Written by: Michele Rowland Year 6 teacher and contributing organiser of Hope Beans CCA
Year 6 and Year 7’s running a real business with real money? No way. Not a chance. Nah uh…some may think. But here at YCIS we make learning as meaningful and real life as possible. And this, alongside the inherent need to help others is how Hope Beans started.
Hope Beans stands for simple principles.
Being ethical – the farmers who work with the coffee beans are paid fairly and looked after.
Being sustainable – using coffee grown in Yunnan means it is sustainable.
Being charitable – for each bag sold, 15-20 RMBis donated to the Mekong charity.
Being learners – all Hope Beans members learn through every step of this business process.
Being leaders – the students are involved in all aspects of the business and make important decisions.
Being memorable – our coffee tastes great. Fact.
Hope Beans started in January 2020 and in just one year we have achieved a lot. Most recently, a successful coffee launch with our YCIS community Parents.
Thursday March 4, parents were invited to taste our Hope Beans coffee and ask the students (the Hope Beans staff) behind Hope Beans, ‘What is Hope Beans Coffee?’, ‘What do you do?’, ‘Why should we buy your coffee?’
Our students did not disappoint. They spoke confidently with various parents and faculty staff from both YCIS Pudong and Puxi campuses. They were informative, polite and did what YCIS students do best- show how great we are! Parents were happy to find out about Service Learning and how the students are behind the wheel, steering, making choices and experiencing meaningful learning every step of the way. Dietrich Henne, Father of one of Hope Beans CEOs, Sonya, reflected on the event and told us, ‘Wonderful event and with this outstanding level of engagement from the whole community for Hope Beans, we will certainly continue to enjoy the coffee and support the charity for many years to come.’
Oh, and the coffee was a hit too. Parents, staff and guests enjoyed the taste and were eager to order a bag or 10 for themselves.
And we are not done yet! The students have lots of ideas of how to take the business forward, how to get more friends and family buying our coffee, more ways to help those who are in need and more ways to learn.