The more the merrier

I had a discussion with my CAS coordinator who seemed to like the work I'm doing with Excellent school. She encouraged me to ask for help from other kids in school, because all the new kids doesn't really have a strategy on how to fulfil their CAS requirements. I think this is a good idea and have already started to pitch my project for some of them.
I also contacted an old friend from Sweden, and she got very inspired from all the information I sent her. She promised to start working on her friends and relatives to help me raise funds for the school.

Facebook messages, e-mails and strategies

I've re-posted the  funded by me project on facebook.  As I was working, I realized that I need to update both people who has given me funds and people who has shown interest, so they will give me money. In the end I wrote about 10 e-mails and spent a whole day working with fund raising for Excellent. It is hard work and many of the people I mailed has not even answered. It feels really sad that it is so hard to find interested people sometimes. I think that it is hard for people to realize and understand how a day in the Mathare slums look like because if they did I'm sure they would give me some money. I'm doing my best to educate them, but some are not even interested... What world do we live in when people only think of themselves and the ones close to them? Why can't they open their hearts and minds for the bigger picture? Or just send me an e-mail replying that they are not interested?
I'm aslo thinking about contacting big Swedish companies, for sponsring. Money would be good, but there are some products that we need as well...... need to think more and develop some kind of strategy.  My uncle gave me some tips on how to proceed and new ideas on people to contact. I have to keep on working hard. It is like everything you do needs to be redone often. I will keep you posted!

And some money turned up!

I got around 7000 Kes from the Funded by me project. The funny thing is that one of the donors is totally unknown to me. I am, however, very grateful for the money. Next time I start a funded by me project, I think I need to push it much harder on facebook. It is very clear that social media is extremely fast and that news are old after a few minutes. I might ask friends to share this project again on facebook. I'm happy that I made so much money so quickly, but after this I haven't received any more money.

Summer projects

Going to other countries gives a great opportunity to market my Cas projects. During the summer I had many meetings with people who has shown interest in supporting my work in Excellent school. I also managed to meet some of the people who already are sponsors and tell them about the progress.
I invited two parties to Kenya for a visit in the school, guided by me. It was also fantastic to have a meeting with the IB students in Bollnas, Sweden who also are working to help the school. They were really cool people and very enthusiastic about the project. I'm sure they will do a fantastic job and it's clear that it goes beyond their Cas requirements.
Doing this inspired me to take a day to inform people by e-mail, both previous donors and other people who has shown interest. I also spent a lot of time thinking about approaching companies and googling how to get in contact with the right persons.
By discussing my project with family friends and relatives I got many new ideas on how to do some marketing and spreading my project further than to my immediate social group and I need to do some further investigations and planning to make this happen. I just hope the internet is not going to fail me because I realize that internet is going to be important for this to succeed. 
I've also managed to persuade my father to help spreading information about Excellent in his, really big, networks. However, he wants me to further investigate the owner conditions and more about how the school is organized. After buying so many rooms it's only fair to clear up who are holding the deeds to these rooms and what would happen in a "worst case senario". My dad thinks these are questions I should be able to answer and I have to agree with him.
I also hope that new ways of communicating my project will help me with my creativity cas hours, because I need more of those according to my Cas coordinator. I really want to focus my cas work this year on Excellent school and my Taekwondo, so I rather not start any new creativity projects.
I've had continuos e-mail contacts with reverend George. He still has a problem moving the last person out of the school area. Be both agree, however, that time and patience will solve this problem.

Leaving this:

to go back to this:

New creativity project

The article in the Daily Industry paper gave me an idea for a new creativity project. The people mailing me about our project in Excellent school, made me realize that I need a web page to inform both them about our work as well as posting news and progresses to our donors. I ended up referring them to this blog, and I'm sure they are not so interested in my other CAS projects, so I felt a bit unprofessional! I filled out the CAS proposal form, but I need to check this with my coordinator. I hope she will accept the project because I clearly stated that I want to focus on Excellent school this year!
If she doesn't I might create a web site anyway. It would make my job much easier! The big problem in the senior year is.... time! I still need another creativity project, so combining this with my service in the school and my Taekwondo project would be fantastic!

Funded by me

Lots of nice stuff has happened over the summer. I got a tip from a friend about "funded by me". This is a web page that you an post on your facebook page to fund projects. I'm asking all my friends and relatives to like it and share it. I incuded the i-movie I made and I'm hoping it's going to give me some results!

Plans for the summer

This summer is going to be very interesting and exciting. I'm going to find myself in a whole new situation in a (almost) whole new place! I'm going to Washington DC to do a one month long internship in Brookings institution. I was born in Washington DC, but only lived there until I was three. I've been visiting a few times, but I really don't know the place as well as I should! To be able to live and work there for a month will be a great experience.

The Internship is very exciting: I'm going to work in this fantastic institution that is one of Washington's oldest think tanks. Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and global economy and development.

Its stated mission is to "provide innovative and practical recommendations that advance three broad goals: strengthen American democracy; foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans; and secure a more open, safe, prosperous, and cooperative international system".

It is also going to help me finding new information and sources for my Extended Essay, which is going to be about the relationship between America and Afghanistan. I'm also planning to get facts and information for my Math IA.

During the week ends I plan to visit Universities on the west coast, so even that will be educational. Hopefully, I'll have time for some theatre too. Doing HL drama, it is good to be exposed for some real drama - so I hope that will be enjoyable and also give me some more exposure for my drama class. The last month of the summer break I'm spending with my family in Stockholm, doing absolutely nothing more than hanging our with friends and family and do my research project for Drama and start organizing my math project - so much to do and so little time!

Feeling quite tired after my first IB year - I'm suspecting I'll need some rest as well!

  My office this summer- I can't wait!