Nord Anglia Education's investment in student impact projects reaches US$290,000

Premium international schools group Nord Anglia Education today announced funding for 11 new student-led social impact projects, taking total investment from the Nord Anglia community investment fund to US$290,000. A key element of Nord Anglia’s education strategy is to help students develop their sense of purpose and global citizenship as they create and lead community impact initiatives.

With investment from Nord Anglia’s Social Impact Grants, students will use the funding to expand and enhance their community activities, aligned to addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Through its collaboration with UNICEF, Nord Anglia Education is committed to helping to make a global impact on these goals before the 2030 deadline.

Altogether, the 11 projects were awarded over US$130,000 in the community investment programme’s third round of funding.

Dr Leslie Williams, Senior Programme Lead for Social Impact and Giving at Nord Anglia, said: "Using Social Impact Grants to apply, pitch, and implement their plans for change, our students have opportunities to develop their agency and confidence to not only make a change, but also develop leadership skills as they respond to and tackle real and important challenges. These grants are a great way to use Nord Anglia's global reach to enact change and encourage students to think global while acting locally."

 BIS Houston students preparing fresh fruit and veg to be donated to the local community

Nord Anglia’s Student Advisory Board, a group made up of elected student representatives from across its 81 schools, also review each funding application to ensure students’ voices are heard during the approval process.

Student Advisory Board member and La Cote International School student, Clara, said: “Evaluating the grants was an incredibly enriching experience. It was inspiring to see how groups of young students were collaborating with their peers to make changes in their communities around the world by coming together to formulate and deliver their plans with the help of Nord Anglia’s Social Impact Grants. We’re always learning about global thinking and having a global mindset, but to watch and speak with students across the globe presenting such impactful projects was really inspiring.”

Sruthi, a Student Advisory Board member from British International School Houston, added “It was inspiring to hear the different ideas that students from Nord Anglia’s schools across the globe had towards improving their communities. They changed my perspective on making a bigger impact in my community through their hard work. I plan to carry this forward within my school community."

Student projects receiving grants from the latest round of funding included:

• Unidos por la Conchita, Eton School, Mexico City
  Coming together for the Conchita community in Mexico City, the student group will build five sustainable houses for the community in partnership with NGO ‘Techo’. The group will also build six rainwater treatment plants to create drinking water. 

• Development for a Floating Village, The British Vietnamese International School Hanoi
  Found on the Red River Hanoi, the Floating Village is home to many families living below the poverty line. This project involves Year 9 students heading over to the village to build infrastructure and engage in service learning, every year.
  
  
• Project Swastha, Oakridge International School, Gachibowli
  Project Swastha is an initiative to provide free medical healthcare for the underprivileged. The project's main motto is “bridging the gap between quality and equality." The group set up health camps in rural villages and schools, offering eye, dental, and medical check-ups.
  
  
• Food for Friends: Confronting Poverty through Community Partnership, The British School of Houston
  Through further development of the school’s greenhouse and gardens, students will grow fresh fruit and vegetables for the school and local communities.

•  Nutrify the Needful, Oakridge International School, Bachupally
  This project will provide nutritious meals to underserved members of the local community of Hyderabad, India, by serving lunch in partnering government hospitals.

Dr Jane Gaskell, member of Nord Anglia’s Education Advisory Board and Chair of the NAE Social Impact Grants Committee, said: “It’s wonderful that we’re providing another round of significant funding for these student initiatives. The past two years have seen some outstanding work done by students across Nord Anglia, enabled by the investment put into these projects. I cannot wait to see the positive impact these new 11 initiatives will have. Through making these grants available to students, Nord Anglia is continuing an important tradition of developing the changemakers of the future.”

All Nord Anglia students have opportunities at school to address social issues they feel passionate about and to make positive changes in their communities. This is a cornerstone of Nord Anglia’s education strategy — giving students the means to become global citizens capable of making real change. In addition to projects funded by the social impact grants, students get involved in community outreach activities and in 2022 alone they raised around US$700,000 for charity and volunteered a collective 69,700 hours.

Read more: Our Social Purpose