WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
In March 2018, WFUNA welcomed Isabelle Tibi as the new lead of the Mission Possible program. Shortly after joining, Isabelle visited Mission Possible in India and Singapore to connect with participating students, teachers and school leaders, as well as with our National Program Coordinators, Soujanya Ganig and Kanchana Varatharajalu.
In India, Isabelle and Soujanya met with three partner schools in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Conversations shed light on each school’s unique experience with the program, and how the program aligns with their school’s values to support its culture of volunteerism. It also underscored students’ motivation to effect change and key lessons learned. A faculty advisor explained that students have opportunities to volunteer, but Mission Possible helped them understand the importance of a project’s sustainability and of committing to results.
A visit to two student project sites - Shraddha Saburi Centre for Special Children in Hyderabad and Angel’s Children’s Home in Banagalore - allowed the Mission Possible team to engage with program stakeholders and further understand the students’ journey of taking global citizenship principles into action. The highlight of the week was the closing ceremony of the Mission Possible: India 2017-2018 cycle. Held at Vidyashilp Academy in Bangalore, the ceremony provided a platform for 80 students to share their experience with the program and present their project results.
In Singapore, Isabelle and Kanchana met with teachers and school leaders to learn more about their experience during the first year of implementation in Singapore. These conversations produced constructive feedback and insights that will inform the program’s development and expansion in the coming year and beyond. Isabelle also attended a training session at Nexus International School, where participating students actively engaged in a training session on gender equality.
Students also shared the latest developments of their project, which seeks to positively impact school culture around energy consumption. Key questions raised by the students focused on the importance of ensuring the project’s sustainability by engaging school clubs and mentoring younger students; measuring outcomes; reporting back to the school community; and planning longer term engagement with the school administration on the topic of the school’s environmental footprint. A total of ten student projects are currently being developed and implemented in Singapore.
Mission Possible was launched in India in 2015 and in Singapore in 2017 with the support of the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF). Learn about Mission Possible here.
