Teaching Students to Build Sustainable Communities
First set of Presidio Education® gift packages filled with 3M 8511 masks and hand sanitizers sent to those impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Asia. Starting in January 2020, our San Francisco faculty repeatedly waited in lines outside at 5:30 AM to try and buy as many masks as allowed for those in need. Our team contacted charities and organizations overseas to see who and how we could help. Photograph by Martin Nobida, English Teacher, 2020.
We teach our students to develop sustainable solutions for pressing issues communities face. More than teaching students how to earn high grades or test scores, we want them to understand how to help others, to feel empathy and to make positive impacts within communities. This is why our teachers, staff and college interns try to set positive examples for our students by joining volunteer programs and working to develop Impact Projects, like our Cebu Impact Project. We want students to know that helping others should not just apply to them, but to adults as well!
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in January 2020, our San Francisco office has been running around the Bay Area looking for 3M 8511 masks to be sent to Asia for those in need. Photograph by Presidio Education®, 2020.
Building Relationships with Local Businesses
As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, we put in a lot of effort building relationships with local businesses. While we want to learn how local businesses develop sustainable solutions for their jobs, we also try our best to build connections with the hopes of collaborating on bigger sustainability projects.
Scott Pastorino, proprietor of Pastorino Farms, in one of his sunflower fields in Half Moon Bay, California, United States. Read more on our Corporate Social Responsibility page. Photograph by Presidio Education® Director of Product Management Yunju Chen, 2018.
Words from Scott Pastorino, Proprietor of Pastorino Farms:
We use crop rotation to keep the soil at a high standard. We compost our old and unused flowers and plants to help fertilize the soil. To help reduce waste, we also recycle and reuse old pots, planters and vases for plants and flowers. In order to mitigate pollution, we avoid herbicides and pesticides that could possibly leach into groundwater and contaminate drinking water. Water management is crucial to farming and communities, especially when Northern California undergoes drought periods. We train our employees to grow and use native plants that don’t require a lot of water. In fact, while we clone and use cuttings to regenerate new generations of flowers and plants, we use old sunflower seeds and pumpkins for future crops.
Community strength is very important to us. We work with our city, the local chamber of commerce, schools, senior centers, the local YMCA and use agricultural tourism to help educate the general public on the importance of farming and our challenges with climate change and drought. We give farm tours and donate flowers, pumpkins and straw to local charities and schools. We have a farm camp where young people can come and learn how the farm operates, how much work is involved in the upkeep of live plants and animals, the growing process, how we use greenhouses to grow and how we use our farm equipment.
We share our information and practices with other local farmers, the state and government departments of agriculture. Educating oneself on new farming methods and being well read and willing to change methods on important areas, such using solar for energy or aquaponics, is critical to growing a sustainable business. Teaching younger generations the importance of building sustainable businesses is extremely important because we all share the community. When building a business, our responsibility is to protect the environment.
Volunteering with Children with Intellectual Disabilities
Our team volunteers with children with intellectual disabilities from the Po Leung Kuk Yu Lee Mo Fan Memorial School Dormitory in Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong. Bus rides are organized to take these wonderful children to the Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, to play, dance and eat together. This is a fantastic opportunity for the children to have fun with friends.
When asked about volunteering with children with intellectual disabilities from Po Leung Kuk Yu Lee Mo Fan Memorial School Dormitory, Ryan Young, Presidio Education® Founder & CEO, replied:
A large part of our sustainability mission is to promote inclusivity, especially for children. Volunteering with children with intellectual disabilities is truly heartwarming. All children need compassion and to know that there are people who care about them. Many of us had fortunate childhoods, educations and had family and friends to support us during difficult times. Unfortunately, not all children receive the same type of support, love and hope. There is nothing more heartbreaking when children are forgotten. We must band together to give back to our communities and support all children with the very kindness and compassion they equally deserve.
Volunteering with children with intellectual disabilities is often humbling, but also a lot of fun. These children are full of energy, smiles and laughter. They are full of warmth and full of curiosity. We also enjoy meeting fellow volunteers to find ways to improve resources for these children.
Presidio Education® faculty and College Intern teams volunteering at day camp with children with intellectual disabilities from the Po Leung Kuk Yu Lee Mo Fan Memorial School Dormitory at the Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong. Photograph by Ryan Young, Presidio Education® Founder & CEO, 2018.
Volunteering at San Francisco Public Library
Our team volunteers with the San Francisco Public Library book giveaway program. Libraries are especially important for children who do not have access to the Internet or academic resources, or need guidance on how to research. This program has been particularly important for Yunju Chen, Presidio Education® Director of Product Management, who completed her Master of Science in Information Management at the University of Washington. Yunju has worked hard to make educational materials more accessible and useful for students.
When asked about volunteering at the San Francisco Public Library, Yunju replied:
For educators, I want to use technology to connect educators and students and make their learning experiences engaging and effective. It’s important for us to focus on the human aspect of technology. Technology is just a tool to help us do our work faster and better. To be successful as a sustainable company, we need to connect different dots together and make a full circle. We teach our students not only to be successful academically but also to be responsible members of society. Students must learn to care about other people and the environment around them to know how to give back when they enter society. If we can teach students to build communities, we will have great potential to make big impacts.
The reality is that not all students have access to academic resources. The assumption that all students can afford smartphones and computers is a fallacy. This is why public libraries are crucial for many, especially for under-resourced students. Libraries provide access to scholarly research databases, print texts, knowledgeable librarians, who can assist with homework and research assignments, and a safe study environment.
Presidio Education® faculty volunteering at the San Francisco Public Library book giveaway. Photograph by Yunju Chen, Director of Product Management, 2018.
Volunteering with Impoverished Children and Families
Our team volunteers with underprivileged children, helping them create beautiful art projects at the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Kowloon City Children and Youth Integrated Service Centre in Kowloon City, Hong Kong. Education is not simply about teaching memorization and methods. Fostering creativity is very important for student growth.
When asked about volunteering with underprivileged children at the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Kowloon City Children and Youth Integrated Service Centre, Wayne Man, Presidio Education® Math & Social Science Teacher, replied:
Helping underprivileged children at the Inside Out workshop is immensely rewarding but also surprisingly a lot of fun, too. We learn to build a rapport with children. All it takes is a big smile and a willingness to get involved! It is important to give back to the community by volunteering rather than just donating money to charity. Volunteering only a few hours can have a big impact on the lives of the less fortunate.
Art project programs provide children prime opportunities to illustrate their innovation. This is especially important for impoverished children, who may not otherwise have the chance to prove their creativity. Furthermore, helping children design art projects enables volunteers to participate despite language barriers. Even though some of our team members may not speak local languages, this will not stop us from giving back to communities, especially for impoverished children.
Helping impoverished students create beautiful art projects at the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Kowloon City Children and Youth Integrated Service Centre in Kowloon City, Hong Kong. From left to right: Wayne Man, Math & Social Science Teacher; Kenley Lou, Social Science and College Intern Coordinator; and Isaac Ng, College Intern, Sustainability Data Analytics. Photograph by Ryan Young, Presidio Education® Founder & CEO, 2018.
Get Involved with Presidio Education® Sustainability Projects!
Please contact our Sustainability Team if you are interested in volunteering with Presidio Education®. We are always looking to develop new Impact Projects around the world. Regardless if you are a student, parent, government official, or community member, please help us build sustainable communities for those in need! Thank you!
