By Katherine Gustafson – first published on tonic.com on Monday, May 17, 2010 8:25 AM ET
At StudentsRebuild.org, middle and high school students worldwide are challenged to creatively raise funds and then deeply engage with the country and people they are helping.
Who better to rebuild schools in earthquake-ravaged Haiti than students? While Haitian students are struggling to stay afloat as their country gets back on its feet, their counterparts in other countries are busy raising funds to help get their lives back to normal.
Through a new website called StudentsRebuild.org, launched by Architecture For Humanity, the Bezos Family Foundation and Global Nomads Group, junior high and high school students worldwide are getting the opportunity to engineer creative fundraising efforts and engage deeply with the nation and the people they are trying to help.
These organizations are offering a $500,000 challenge grant to match what students raise. Students work in teams with the goal of raising $2,500, which the matching grant will make into $5,000, an amount that can go very far in Haiti. The three teams that pull in the most funds will be recognized at the end of the challenge.
Taking the students beyond fundraising, the site’s interactive videos, interviews with builders and real-time links with Haitian students will expose students first-hand to the ways people work together to make the most of philanthropic dollars in providing humanitarian assistance.
“Schools and learning are vital to rebuilding,” says Cameron Sinclair, co-founder of Architecture For Humanity. “We urgently need to restore a sense of normalcy in these young hearts and minds and not allow this tragedy to dictate how they see their future. This is an opportunity for young people here to see how they are connected to the global community and learn the real challenges of rebuilding after disaster.”
