Latin America Leadership Program

By Miguel Mendoza (C'23)

Georgetown University’s Latin America Leadership Program granted this year’s GCL Impact Award to GCL Alumnus Kenneth Gent, GCL 2014, from Chile for the impact he has generated in the Latin American region through his project “Plan Pais: Aprendo Jugando” and his work as General Manager of Momento Cero (Mo.0) and President of Fundación Entrepreneur (FE). Both organizations are dedicated to promoting innovation in education both in Chile as well as other Latin American countries.   

Mo.0 and FE specialize in educational entertainment (edutainment), offering high-quality, straightforward, and motivating educational solutions. Through the use of games, digital platforms, and digital training, Mo.0 and FE provide educational communities with interactive and entertaining educational tools aimed at empowering proactive teachers and students with skills and competency for the twenty-first century. Mo.0 and FE have directly benefited more than 80,000 students and professors. They have also spread the initiatives they've developed through the use of their tools, games, and platforms to more than ten Latin American countries! 

Kenneth spoke to LALP about how the GCL Program contributed to his ability to have a greater impact through his organizations: 

Through GCL, I felt more prepared to face the challenge of taking Mo.0 and FE to the next level. "

The main project that Kenneth has been involved in, “Plan Pais: Aprendo Jugando,” was created in response to the educational and social challenges facing Chile and other Latin American countries, addressing topics such as current challenges in entrepreneurship, personal finance, citizenship and social sense. It delivers the aforementioned set of tools (games, digital platforms and digital training) based on the Aprendo Jugando methodology to educational communities. 

Through the provision of these educational tools, "Aprendo Jugando" empowers these communities to teach and generate meaningful, entertaining education in the classroom. 

"Plan Pais: Aprendo Jugando" has ensured that teachers and directors are able to replicate the model being taught to them, allowing them to reach more than 6,000 students each year. In Chile's Biobío region, the project has generated impact in three provinces, 30 schools, 300 students, 50 teachers. Throughout Chile's sixteen regions, more than 70 teachers have been certified and each of them has generated their own classroom plan through which they have benefited more than 8,000 students each year. Notably, the project has also launched three pilot initiatives aimed at innovating education during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In 2020, “Plan Pais: Aprendo Jugando” formed a partner relationship with Eduten Finland Math, carrying out 40 pilots--free of charge--in schools in Chile and Argentina through the use of its platform, benefiting 10,000 schoolchildren and 350 teachers. Currently, there are more than 30 schools that have adopted its Eduten platform permanently.  The goal for "Plan Pais: Aprendo Jugando" in 2021 is for this figure to increase by an additional 100 schools, replicating its model abroad by developing local versions across different countries in Latin America through the use of Mo.0 and FE’s network of partners. Eduten has already formed a network of promoting agents that already provide access to schools in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Honduras. 

Kenneth told LALP about the importance of implementing the knowledge and experience he had accumulated in the GCL program in the initiatives he would go on to carry out throughout the Latin American region:  

It [GCL] has allowed me to acquire a different, inclusive, and global point of view as well as a strong commitment to achieving impact through what one does. My leadership vision changed after the GCL experience. I learned a lot about Latin American cultural diversity. I studied things that I never knew before. I became more strategic and better able to evaluate alternatives when making decisions. Upon returning from GCL, it was imperative for me to give back given how fortunate I felt to have had this experience.” 

Pilot initiatives of “Plan Pais: Aprendo Jugando” are already being replicated, garnering interest from regional governments in Chile in adopting its formula, which has already shown positive results in Chile's Biobío region. Furthermore, alliances are being formed with large companies and philanthropies from sectors of Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE) with the objective of providing certification to more than 250 teachers in 2021.

Mo.0 and FE’s local and regional strategic alliances with other organizations and causes include strategic allies and representatives of Chile from the University of Applied Sciences in Tampere, Finland, close relationships with SANFI (Santander Financial Institute) from the University of Cantabria (Santander, Spain), and collaboration with initiatives from the innovation laboratory of Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID LAB). Both organizations have expanded their reach to countries outside of Chile through collaborations with Latin American entrepreneurs specializing in the potential of gaming in the field of education. 

 When LALP asked Kenneth why he felt he deserved the 2021 GCL Impact Award, he responded: 

I have fully dedicated myself to developing innovations in education that work and create positive impact both in Chile as well as other Latin American countries.”

The positive impact that Kenneth has achieved through “Aprendo Jugando,” Mo.0 and FE is a glowing example of the multiplier effect of the Global Competitiveness Leadership Program (GCL) creating impact in local and national communities. We are very proud of what GCL alumnus Kenneth Gent has achieved through his innovation in the field of education in both Chile and other countries in Latin America, and we are honored to grant him the GCL Impact Award 2021.

Congratulations, Kenneth!  

Learn more about our past Impact Award winners. 

Bio: 

Kenneth Gent (GCL 2014, Chile) is an entrepreneur working in the nonprofit sector. He is dedicated full-time to the set of executive and managerial responsibilities in the organizations he has co-founded and is a partner of: General Manager of Momento Cero (Mo.0), President of Fundacion Entrepreneur (FE), CEO of Open Box Consulting (OBC), and Partner of ValueNet (VN). These organizations address issues related to innovation, the promotion of an entrepreneurial culture, product development and methodologies of education through gamification and educational entertainment (edutainment). They also work with the representation of brands and international corporations for the Chilean and Latin American markets. These brands and corporations include CEPA Mobility (Uruguay), the Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), Eduten and Arkki (Finland).  Kenneth is a civil engineer with a Masters in Industrial Engineering from the University of Concepción and is certified in 5DOI Five Disciplines of Innovation, Stanford Research Institute (SRI). Kenneth is also the co-author of the book “Mentalidad Ludica: para crear, educar, emprender e innovar” (2017). He has extensive experience in the design and implementation of projects in collaboration with regional governments, municipalities and educational institutions. He has been a speaker at more than 350 conferences, talks and workshops in Chile as well as abroad. He has distinguished himself with merits linked to innovation, entrepreneurship, his professional and academic excellence, as well as his personal qualities. Kenneth was selected for GCL in 2014 while already working within the educational and social sector through Mo.0 and FE. Upon returning from the GCL program, he continued his work with these two organizations, orienting himself towards increasing their ability to generate global impact through their initiatives. Kenneth is based in Chile, with a network of international allies in Finland and throughout Latin America. He has led a wide variety of personal and professional initiatives related to entrepreneurship, innovation, consulting, and education.