Our vision

‘There is nothing as wasteful as the loss of talent when young people are prevented from fulfilling their true potential.’
- Any Headteacher

It is our belief that if we can remove the barriers facing talented young people in disadvantaged communities the impact on their life chances will be highly significant.

If these young people have attained high level academic qualifications and entered well paid professions the influence they can have on the aspirations and achievements of their communities is limitless.

The young people have several hurdles to overcome:

1. Teachers are peripatetic and self employed and negotiate teaching opportunities at several schools therefore any work at several different schools on a daily basis in order to make a living wage. As a result they are frequently  late for lessons or fail to materialise at all. Better teachers get offered better rates at schools in more affluent Barrios and therefore the poorer schools are at the mercy of those which can afford premium or permanent staff. One group of students received no science lessons after year 9 because the teacher left.
2. The young people rarely have anywhere to study. Large families live in single or two room homes with minimal facilities and therefore the students have to work surrounded by other siblings and relatives in the kitchen or bedroom. Very few have access to technology.
3. Very few of our students have friends or relatives who have professional careers therefore their aspirations are limited  to those they come into contact with. As a result several aspire to be lawyers or doctors but are unaware of linked professions such as physiotherapy, radiotherapy, pharmacy or legal advisers and therefore do not always pick options best suited to their skills and personalities.
4. The economic pressures within a family demand that everyone takes responsibility for contributing to income. The elder children are under pressure to assist with younger siblings.

Our aim is to assist intelligent young people who are at risk of not reaching their potential  by addressing these problems.  This is done by

1, Providing  additional lessons in weak subjects , especially Maths and English, and encouraging university entrance qualifications.

2. Providing study space with technological support

3. Raising aspiration by introducing career strands previously not considered. Undertaking psychometric testing to enable students to understand their personalities, strengths and weaknesses

4. Improving applications for state and provincial financial support and facilitating work based sponsorship.

Irma’s Story

Irma’s story is a great example of what we are trying to achieve.

Irma’s family left poverty in Bolivia to seek a new life in Argentina. She was only a girl of fifteen, but she had the responsibility of supporting her family. Her parents were not well and all her younger siblings relied on her.

Irma learnt to make teddy bears and sold them in the evenings to make enough money to help support the family and to see her through her education. She was determined to gain qualifications that would help her and her family have a better life.

Irma became the first member of her family to go to university and she pursued a higher degree. In time she passed her accountancy exams and now has a highly respected job and is an active member of her community.

Already several younger members of the family have been to university or are just starting. When asked what they want to do with their future all of Irma’s young nephews and nieces, cousins and their friends say “I want to be like Irma! I am going to go to university and be a success”.

Irma is now using her influence to try to make life better for her community and she is working with the Foundation to help other young people make their way in the world.