Last weekend’s 24 Hour Run was, by all accounts, an unprecedented success. The event was, of course, about fundraising to create opportunities for low-income Tanzanian students to benefit from an ISM education. However, it was also about much more, not least raising collective awareness and connecting with the wider Moshi community.
The occasion was indeed a genuine reflection of the very special community we are all lucky to be a part of here at ISM. The success of the event was a real collective effort with so, so many people pitching in to share ideas and responsibilities.
Shared experiences such as this have an enormously positive impact on learning as well, empowering students to become aware and active contributors to the community. One of the underlying tenets of the IB is, after all, promoting the idea of students becoming active citizens, taking action to show understanding, to apply knowledge and skills, to reflect and, often, to make a contribution to a cause or stimulate positive change.
If we genuinely want to empower our students to make a difference in the world, we need to help them personalise the action they take and understand that it is not just a mandate from teachers or parents but a life long mindset they develop. I have a sneaky suspicion that the 24 Hour Run will become an annual event going forward.
We had runners from all different age ranges and this reflects our belief as a school that we can all be agents of change and taking action can and should happen at any age. To quote our Development Officer, Mwegelo Kapinga, “we are so proud of the tremendous effort from our students, parents, alumni, and friends of ISM in making this fun and important event a success- well done all!!!”
Again, raising funds for for future scholarships at ISM was the projected aim of this wonderful event, but, hopefully, the impact on our students and our wider community will be long lasting and deeply felt.
Ben Morley
