Foundation donates to SALC Camp in Missoula for Homeless kids/Kids at Risk

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Paul
“Summer Arts & Leadership Camp: Enriching the lives of youth in need.
At SALC it is our goal to provide a safe, structured and fun summer for Missoula youth who would otherwise be unable to afford access to such programming. We serve students identified as homeless and at-risk of homelessness. SALC is partnered with Missoula County Public Schools and is a cost-free summer program that provides transportation as well as breakfast, lunch and snacks on a daily basis.  We view the campers that participate in our program as strong youth who have overcome many obstacles; they are survivors.  The next step is to help them move from surviving to thriving.  We run a variety of activities including music, arts, crafts, hiking, swimming and outdoor games; with several larger trips such as whitewater rafting, horseback riding,  and backpacking.  We strive to offer the best possible programs to our students. 
 It is through the generous support of the Emily Sandall Foundation that we are able to offer some wonderful programming to our students. Because of an Emily Sandall Foundation grant we are able to take the entire camp horseback riding in the Bitterroot Valley and whitewater rafting through the Alberton Gorge with Montana River Guides. These experiences mark the highpoint of the summer for many of our campers and staff alike. Our thanks to the vision, generosity and continued support of the Emily Sandall Foundation. ” 
Through their generosity, The Emily Sandall Foundation supports our mission, and helps to make camp possible for our students. These are experiences that our students might not otherwise have. The Summer Arts & Leadership Camp is deeply grateful for their continuing support.”
 
Written by Joshua Lisbon, SALC Camp Director and a friend of Emily’s
Please visit SALC on the web at: www.salcmt.org 
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Foundation donates to the Sankhu School in Nepal

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Paul

Sankhu students photo taken by Emily in Nepal, 2002

 The Foundation donates to theThe Sankhu-Palubari Community School. Emily worked tirelessly fund-raising for the  Sankhu school in high school and even started a club in college called Children’s Second Chance.

“The Sankhu-Palubari Community School:

 

  • Provides a pre-kindergarten through 9th grade education to more than 300 children at risk of child labor, as well as scholarships to its graduates to attend 10th grade.  The pre-K class was added this year to better prepare incoming students, many of whom are from families where the parents are illiterate or are members of indigenous tribes that don’t speak Nepali.  

  • Gives students an outstanding education. Last spring, 11 students, who started at the school in kindergarten, graduated from 10th grade. All of the graduates received either high distinction or first division on their School Leaving Certificate examinations.    

  • Encourages gender parity in education. In the 2011-2012 school year, 52% of the students in K-8th grade are girls, a significant increase since the school’s establishment.  

  • Provides an alternative to child labor and provides a child with a free education , including books, uniforms, and school supplies.”

 

 

written by

Jennifer Prestholdt, JD, MALD, Deputy Director, The Advocates for Human Rights

We wish much success to the Advocates for Human Rights and to the students and teachers at the Sankhu Palubari School in Nepal.

 

 

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Foundation donates to Shine a Light’s Urban Amazon Project

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Paul

The Emily Sandall Foundation donated  to the Urban Amazon Project run by Shine-a-Light. Emily would be so pleased with this project.

“Cities in the Brazilizian Amazon are a fascinating place to show how work with music, art and digital media can serve as a catalyst for conflict transformation among the dozens of Amazonian tribes that have migrated over the last dozen years.

Working with anthropolgists in Manaus,tribal leaders and local young artists, Shine a Light will use the methods that have been so successful with other groups. Important to this work will be our extensive prior research on the anthropology of conflict in the Amazon.

We plan to be flexible in this project, using many methods from musical composition, rap poetry, fictional and documentary film, and whatever other techniques are most effective with this highly excluded and discriminated population: urban Amazonian youth.”

Kurt Shaw, Executive Director, Shine a Light

 

 

This project definitely represents her interests and spirit. She believed so passionately in giving discriminated kids a voice and a path to a better and creative future.

The Urban Amazon project is going to be fascinating. Hundreds of thousands of indigenous people live in the jungle outside of Leticia/Tabatinga (a double city on the Colombian/Brazilian/Peruvian border), and though the popular press often describes them as “uncontacted” or “undiscovered”, they actually spend a lot of time in the city: they go for medical care, kids often go to school, they go to the social security office… and they go to perform music, whether for tourists or for other indians. We plan to work with these kids, starting in the schools and through the political/social organizations that the indigenous families use for support while they are in the city.

