Endurance

There’s a difference between working and serving. Between earning money and creating opportunity. It takes courage and stamina and a deep commitment to make a lasting impact on the lives of others. Especially when it’s children. We plant the seeds, water them, tend to them and watch them grow but it’s no quick win. There’s no instant gratification and reward. To realize our vision we have to be compelled by it, and have the patience and dedication to stand strong. Working with deprived communities and disadvantaged children is tough. It’s not always pretty but, with endurance and commitment, we can spread our story throughout the world and serve humanity on a global scale.

Envision

See beyond. Look beyond the barriers and the boundaries and send your energy there. We have to be capable of seeing a future. Of creating new possibility and continuously working towards that. Education is a long-term investment and it might take a number of years before we see the outcome, so imagination is a powerful tool. One that enables us to envision what we can create, empowering others and inspiring them to design a better future.

Partnership

We can’t do this alone. Connection is one of the core principles of our work, so we connect with other non-profits, private companies, experts and friends. We build partnerships that are in service of the creative and gifted students we support, and their families. We cultivate relationships where everyone benefits but where everyone has a shared responsibility. Whether that means a one-to-one situation, working as part of a team or breaking down hierarchical structures. We operate on a basis of trust.

Organic growth

When you create the right conditions, human potential is unbounded. Our capabilities are often beyond our wildest expectations and we believe that our gifts should be recognized, nurtured and given the right opportunity to truly flourish. Organic growth is the foundation on which we support our creative and gifted students but it’s also how we approach our relationships and business strategy. We allow people to lead and release their potential into the world. That means our stakeholders are left to do their jobs and the thread of empowerment that defines us, continues to unite us.

Creativity and innovation

These are the tools that create value, that set us apart and that drive us to keep sharpening the way we think and act. Creativity is central to our mindset, our systems, operations, resources, strategy and approach. We exist to encourage creativity in the most gifted children and that has to be reflected in the way we work. Design thinking is one of our key tactics and we draw upon this as a method for planning and development.

Empathy

To listen is one of the greatest acts of generosity. Empathy is how we understand each other, the students and families we work with, our partners, investors and supporters. In order to read the needs of our children and communicate with them effectively, we have to be in their shoes. We have to see the world with their eyes and talk to them in their own language. And we also need to empathize with each other and take care of ourselves, along the way. This takes a certain level of emotional intelligence, which is intrinsic to our success.