In Chiang Mai, Thailand, where students often graduate with teaching degrees but little practical experience, one youth-led initiative is reshaping the journey to the classroom. Edusquad is creating space for teacher education students to become educators before they graduate, preparing them not just with theory, but with confidence and connection.
This year, Averafe Foundation x Solve Education! is proud to support Edusquad as one of our grassroots grant recipients. From the outset, this project struck a chord with us, not because it tries to solve everything at once, but because it knows exactly where to start. By focusing on mentorship and peer-to-peer learning, Edusquad is tapping into the most powerful educational tool we have: people.
About the Grant
The Average Foundation x Solve Education! Grant is a cross-border initiative aimed at empowering grassroots changemakers with catalytic microgrants of up to SGD 600. With over 70 applicants from Asia and Africa, the grant validates the urgent demand for community-led, tech-enabled education solutions. Each winning project is selected based on feasibility, local relevance, and measurable community impact. Through this program, we spotlight how small investments can unlock big transformations when placed in the hands of passionate youth leaders.
From Classmates to Change Agents
Edusquad’s core idea is simple but transformative: give university students pursuing teaching degrees the opportunity to run micro-practicums with high schoolers preparing for college entrance exams. These future teachers design, deliver, and reflect on their lessons with real learners, shifting from passive students to active educators.
In the process, they gain more than technical skill. With each session, they sharpen their communication, develop empathy, and experience the joy and challenge of guiding others. For the high school mentees, the program offers academic support and emotional encouragement from someone close enough in age to understand their world, but experienced enough to be a guide.
What’s particularly exciting is how Edusquad is integrating elements of gamified learning and peer-based motivation. Mentors progress through a series of teaching “missions,” earning recognition and building their portfolios as they go. Feedback loops, sometimes powered by AI tools, help them improve their delivery and reflect on their growth. The entire experience is designed to motivate, reward, and strengthen community ties.
It’s an ecosystem of learning that mirrors our own GAIN framework, where gamification, AI feedback, incentives for growth, and peer networks work together to support learners.
A Pilot with Purpose and Promise
Currently piloted at Chiang Mai University, the program is gaining momentum. Early participants have shared how this experience reignited their passion for teaching.
For the students they mentor, the sessions are more than study prep. They’re moments of genuine connection, where education feels personal, not transactional. Some mentees have even expressed interest in becoming educators themselves, an unexpected yet powerful ripple effect.
The grant funds will go toward developing digital materials, offering small travel and internet stipends for participants, and expanding the program’s reach to nearby universities. These resources will help Edusquad deepen its impact without diluting its grassroots spirit.
Your Role in Building the Future
When you support grassroots initiatives like Edusquad, you’re not just funding a project; you’re investing in scalable, people-powered innovation. These microgrants plant the seeds of national change, starting with mentorship, growing into confident educators, and ultimately transforming education from within. Whether it’s funding the next cohort of student-teachers, replicating this model in new provinces, or amplifying the voices of young changemakers, your support can help reimagine education, community by community, classroom by classroom.
Check out the 10 finalists of the Average Foundation x Solve Education! Grant on our LinkedIn here.