create a positive moment for someone else. You will likely find that doing
nice things for others can lift your spirits and be just as fulfilling as having
someone do something for you. It doesn’t have to be grand, either. Just giving a
friendly gesture to someone else as you pass by can make you feel positive.
Since smiles are covered by masks at the moment, try waving, nodding, or
simply giving a happy “hello” to a stranger. (We are all going to get good at
smiling with our eyes this year!)

4.3. Focus on the present moment.

Many times, we let negative memories from the past affect our current thinking.
Or we let worry about the future affect how we are thinking about the present.
Try to remove this worry about past and future moments and focus on what you
can control right in front of you. Remember that nothing ever happens in the
past or the future. Things happen in the present. Each moment you are in,
however small or seemingly insignificant, can be a positive one if you don’t let
worry about other moments get in your way. If you focus on your present
situation and what is affecting you right here and now, you might realize how
unimportant some of the things you may have been worrying about are.

4.4. Practice positive self-talk

We tend to be the hardest on ourselves and be our own worst critics. Over time,
this can cause you to form a negative opinion of yourself that can be hard to
shake. To stop this, you’ll need to be mindful of the voice in your head and
respond with positive messages, also known as positive self-talk. Research
shows that even a small shift in the way you talk to yourself can influence your
ability to regulate your feelings, thoughts, and behavior under stress. Here’s an
example of positive self-talk: Instead of thinking “I really messed that up,” try
“I’ll try it again a different way.”

4.5. Use affirmations

Positive affirmations are short, positive statements that you can repeat regularly
to yourself or leave notecards around where you will regularly see them. They
should be positive, in the present tense, and state something that you want.
Keeping them brief makes them easier to remember and repeat. Try saying
something to yourself such as: “I’m alive and well” or “today is going to be a
great day!” instead of "I'm not really ok with the linguistics midterm result" It
sounds too simple, right? You’d be surprised at how effective this practice can
be in creating positive energy.

4.6. Surround yourself with positive people

Positive people aren’t necessarily happy all the time—but they are always trying
to positively influence your life. It doesn’t matter whether these individuals are
family members or coworkers. They truly have your best interests at heart and
want you to accomplish your goals.

When you surround yourself with positive influences, it becomes that much
easier to stay focused on your end goals. You’ll feel better about yourself.
You’ll feel energized and motivated when you spend time with these people.
You won’t be as stressed out. Undoubtedly, positive thinking is automatically
activated.

TOPIC 4- FIRE
NEVER IGNORE A FIRE ALARM! Your first reaction should be to grab your
room keys, alert the people around you, and go.

● Act immediately but try to stay calm.

● Stay low in case of smoke or fumes. If you’re in bed, roll off the bed
and crawl to the door.
● Don’t waste time getting dressed or searching for valuables.
● Do not attempt to extinguish a fire unless you are trained to do so.
Leave fire fighting to the professionals.
● To waken anyone who may be asleep, shout, “Fire! Everyone out!”

Feel the doorknob or higher on the door with the back of your hand. If it feels
hot, fire may be on the other side of the door, so keep it shut. Stuff clothing,
towels, or newspapers in the door’s cracks to keep smoke out.

● Even if the door is cool, open it slowly. Stand low and to one side of
the door, in case smoke or fumes seep around it.
 ● If heat and smoke come in, slam the door tightly, stuff clothing,
towels, or newspapers in the door’s cracks to keep smoke out, and use
your alternate way out.
● If you will open a window for your escape, be sure the other windows
and door(s) in the room are closed tightly. Otherwise, the draft from
the open window may draw smoke and fire into the room.

If the hallway is clear of smoke, walk in a calm manner to the nearest fire exit
and evacuate the building.

● Use the stairs – NEVER use elevators. Elevators are normally tied to
a fire detection system and are not available to occupants once the
alarm sounds.
● Stay low to avoid smoke, fumes, and super heated gases that may
have entered.
● Close doors as you leave to confine fire as much as possible.
● If the alarm is not already sounding, pull the fire alarm on your way
out of the building. If there is no alarm to activate, yell “fire” as you
leave.
● Move quickly to an open area, away from buildings, trees, power
lines, and roadways. If your building has a designated assembly area
and it is safe, head there.

TOPIC 5- MOVEMENT

With a rising trend of more people spending time working or living in urban
areas, public transit use will also continue to rise. Of course, not every public
transit system will rise at the same rate. Some transit operators will see a loss of
ridership due to a variety of reasons that vary from person to person and system
to system. There are a few common trends, however, that transit systems can
use to gauge the quality of their services.

In a recent study at the University of California at Berkley, researchers

discovered that commuters are more inclined to stop using public transit if they
experience delays which can be blamed on the transit agency. (Most people will
forgive other inconveniences such as traffic, emergencies or mechanical
failures.)

Additionally, the study found that delays can occur at any time during a trip, and
not just at the traditional point of departure. While this news might be someone
disheartening, it can show transit agencies where they can eliminate
rider-scaring policies such as having buses idle at green lights or pulled over to
stick to a schedule or to prevent bus bunching.

Let's take a look at 7 Reasons Why People Stop Using Public Transit and some
ways to manage the change.

1. Delayed on-board due to traffic

Because traffic delays affect all drivers equally, passengers tend to forgive
transit agencies for them. The impact of delays can be better managed by using
transportation scheduling software.

2. Delayed on-board due to emergency or mechanical failure

Emergencies and mechanical failures are unpredictable by nature, and most

people understand this. Working to resolve the situation as quickly and
professionally as possible is the goal, and using scheduling software to know
when to service vehicles can come in handy.

3. Experienced long wait at origin stop

At an origin stop, passengers can wait at home if they are provided with
real-time arrival information through scheduling software.

4. Missed trip due to wrong real-time information

Providing incorrect information looks unprofessional and passengers will

recognize it pretty quickly because it throws schedules off. The right
transportation scheduling software can get the right information to riders when
they need it the most and head-off negative customer experiences.
 5. Passed up due to overcrowding

For a rider, being passed by an overcrowded bus is similar to that bus never
existing in the first place. Overcrowded buses mean there is not enough buses to
handle the load. Relieve this problem by using scheduling software to assess the
right number of buses needed at any given time of day.

6. Long waits at a transfer stop

Unlike at origin stops, riders are out of the elements if they experience long
waits at transfer stops. At best, riders can use real-time information (provided
by mature scheduling software) to better plan out their route. Of course they can
only do this if they know the delay is coming.

7. People delayed on board due to transit vehicles backed up or

problems on the transit route further down the line.

By far, the top reason riders stop riding public transit is being stuck on a bus
that has been delayed by other transit vehicles. If this is a common occurrence
within an agency, it’s something which needs to be addressed. Using
transportation scheduling software to better manage fleets, and building
processes to communicate emergencies, breakdowns, and traffic congestions to
passengers is worth the effort. Sharing updated arrival times to these riders will
pay off in their appreciation and return business.

Operating at maximum efficiency and being open with riders while proactively
working to stop delays is an attainable goal and an activity which can better
manage the challenge of decreased ridership.