British International School Awards 2018
The British International School Awards recognise excellence in British schools overseas, celebrate the successes of the education sector and help set benchmarks for best practices in schools. After our shortlisting in 2017 for our Community Service Projects we were delighted to once again find out we were shortlisted for the International Impact Award for our uniform upcycling project “One More”.
The British International School Awards recognise excellence in British schools overseas, celebrate the successes of the education sector and help set benchmarks for best practices in schools. After being shortlisted in 2017 for our Community Service Projects we were delighted to once again find out we were shortlisted for the International Impact Award for our uniform upcycling project “One More”.
The International Impact Award recognises how an English education in an overseas setting has made a positive impact in its locality with emphasis on sustainability. Project “One More” takes old uniforms and upcycles them into reusable practical items to minimise the environmental impact of throwing them away. Some products that have been created so far include:
- Shopping bags
- Hair ties
- School bags
- Beanbag chickens
- Diary covers
Project “One More” was first created by a group of BIS HCMC parents with a vision to reduce uniform waste, educate the public about environmental issues and be creative while doing so.
After advertising the project to the BIS community, the demand for upcycled uniform products increased. This is when the parents turned to Friends for Street Children (FFCS) to assist with the production of the upcycled products. This collaboration means that the upcycling of uniforms is not only reducing waste and minimising the effects to the environment but it is also positively impacting the children of FFCS. FFCS commented on the collaboration;
“Thanks to this collaboration, we are able to continue developing our programs that focus on four key outcomes: Education, Health, Empowerment and Employment. Thanks to the money raised through this program, we are able to provide school fees, uniforms, supplies, tutoring and scholarships. We are also able to provide free medical check up and health classes to our kids. We are able to give our seamstresses additional work to feed their families but as well to build their leadership, confidence and therefore creating a positive ripple effect on the children.
By donating your old BIS HCMC uniforms and participating to the “One More” project, you make our work possible at FFSC to develop a brighter future for our children and help break the cycle of poverty. We can see the positive impact of this program on our community and how meaningful it can be to our children.”
Although we didn’t win our category, we were privileged to be part of such a prestigious event and for our parents to be recognised for the hard work and dedication they put in to make this project so meaningful, to so many people in our community.
Ms Sarah Curran, Assistant Headteacher at the Early Years and Infant Campus describes the awards ceremony:
“Representing the school was a great privilege and to hear all the work schools were doing in the different categories was fascinating. Our parents have worked really hard on the project and it was disappointing not to win, but our children and local community have really benefited from their work and project "One More" will continue to grow. Well done to everyone who created project "One More" and thank you to all those who support it by purchasing the products.”
If you would like to be involved with the "One More" project please email: onemorereused@gmail.com. You can also purchase the products by visiting the pop up shops around campus on Thursdays and Fridays.