The day to day will start with the kids researching their own and other musical traditions: whatever inspires them. Then, we’ll work with them on music composition and recording, with both real and computerized instruments. At the end, I would like to do something  where there is a performance where the kids get to show the result of their work.” -Kurt Shaw, Executive Director, Shine a Light

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Spring Mini-grant Pledge

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Paul
Thanks to the generous donations from Emily’s Foundation community the Emily Sandall Foundation Pledges 10 Global Emily Grants for Spring 2012 – IIECL
The International Initiative to End Child Labor (IIECL) is pleased to announce that a pledge from the Emily Sandall Memorial Foundation (ESMF) has been received to fund 10 Emily grants for the spring of 2012.
“We do this to honor Emily at this special time of the year and to thank IIECL for your care and compassion in honoring her, her work and her spirit.” -Becky Sandall
Diane Mull, IIECL’s Executive Director added that, “With this pledge, IIECL is off to a rousing start for 2012. This should provide encouragement to individuals, teachers/schools and organizations around the world that there will be continued support to aid in their efforts to end child labor in their communities.”

While grants are small ,the Emily grants function as seed money to support innovative ideas to rescue children from child labor, including slavery or trafficking, and to promote the children’s participation in education. Grants are open to youth, teachers, schools or non-governmental organizations working with children and/or youth to promote the end of child labor.

Mull adds, “You would be amazed what these individuals and organizations can accomplish with a small amount of funds. US dollars go a long way in very rural, poor countries. These individuals and small community-based organizations have a commitment [vested interest] to help the children in their community.”

In some cases, the Emily grants have been used to match or support other foundation or donor funding. The grants can be used to fill a gap or support a cost not covered by other funding, such as building the roof for a school, paying for the production of child labor education materials for use in schools, or funding a micro-loan and enterprise program for mothers of children rescued from child labor.

Since the program began in 2004, the ESMF and IIECL have awarded 48 grants to individuals and organizations in all regions of the world.

“Emily Sandall received the first two grants from IIECL. After Emily’s death, we changed the name of the grant program to honor Emily and her tireless energy and efforts to help children around the world,” Mull explains.

The grants are having an impact. To view the current list of 10 grantees, visit IIECL’s website or the Emily Sandall Memorial Foundation website.

The children targeted by IIECL are some of the poorest of the poor, with little or no resources.

Mull states, “In some cases, they don’t even have a school or teachers. The community members are trying to educate children about computers by showing them a self-made drawing on a piece of cardboard. It’s so rewarding to see the gratitude in the eyes of these children and families served by Emily grants. Children rescued from domestic slavery are given an opportunity to be a child and get an education.”

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Foundation Donates to NSW Backpacking Trip for Homeless and at-Risk teens

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Paul

“This camp has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Before this camp, I was very reluctant to go outside and try new things. With this camp, I’ve done both, and now I love it. Doing new activities and going outside are now my favorite things to do. This camp has helped me a lot.” - Nick, NSW student

 ”It is the mission of Next Step Wilderness to provide wilderness and experiential education programming for students identified as homeless or at-risk of homelessness in 8th grade through high school in the Missoula community.  It is our goal to offer programming that empowers our students and supports their growth in the areas of self-confidence, emotional maturity and social responsibility.   

  The focus of Next Step Wilderness is engaging youth in the wilderness and communities that surround them.  NSW offers diverse and challenging opportunities to our student population that include a blend of programs focused on personal growth through experience and educational offerings intended to promote a greater understanding of their role in the larger communities of which they are a part. We believe that adolescence marks a significant transition point in the lives of youth. It is the goal of NSW to help our students to be more conscious of this transition into adulthood and it’s impact on their lives.    

 Next Step Wilderness is completely free of charge to our students and their families.  We strive to provide the best possible programming for our students.

Every August our season begins with a 7 day backpacking trip in the The Great Burn Wilderness Study Area. The Emily Sandall Foundation has generously donated to NSW to help make this experience available to our 2012 incoming class. From all of us at Next Step Wilderness, thank you! ”

Written by Joshua Lisbon, Director of NSW(Next Step Wilderness), Missoula, MT.

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