FLOW Office Wisdom and the UGDSB beyond borders program are working together in a non-traditional classroom format to inspire a new generation of leaders.
Fall 2015 signals the start of another semester of the “same old same old” for local high school students – for most of them anyway.
The students enrolled in the beyond borders program offered by the UGDSB will, under the strong leadership of Mike Parsons, embark on an educational journey that is far from ordinary.
The program is an offsite, experience-based alternative, which prepares students for life after high school by providing them with the opportunity to learn about living in the community, develop solid leadership skills, and identify and build confidence in their own unique set of abilities.
Beyond borders focuses on business as well as giving back, and has been joined this year by a local business that excels at combining its community impact with business practices.
The team at FLOW Office Wisdom, a local certified B Corporation, worked with the class this semester to provide feedback to the students on their fundraising ideas.
The feedback focussed on various areas related to running a successful event, such as financial management, marketing and promotion and goal setting as the students are tasked to develop plans for a fundraiser benefitting The Madagascar School Project.
The group will be joined by the organization’s founder, Kathy Lucking, Oct. 27 to learn more about the Madagascar School Project. The next day, Oct. 28, groups of students will present their plans to a panel of judges after opening remarks are given by Mayor Cam Guthrie.
Judges include; Mike Parsons, the teacher responsible for beyond borders; April Burrows, founding partner at FLOW Office Wisdom; Kathy Lucking, founder of The Madagascar School Project; Stefan Wiesen, co-founder of Intrigue Media; and Bill Barrett, a founder of Planet Bean Coffee.
By semester’s end, the students will have seen the winning idea through from the initial seeds of inspiration, to a cheque presentatio to the organization they will have worked so hard to support.
In addition program participants will be connecting with and financially supporting two Malagasy children through to the end of high school.
