COBIS Race4Good – the students who were frontline humanitarian workers between lessons Alisa Delin

COBIS Race4Good

The students who were frontline humanitarian workers between lessons

By Alisa Delin

Real people. Real problems. Real impact. This is the pledge of Race4Good, a Global Youth League that turns to students to solve critical real-life challenges faced by communities in need. On this remarkable programme, students compete in teams to find solutions to pressing issues, ranging from health through to education. It is far from a paper exercise – winning solutions are implemented within days.

Upon learning about the Race4Good, we were quick to bring this opportunity to the schools within our network. The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is the premier global association for international British schools, representing close to 250 schools in almost 80 countries. As a student-centred organisation, we run a broad programme of student activities that aim to challenge and inspire students, whilst cultivating and celebrating their talents. The Race4Good closely aligns to our ethos, and we were delighted to launch the inaugural COBIS race this academic year.

Over three weeks, 14 teams from 13 COBIS schools were challenged to uplift La Colline, a remote community in Haiti; a community that is worlds apart from the students’ own. Having received detailed information about La Colline and the community, students were set a series of challenges. These included economically uplifting a family with sustainable and longterm impacts, improving the education of children attending the local school, and improving the sports provision and healthcare within the community.

Throughout the race, the students were immersed in a totally unfamiliar world, but it was vital that they truly understood those they were supporting. The seemingly innocuous details about day-to-day life had the potential to make or break their plans. The Race4Good

Throughout the race, the students were immersed in a totally unfamiliar world team, who were on the ground in Haiti, were able to share these valuable nuggets of information. Students had a direct line of communication with the community – this was crucial when developing suitable solutions.

For each challenge, students were offered a modest budget, ranging from £100 to £200. They were encouraged to consider simple yet innovative ideas, appropriate to the community. Every penny needed to be accounted for, and there wasn’t much to spare. With the help of business mentors, students developed business plans to showcase their solutions. These were presented to a panel of judges who selected the winner for each challenge. Within days, a video was released of the solution being implemented in the community: a powerful reminder that the competition was not merely a game, but an opportunity to make a real difference in transforming lives for the better.

The teams quickly got into the swing of the competition, devising ingenious solutions to the varying challenges. One team discovered that goat’s milk, a plentiful resource, can be transformed into soap through a few basic steps. This simple idea had the potential to improve the health and hygiene of the community, and generate income through sales at the local market. Unsurprisingly, this was selected as a winning solution, and a video was released a few days later showing the health clinic using this newly learned technique. Another impressive idea was to use local materials to construct vertical gardens to grow crops. This simple concept allows for an increased yield by maximising limited space; enough food was provided for sustenance and for sale. The vertical structure prevents disease and reduces the risk of pests spoiling the harvest. This, too, was a transformative solution, and one that could easily be rolled out across the community.

After three weeks of intense competition, the team from Dubai English Speaking College won the race with their ideas to improve education at the local school. They supplied moulds to create chalk from the chalky soil and tools to recycle paper, and incorporated agriculture into school life to generate income and reduce the need for external funding. However, unlike other competitions, beating the other teams was not the ultimate objective. Instead, there was a feeling of unity amongst teams, driven by a shared goal to make a real difference to real people’s lives.

The Race4Good had a positive impact on the community in focus, but also offered a multitude of benefits to the students taking part. Throughout the process they developed leadership, business and life skills, and acquired a deeper understanding of their own strengths. The competition was an empowering experience. It highlighted their ability to stimulate change and stirred up feelings of hope for what lies ahead.

Linda Cruse, the driving force behind and founder of the Race4Good, has said that the unrestricted brain of young people is a powerful tool to bring about change. It looks at problems from a different viewpoint, with a belief that anything is possible. Watching the race unfold was a humbling experience and Linda’s words certainly rang true. It highlighted the incredible spirit and ingenuity of young people.

The Race4Good strapline is ‘Changing Lives Forever’ – bold yet honest. Students used their empathy, creativity and determination, and gave the community sustainable tools to solve their problems and prosper. They offered a hand-up, not a hand-out, which will – absolutely – ‘Change Lives Forever’.

To read more about the COBIS Race4Good and see some of the implementation videos, please visit cobis.org.uk/race4good. ◆

Alisa Delin is Student Engagement and Events Officer for the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). ✉ Students@COBIS.org.uk