Buildon
Encyclopedia
buildOn is an international nonprofit organization
that runs youth service
afterschool programs in United States high schools, and builds schools in developing countries
. The organization's programs engage young Americans from mostly urban areas in community service
, and promote literacy
among children and adults in developing countries.
buildOn views its service learning and school construction programs as a form of social activism that intends to, in their words, "break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations". buildOn is based in Stamford, Connecticut
.
buildOn’s afterschool programs were later developed to engage at-risk youth from low performing urban high schools in community service
. The first of these programs was organized at Lumen Christi Catholic High School in Jackson, Michigan
.
The organization changed its name to buildOn in 2009.
, The Bronx
, Chicago, southwest Connecticut
, Philadelphia
and the San Francisco Bay Area
. Students from these programs volunteer in their own communities, working on small to large- scale regional service projects such as renovating community centers, participating in environmental clean-ups, and serving meals at soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
The buildOn website states that their students have contributed more than 761,682 hours of volunteer service, interacting with more than 1,428,615 elders, youth and people in their communities who are disabled, homeless or living in poverty.
Some students in buildOn’s afterschool programs are also given the opportunity to participate in the building of an international school, an experience the organization refers to as a “Trek
for Knowledge”. Each year, two volunteers per school go to Nicaragua
, Mali
, Malawi
or Nepal
for two weeks. Students go through various workshops to prepare themselves for the trek. While building the international school they stay with indigenous families and learn local customs.
The organization has also on several occasions offered statistics suggesting the correlation between community service and academic performance. According to Ziolkowski, 97% percent of buildOn students go to college and the program's participants are twice as likely to graduate than those who do not volunteer.
In 2010, Brandeis University
conducted a study of one of buildOn’s afterschool programs in the Bronx. buildOn subsequently published these findings, which support a causal link between the personal skills buildOn's service learning programs focus on and improved academic achievement.
Before every school is built, a buildOn representative organizes the signing of a contractual document for the construction site's community known as a "covenant". With it, the community pledges to provide available labor to the construction and equal education for women and girls after the school's completion.
In February 2011, buildOn was one of the nonprofits participating in Groupon
’s Save the Money campaign. Groupon's deal matched customers’ donations to build schools in Mali and Nepal.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that runs youth service
Youth service
Youth service refers to non-military, intensive engagement of young people in organized activity that contributes to the local, national, or world community. Youth service is widely recognized and valued by society, with minimal or no compensation to the server. Youth service also provides...
afterschool programs in United States high schools, and builds schools in developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
. The organization's programs engage young Americans from mostly urban areas in community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
, and promote literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
among children and adults in developing countries.
buildOn views its service learning and school construction programs as a form of social activism that intends to, in their words, "break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations". buildOn is based in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
.
History
President and CEO Jim Ziolkowski was inspired to found the nonprofit after watching a two-day celebration for the opening of a school in a village in Nepal, where he was backpacking. In 1991, Ziolkowski quit his finance position at General Electric and founded buildOn, then called Building with Books, with his brother. General Electric was one of the primary funders for the venture.buildOn’s afterschool programs were later developed to engage at-risk youth from low performing urban high schools in community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
. The first of these programs was organized at Lumen Christi Catholic High School in Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
.
The organization changed its name to buildOn in 2009.
U.S. Afterschool Programs
buildOn runs afterschool service learning programs in six urban areas in the United States: DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, Chicago, southwest Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Students from these programs volunteer in their own communities, working on small to large- scale regional service projects such as renovating community centers, participating in environmental clean-ups, and serving meals at soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
The buildOn website states that their students have contributed more than 761,682 hours of volunteer service, interacting with more than 1,428,615 elders, youth and people in their communities who are disabled, homeless or living in poverty.
Some students in buildOn’s afterschool programs are also given the opportunity to participate in the building of an international school, an experience the organization refers to as a “Trek
Trek
Trek or trekking is a long journey undertaken on foot in areas where common means of transport is generally not available. Trekking is not mountaineering; it is days of walking along with adventure.-Etymology:...
for Knowledge”. Each year, two volunteers per school go to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
or Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
for two weeks. Students go through various workshops to prepare themselves for the trek. While building the international school they stay with indigenous families and learn local customs.
Impact
buildOn claims that their afterschool service projects have had direct and positive effects on communities with crime and poverty issues. In 2010 a group from one of buildOn’s afterschool programs in Detroit planted a community garden on an abandoned lot surrounded by gangs and prostitution. Ziolkowski said that the presence of the youth working on the garden promoted change, pushing crime out of the neighborhood.The organization has also on several occasions offered statistics suggesting the correlation between community service and academic performance. According to Ziolkowski, 97% percent of buildOn students go to college and the program's participants are twice as likely to graduate than those who do not volunteer.
In 2010, Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
conducted a study of one of buildOn’s afterschool programs in the Bronx. buildOn subsequently published these findings, which support a causal link between the personal skills buildOn's service learning programs focus on and improved academic achievement.
International School Building
According to buildon.org, more than 140,000 children and adults have attended their international schools, and over 56,000 are currently enrolled. These schools are reportedly built using local materials such as concrete bricks, and a team of volunteering parents often assists the construction.Before every school is built, a buildOn representative organizes the signing of a contractual document for the construction site's community known as a "covenant". With it, the community pledges to provide available labor to the construction and equal education for women and girls after the school's completion.
Fundraising
buildOn has received donations from various sponsors, including jewelry company Stella and Dot and clothing line OmniPeace.In February 2011, buildOn was one of the nonprofits participating in Groupon
Groupon
Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website that features discounted gift certificates usable at local or national companies. Groupon was launched in November 2008, the first market for Groupon was Chicago, followed soon thereafter by Boston, New York City, and Toronto...
’s Save the Money campaign. Groupon's deal matched customers’ donations to build schools in Mali and Nepal.