This week our Middle School students have become social entrepreneurs! The students have taken up the important job of supporting The Warm Heart Foundation, a local charity working to support the community through various environmental initiatives, a programme supporting elderly people and a children’s home.

The organisation has asked Prem to help them develop six different areas of their work:
1. Biochar – thinking of ways to market and sell the product
2. Sponsor a child – developing a consistent long-term donation program to support the children at Warm Heart.
3. School bus – fundraising to help buy a school bus
4. Access Programme – (supporting older people in the community) – fundraising to contribute to the salary of the project leader
5. Styrofoam bricks – promoting recycling of styrofoam and the use of the bricks
6. Biogas taking all food scraps including bones to create biofuel that can be used for cooking

Our young people are entirely in charge of these projects. They are working in mixed age groups and have chosen their focus, identified a need, and set a plan of action.

They are developing some really important skills in the process: communication, collaboration, and organisation, alongside others as diverse as sewing, building, and baking. They are applying for funding, organising vans for trips to the market, and designing marketing campaigns.

The teachers have taken on the roles of Mentors, Helpers and Experts, who the students can call upon for advice, but who otherwise are stepping back and give the students the freedom to take a lead in moving the projects forward.

It’s a challenging and exciting time for everyone and we’re all really looking forward to seeing what they have achieved by Thursday’s event. All families are invited to join us in the Library at 10.15am to see the culmination of a lot of hard work, and to celebrate their successes. Please come along and bring your friends!