The Island Foundation
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Mission Statement
Our aim is to transform education for Indonesia’s island communities by creating a self-sustaining learning model for children, focused on critical thinking, confidence building and collaboration, in partnership with local communities.
About This Cause
The Island Foundation has developed and delivers an education and literacy programme with content based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The programme helps empower and increase the skills of primary school-aged children and is designed to respond to the challenges faced by small island communities, who are isolated from the main population centres of Indonesia. The Island Foundation has established a number of village Learning Centres for children, by working closely with leaders and parents in local coastal communities. At each Learning Centre, The Island Foundation’s Indonesian teachers hold regular weekly classes using innovative teaching methods. The aim is to develop confident, collaborative, problem-solving children equipped with skills to increase their future economic and social success. Origins The Island Foundation was founded by the owners of 8 Islands Pte Ltd, the parent company of Nikoi Island and Cempedak Island. It maintains close working relations with Nikoi and Cempedak however its operations and governance are separate. Governance The Foundation is a registered as an International Charitable Organisation in Singapore and operates under a Yayasan structure in Indonesia. Strategic direction is overseen by an independent volunteer Board, who meet quarterly. The Island Foundation benefits from additional insights provided by a network of voluntary advisers comprising business strategists, non-profit specialists, development experts, fund-raisers and supporting parties. History The Island Foundation’s geographical focus is the island communities of Riau Province, Indonesia. Originally, the Foundation targeted Bintan as it was recognised as an area where villagers lived with limited infrastructure and reduced opportunities but was accessible to skills providers. After carrying out community engagement and consultation, the Foundation opened its first Learning Centre in 2010. Positive feedback from pupils, parents and local villagers has motivated the Foundation to expand its model to Learning Centres in eight coastal villages. Using Bintan as a base the aim is to continue increasing the number of Learning Centres as needed, especially in less easily accessed island communities. Operations The Island Foundation’s activities are staffed by an Executive Director (based in Singapore/Bintan) an Operations Manager, a Programme Manager and team who are all based on the ground in Bintan and surrounding islands. Learning Centres The Foundation needs a base from which to educate the children in each community. Each coastal village in Bintan and the surrounding islands donates a centrally-located community building for our use as a Learning Centre. Each Centre is assigned one permanent Island Foundation teacher to engage with the local community to attract children to the classes, to communicate the Foundation’s vision and mission, and to deliver the Foundation’s curriculum.The teachers are supported by a Programme Manager and an Operations Manager, along with the Executive Director, who oversee the Foundation’s operations. Content Based Language Learning Content Based Language Learning (CBLL) is an approach to language teaching that focuses not on the language itself, but rather on what is being taught through the language; that is, the language becomes the medium through which something new is learned.This methodology is well suited to Indonesia where relatively few Indonesians speak English; this can be a barrier to many professions, particularly in tourism. English language education in Indonesian schools begins in Middle School from age 12. The Foundation’s CBLL curriculum, created specifically for primary school age children, focuses on developing critical thinking, confidence, and collaboration, enhancing each child’s problem-solving skills. Academic evidence shows that CBLL is the foundation for productive livelihoods and improved long-term economic outcomes. The Foundation’s curriculum features lessons focused on educating the children on sustainability through units on science, language, arts, health, nutrition and well-being, plus topics covering water, local environment, transport, time and crafts.