It all started with making connections on LinkedIn, where I got to know Prasiddhi Singh, a young, dynamic 13-year-old environmentalist who had already made a significant impact at the COP summit as a youth speaker.
A flash of thought crossed my mind as I, a SAG mentor, led this group of motivated and curious SIS PYP students, eager to learn and create meaningful change around them. Our primary goal in Student Action Group is to look at the UN global goals that are of importance to every living human being as the most important set of responsibilities they must improve for their future lives and the lives of their fellow citizens. As motivated young leaders, our SAG students identified issues in their school community and took the initiative to address them.
To introduce Prasiddhi to our school community seemed to be the best way to inspire the little minds who had the fire in them to do something for their community. And hence I reached out to her right away. What came to me as a surprise was her instant response about how excited she was to be part of our school’s initiative.
Within a few weeks, we were able to get her on Zoom despite her busy schedule of travel and events! The primary school Assembly was an eye-opener for a lot of our students, who were in awe of Prasiddhi’s story of bringing change. Her words of determination and belief in her dream of planting 10 million trees across different parts of TN that were devastated in the cyclone, as she was only 4, were an eye-opener for all of us!
Fueled by Kindness: A Bake Sale That Brought a Community Together
Following that, a number of our students, not only in SAG but also in different classes, sent emails to learn more about Prasiddhi’s work. In the meantime, the SAG students were thinking about what they could do to support her mission, and that is when they collectively brainstormed the idea of raising money for the cause, as that would be the best possible way to support her.
A flurry of ideas as to what would be the best feasible way to raise money became the next point of discussion, and within the next week, the group decided to do a bake sale at the winter market.
On the big day, 5 Dec, Winter market at SIS, the tables were set, and so was the mood. To our surprise, there were 3 boxes full of cookie bags brought in by so many of our lovely parents, so beautifully decorated and looking delicious! The SAG members were super excited as the sale began, our bake sale was catching up, and the students were getting thrilled to see the money jar filling up. With a tremendous sale, we easily reached our target of 300 euros! However, we still had a box of cookie bags to sell. The following week, the students took it upon themselves to set a table in the foyer, shouting out and inviting parents and students to buy more cookie bags. They did have to bring down the prices for the bags, as now the intention was to sell them off rather than make a profit.
All bags sold; a profound sense of accomplishment was seen in the group. Eager to count the amount the group gathered the following week, our usual Monday afternoon meeting time and the big news was shared that we had made around 430 Euros in total! A euphoric sensation of what the group has achieved.
We thanked our parent community for their support and sent our messages to Prasiddhi for sharing the big news. And what followed that was a big thank-you message from Prasiddhi as her foundation received the money. Her inspirational words of being change makers of tomorrow and keeping the motive in mind will always resonate with the SAG students.
A huge shoutout to Sudha Korisal, PYP Educator and SAG Advisor at Strothoff International School, Frankfurt, for turning classroom learning into real-world action. Because of her guidance and the students’ passion, this initiative went beyond fundraising; it became a step toward building a cleaner, greener planet for everyone.
If you have an impact story to share or would like to collaborate and research with our Global Tribe, drop us a line at communications@thegreenpillar.com.
We applaud every student at Strothoff International School who reminded us that baking can do more than delight; it can drive meaningful change for our Earth. Let’s keep showing up for the planet and continue to #HealOurEarth together.
