Our Approach
In partnership and collaboration with teams around the world, we have designed and implemented activities for children living in extreme poverty which closely align not only with our faith in the transformative power of social connection, but also with our deep conviction, backed by research, that it only takes one supportive relationship to make a child feel valued, and thus meet his or her challenges with resilience. There is a certain magic which takes hold when these programs are implemented.
Students who were often late or absent now come to school early so as not to miss a single activity
Teachers report that they feel closer to their students than ever before
Even socially withdrawn students open up to their teachers and classmates, like beautiful flowers
This infectious positive energy and joy has taken hold across so many different settings and cultures that we have become convinced that this form of intervention can work wonders when it is done with cultural humility, academic rigor, and a strong commitment to listening deeply and learning from students, teachers, and community members about their language, traditions, stories, music, and other cultural features before the first activity is designed.
Our approach at GNG involves several discrete stages, including gathering detailed information from in-country teams during weekly virtual meetings; activity creation and modification with feedback and review by the team; in-country training, and finally, implementation. In addition, our interventions are focused on eventual adoption by in-country teams with an eye towards long-term sustainability. Our overarching strategy is to bring ideas, meet collaborators and partners who share our goals, and ultimately, ensure that the program is being implemented by and for the community in which it is introduced in order to maximize its resonance for both students and the adults who care for them.
Our Inspiration
Evergreen was inspired by the indomitable human spirit of Dr. Jane Goodall. Dr. Goodall wanted every person on Earth to recognize their own worth and to know that their lives mattered, and she often said that young people were her greatest source of hope. Her legendary ability to connect to the natural world and every creature in it, and in doing so, bring out the best in them, can inspire us all to live with as much joy and optimism as she did, in spite of the dark times in which we find ourselves. In her words, “every day can hold a moment of sacred wonder if we walk through nature with our minds open and our hearts still”. We are determined to honor her legacy and the mandate she left for all of us.
Photo Credit: Stacy Lorraine