Aywasi Kalinago Retreat, in collaboration with, Vetivert Inc., WAIKADA, other agencies/persons, and our key partners, student Heather Chisholm and Art Teacher Tia Saley their “Schools for Schools” project of the Rothesay Netherwood School (RNS) in New Brunswick, Canada, will develop The Inspirational Leadership institute.
This RNS “Schools for Schools” project, being supported by volunteer Canadian architects and engineers and the RNS family, is the brain child of Round Square Kurt Hahn Prize winner, Heather Chisholm, a Grade 10 RNS student, who was moved to action as a result of the devastation Dominica suffered from hurricane Maria.
Of note, in 2012, Leslassa Armour-Shillingford was the first Caribbean student to receive the Rothesay Netherwood School’s most prestigious senior female award, the Paddy McAvity Memorial Prize for Fine Character, Scholarship and Sportsmanship in 2012, followed by another Dominican Ms Jeanelle (LaVille) Brisbane in 2013, both proud of their Kalinago ancestry. Their outstanding performance at RNS may have helped support our proposal to house this initial structure of the Inspirational Leadership Institute in the Kalinago Territory.
The Ayahora (1) Communities of Excellence (ACE) Foundation is a newly formed non-profit organization that seeks to promote and inculcate sustainable development principles and practices through the delivery and support of quality environmentally-sensitive, culturally-relevant educational programmes and initiatives. To accomplish this mission, the ACE Foundation will partner with the Aywasi Kalinago Retreat, Vetivert Inc, WAIKADA, RNS, WildDominique, and with other relevant persons and agencies to develop centres, institutions and projects, focused on the specific key sectors; holistic education, creativity & innovation, science and technology, sports and wellbeing.
The ACE Foundation will work to deliver and/or support a variety of programmes, including early childhood and primary level education; adult literacy and skills training, as well as building leadership to help maintain and sustain the programmes. The Foundation will work with local, regional and international partners to build on existing initiatives, as well as to seek and explore emerging educational opportunities.
Presently, the ACE Foundation is collaborating with the Montessori Centre of Dominica (2), incorporated on 18th November 1996, to develop its first Inspirational Leadership Institute, designed as a purpose-built disaster shelter to house a day-time Montessori pre-primary school in the Kalinago Territory, which will also function as a Centre for adult literacy, skills training and leadership building in the evening.
As shared in the link above, we have already received commitment from the “Schools for Schools” project of the Rothesay Netherwood School (RNS), New Brunswick, Canada which is in the process of designing a school building using 2 forty foot containers to be shipped to Dominica fully-equipped and furnished, which once on site will be comfortably finished inside, and attractively clad on the outside, and landscaped beautifully by our local team.
Our goal is to build a “green” institute completely off the grid and self-sufficient in line with Dominica’s new focus to build back better and in a more resilient manner. A central theme of the institute will be the development of an efficient organic school garden, where the children will learn to grow what they eat and eat what they grow, with direct links to school and road-side market stands to provide ongoing revenue streams, and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit. Of note, our project was chosen over other proposals from different communities across the island, based on its scope and breadth of the positive impact on the Kalinago Territory, and neighboring communities.
To complete this first Inspirational Leadership Institute, to be built on approved and designated land in Salybia in the Kalinago Territory, we are currently mobilizing resources and seeking additional funds to cover costs related to the engineering support for the foundation and landscaping works, as well as for the recruitment and training of prospective Montessori teachers, and additional team members. The idea is to identify and recruit competent community members to be trained as Principal/Adminstrator as well as Montessori Teachers via online and face to face training, to ensure that the school is managed by and for the Kalinago Community.
We are committed to providing affordable, world-class education and training, as we have successfully done through the Montessori Centre of Dominica, with our vision of contributing to the molding of responsible, progressive, productive, thoughtful, respectful, good spirited global citizens and kind-hearted inspirational leaders.
For further information, please contact:
Yvonne Armour Hill
Founder/Director
Ayahora Communities of Excellence (ACE) Foundation
Tel.: 1-767-277.1778 Email: AyahoraACEfoundation7@gmail.com
Louis & Yvonne Hill
Development/Management Team
Aywasi Kalinago Retreat
Tel.: 1-767-235.4455 Email: info@aywasiretreat.com
Notes:
(1) “Ayahora” is the Kalinago word for “Thanksgiving”
(2) The Montessori Centre of Dominica, incorporated on 18th November 1996, is a pioneering educational institution focused on providing quality environmentally-sensitive education to preschool and primary school children in the Commonwealth of Dominica, as well as teacher training, using the Montessori method of education.
Source Article: https://www.roundsquare.org/news/news/congratulations-to-our-2018-kurt-hahn-prize-winner/