The Fun(Doo) Way to Upskill Yourself for the Future
An interactive chat-bot is changing lives of youth across India – in a manner that’s educative, easy and fun
- Available in:
- English
- हिंदी
Imagine your teacher was a person who was fun to interact with. Who could be your friend and guide. Always available to answer your questions. Open to allowing you to choose the topic and module for learning on any particular day.
Before you say “impossible”, let us introduce you to FunDoo – a youth mentor with all the above attributes and more.
FunDoo is a digital life coach and a learning buddy-cum-teacher available 24/7. It can seamlessly switch from offering communication skills today to emotional skills tomorrow and a range of career information the day after through creative, fun activities.
FunDoo is an interactive chatbot-based system for 21st-century skilling and career awareness. It was launched in 2020 by YuWaah, UNICEF, in collaboration with Udhyam Learning Foundation. It is powered by U-Report, UNICEF’s flagship digital youth engagement platform. It is now being anchored in partnership with the Aasman Foundation.
Built around a droid that youngsters perceive as a “supportive friend,” FunDoo’s content and persona are friendly, empathetic, and conversational, enabling users to feel comfortable and bond quickly and firmly with it.
“We launched FunDoo as a digital engagement tool focused on young people to join their conversation around the query ‘How do I skill myself for the future?’ We aim to help them add skills that will make a difference in how their life pathways will shape up.”
FunDoo aims to empower and equip young people between 14 and 24 by giving them easy access to holistic, quality education and learning opportunities. It helps them acquire critical life skills online and plays a role in mitigating the learning loss during COVID-19 when many young people lost access to formal education systems due to lockdowns.
FunDoo has more than 190 activity-based tasks across four major learning pathways.
- Build My Career
- Study Better
- Build Skills for the Future
- Explore New Careers
The content is organized as a modular library of tasks that learners can choose from. It allows asynchronous engagement and learning with activity-based modules of 35-40 minutes that can be completed at school, home or anywhere else.
Some topics covered include higher-order thinking skills, interpersonal skills, climate and climate change, employability skills, mental health and well-being, resilience, managing stress, making a CV, public speaking, writing skills, careers in data analysis, graphic design, etc.
FunDoo is easy to access and even more straightforward to use. There is no need to download and install a new app or software. One can interact through popular platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and Instagram DM.
Moreover, FunDoo has been designed to work even at 2G speeds. All the images and voice notes are compatible with low bandwidth.
Even someone who does not own a device can use FunDoo, as the skills are based on the principles of learning by doing. Most tasks have to be done offline. For example, young people must create a monthly household budget to learn the basics of income and savings.
The programme has received an unprecedented response in the country, with more than 948,000 users registered since its inception. While 56.5 per cent of users are male, 39.3 per cent are female, 0.6 per cent are other, and 3.6 per cent are unknown.
Since its successful launch in India, the UNICEF Office of Innovation has deployed FunDoo in 13 more countries, including Indonesia, Greece, Uzbekistan, Jamaica, DRC, Uganda, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, and five in the Eastern Caribbean Area. Another seven are in the pipeline.
"FunDoo's innovative simplicity attracted me. It addresses real-life issues through clicks, bringing positive change. It enhanced my tech skills and provided hands-on experience. It taught me the proper use of phones and time management."
Kiana, from Maharashtra, says FunDoo helped her sharpen different skill sets. "I learnt to organize my study for effective learning and focus, nurtured my understanding and helped me cultivate empathy in interaction. It developed my self-assurance to take on new challenges."
Delhi-based Akash describes FunDoo as "helpful and impactful." He also says the practical, task-based activities are "interesting and engaging." As a result, he has already enrolled all his friends on the platform.
Davin, who has interacted with young people like Priyanka, Kiana, Akash and other FunDoo champions in India, says, "I'm inspired by the passion of these youth for leveraging innovation to make themselves and their communities better."
Wouldn't you like to try FunDoo to redefine your life and those of people around you, too?
There are multiple ways to connect with FunDoo:
WhatsApp: Tap on this link on your phone https://wa.me/919650414141?text=fundoo and tap on the send button on WhatsApp, or Send FUNDOO to our WhatsApp number: +91 9650414141
Facebook Messenger: Search for @ureport.india on Facebook Messenger and send FUNDOO in the chat.
Instagram DM: Search for @ureportindia on Instagram, tap the message button and send FUNDOO in the chat.
Telegram: Search for @ureportindia_bot on Telegram and send FUNDOO in the chat.
You can choose the one you are most comfortable with!
