at+ISB

**ISB Global Issues Group Adopt-A-Village Group**
See us below and the questions we have as we begin to join into this cooperative effort.



__Questions:__

//Where is the school located geographically?// **North of Beijing, about 3 hrs, just past the Great Wall very close to where the government has put up a number of wind farms. (I am trying to get the GPS coordinates to put on Google Earth.)**
 * Where?**

//How big will the school be?// **6 classrooms, a teachers quarters, and new latrines**
 * How?**

//How many levels will there be?// **1 level**

//How will the supplies be paid for? (sponsors, money?)// **The school will be paid for through money raised from the participating schools and sponsors (hopefully!).**

//What materials are needed for construction?// **Good question! Not sure**//.// ** > FTC Answer: We encourage the local construction staff to plan for obtaining resources that are most available in the nearby region(s). We want them to take into consideration the actual impact of having to transport materials from further away, as that would inevitably effect the environment. However, in the end, if the necessary resources cannot be collected from nearby, then they must choose an alternative source/location for materials. Every FTC-supported school is different in its structure, but many of the materials that are used are: tiles (floor and roof tiles), bricks, metal (doors and windows), wooden beams, cement/concrete, etc. Here is an example of an FTC-supported school: **
 * What?**

//

What is the total cost of this project? Including supplies and transportation?// **The total cost is 30,000 USD. That is including money that goes to the Free the Children Network (around 10% goes to the organization, which is really good for a non-profit).**
 * > FTC Answer: Actually, we're working our way down from 9%! Decreasing our administrative cost percentage is a constant goal of FTC, as the lower we can get it to be, the more resources our projects all around the world can receive. Can you elaborate on what you mean by supplies and transportation? If you mean school kits and health kits when you mention "supplies," then this would be an additional project to supplement the funding for a school's construction. The source of these kits are usually school/youth groups from North America, but this type of project would be easily feasible for international schools located in Asia (especially China)! **

//Who is contributing time and effort to this project? Companies or schools?// **Right now it is schools, mostly teachers, but we are hoping to get the students more involved. We would like to have some companies as sponsors, but we have not been able to yet.**
 * Who?**
 * > FTC Answer: Free the Children is a youth-driven organization and hopes to continue this throughout present and future projects. There are SO MANY ways young people can get involved! It doesn't have to be $30,000 all at once -- there are a number of small fundraisers or alternative projects you can take on to contribute to a larger effort. __Just a few, for example: 1) School kits, 2) Health kits, 3) Writing "matching donation" letters to larger organizations/companies, 4) Book drives, 5) Collecting playground equipment (jump ropes, soccer balls, badminton sets, etc.), 6) Sponsored-runs (Beijing BISS International School just had one!)... and the list goes on! Be creative! This is your chance to rally up a bunch of friends, have some fun, and dedicate your time and effort to a big project in a meaningful way.__ If you have any questions, feel free to contact either Annie Ly (anniely@freethechildren.com ), the FTC China Development Coordinator, or Heather Barkley (heatherb@freethechildren.com ), the wonderful FTC international youth coordinator. Heather is a great person to turn to for ideas about fund-raising, starting a Youth in Action Group, or obtaining resources and materials for other campaigns you might be interested in! It's all __YOU__, young people -- don't let the adults take the spotlight!! **

//Who is physically building the school? Students or laborers or villagers?// **Students will help a bit, but it will mostly be laborers and villagers (not exactly sure about the villagers)**.
 * > FTC Answer: Students are able to help in light construction/labor/beautification work if they visit during a trip, but the majority of it will be an effort by local community members who have construction skills. If there are not enough local community members, then construction workers from nearby towns will be recruited to help in the process. **

//When would they like this school to be completed?// **As soon as possible, but I am aiming for around 1 1/2 years from now, so the students can start in the fall.**
 * When?**
 * > FTC Answer: Each school-building project varies, but for Shi Ba Jia Cun village, it might take around two years to be 100% completed, and to start operating. This is due to the complications China's winters sometimes create for our projects, consequently halting the construction process for a few weeks to a few months. **

//When would they start building the school?// **Hopefully Spring 2009, but it depends on the fund-raising.**

//Will we be staying the night?// **That might be able to be arranged**. **> FTC Answer: It would not be in Shi Ba Jia Cun village, but maybe an hour outside of the immediate community. There are no accommodations in the immediate village area. But yes, for trips, student groups always have overnight accommodations (usually small hotels, sometimes hostels).**
 * Will?**

//Will we be helping to build the school (construction-wise)?// **Yes**//.// **If you go during construction.**

//Will we be visiting this village? If so, when?// **I know that a trip is being arranged for the Spring sometime for IST and WAB students, students from ISB might be able to go also. > FTC Answer: It is no problem to arrange for a weekend mini-trip or a week-long trip, depending on what respective schools would like to do. However, if more than one school wants to plan for a trip, all parties should discuss: 1) what dates work best for both/all, 2) what duration of trip everyone can agree on, and 3) how they will contribute to the overall project, and commit to the AAV endeavor. FTC and its sister organization, Leaders Today, will not schedule trips less than two months in advance. This is so there is plenty of time to plan and arrange logistics for a smooth, successful trip for everyone involved.

Thanks for the questions girls! I have also passed this onto Annie Ly at Free the Children. She might be able to answer more of your questions. Let me know if you need anymore help! > Annie: Thanks, everyone! Let me know if there are any more questions to be answered. I would be glad to help out :)

Mr. Stan Covington Beijing BISS International School CAS Coordinator**