Student Success

26.11.2021

Year 12 at BISU Win the Race4Good

Students at BISU have been fundamental in supporting a community in Nepal

You are being the change you want to see in the world. By sharing your intelligence, innovation & empathy you have made a difference & left a legacy” – Ms Linda Cruse, Founder of Race4Good

What is the Race4Good?

The Race4Good is a global youth movement and student leadership programme that provides opportunities for students to supplement their own learning and critical thinking and also to support significant change and innovation in less developed communities.

Students participate in a variety of challenges to help ‘uplift’ the whole community as well as groups and individuals within it. With only a small amount of money, students must propose big solutions to real world issues.

How did our students help?

The community our students helped was in a mountainous region of Nepal with few resources. The Year 12 BISU Team needed, therefore, to be creative and resourceful and fully appreciate the context in which the community lived in order to ‘uplift’ them͘.

With the support of a business mentor and a team ‘on the ground’ in Nepal, the Year 12 BISU Team undertook research into the community’s economic situation and the issues they faced. Team work across Nivki and Pechersk was essential as students used their strengths to develop innovative ideas.

Ms Carolyn Ross (Whole-School CAS Coordinator) said: “What I love about R4G is the collaboration between students and the sense of the importance of teamwork that this creates.”

And their team work definitely bore success!

"After completing the 5-week challenge from Race4Good, I gained a lot of knowledge about life. I was able to understand how tough it can get in countries like Nepal, where different factors affect everyday life. Personally, I found it hard to come up with solutions in such a short period of time. Overall, I think this challenge has become the biggest achievement in my life so far".

– Andriy Melnyk, Nivki Y12

What did our students accomplish?

So much that it is difficult even to put it into words! (And you definitely need to check out the links to the awesome videos of our students’ ideas being put into practice in Nepal!)

Mr Paul Hodgson (Head of IDP/KS5 Pechersk) stated: “I am incredibly proud of how they have conducted themselves, working both together and with the Race4Good team in a professional manner, to achieve real and sustainable outcomes.”

"For me, Race4Good has shown that, no matter how inexperienced and young you are, you can make difference. It made me feel proud when our ideas were implemented".

– Kateryna Peretyazhko, Nivki Y12 (Head Girl)

‘Uplifting’ the community school

Students at the local school in Nepal were thrilled to receive the resources chosen by our students. The whiteboards, a sustainable resource, mean that students and teachers can problem-solve, provide examples and work together. The children were very excited about the footballs and volleyball equipment they received and immediately began to play. It is so wonderful to know that our students at BISU have made such a positive difference to so many children’s lives.

The school children say thankyou to our BISU students.

"The experience that I received from Race4Good opened my eyes and changed my views on life itself. It aided me a lot in terms of empathy and the understanding of others and their problems and helped me with my organisational and communication skills. Furthermore, it showed me, that we - people who are used to live in advanced communities - don't appreciate the things and comforts we possess. The race was a marvellous experience, which proved the value of what a small, determined group of people could achieve working together. This effort shows that there are no excuses for doing nothing, saying “my impact doesn't matter”.

- Vladyslav Minenko, Nivki Y12 (Head Boy)

Some brilliant solutions from the BISU students. The community is grateful”. – Ali Khan, Race Manager

‘Uplifting’ the community medical provision

Year 12’s ideas included a medicinal garden so that much needed medicine could be available all year round. Another sustainable ‘uplift’ that will benefit the community in the years to come! The community nurse was also very grateful for the medical equipment providing – the blood pressure device is already in great use.

Planting the medicinal garden.

"Generally, I got experience in real-life problem-solving. Moreover, it gave me knowledge about current problems in Nepal, which is full of different issues. I enjoyed being with the people I was working with".

- Alexander Doronin, Pechersk Y12 (Race Team Leader)

‘Uplifting’ Agriculture

Y12 at Nivki devised an ingenious solution to the lack of water in the fields. This involved developing a scientific way to prevent the bamboo from degrading so that it could be a long-term source of water from the river to the fields. Vlad and Andriy, both studying Further Maths A Level at Nivki, researched different methods and substances to achieve this, also keeping in mind the small budget available.

The final solution was treating the bamboo (of which the community had an abundance) with boric acid, which would disinfect and harden the bamboo by removing the internal sap. This then meant that the bamboo would not flex under the weight of the water and would not decay for up to ten years. What a fabulous and innovative idea!

Preparing the bamboo water pipes and happy children helping to create the bamboo water system.

‘Uplifting’ Business

Being told that the community already had a flock of sheep, our students created a business plan for weaving and selling winter wear out of wool. Being in a cold and mountainous region, the students were confident that this would become a booming business for the Women’s Cooperative Group. By providing spinning wheels and looms along with other needed equipment, including instructions (our students sent a video guide they made), this will make all the difference and bring in much needed money for economic growth and the provision of medical and non-community food stuffs.

Another way that the community business has been ‘uplifted’ is through the idea to catch and smoke fish. Our students learned that there was a bounty of fish in the nearby river – but, because they have no proper refrigeration, fish were only being caught to eat straight away and only on a limited basis. The students saw a business opportunity in this and taught the community how to make fishing rods from bamboo. The community were then able to use rice as bait for the fish, whilst the students used their small budget to support with fishing nets.

"Race4Good let me know that my ideas can be heard, and my ideas can be helpful for other people. I realised that even the smallest amount of money can be a hundred times more helpful for the people in need if you distribute it with an effort".

- Yaroslav Petrashko, Nivki Y12

We are filled with such incredible pride, admiration, and emotion – you are a remarkable group of students”. – Ms Linda Cruse, Founder of Race4Good

© Article written with great pride in the Year 12 students by Miss Loretta Conway (Deputy Head of School/Head of Sixth Form – Nivki).

Categories: Student Success

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