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Our Vision
To serve and empower high achieving, low income Polynesian students to become caring and engaged citizens, action-oriented learners and community leaders. Our Mission To provide opportunities to share the Polynesian mana, learn and grow through practical experiences with educators and students from around the world. Background French Polynesia is a group of about 120 islands, spread out on a surface as big as Europe. Only three islands have high schools. Many do not even have a middle school. As a result, students have to leave their families and island as young as 10-11 years old to be able to pursue their schooling. On those islands, less than 15%* of the population graduate from high school; many do not have access to the internet. Our work consists in supporting this youth by bringing the world to them while promoting the development of their Polynesian identity. Leadership Melissa Gygax, M.Ed. Max Gygax, Ph.D. Max and Melissa are both the first members in their families to attend university and pursue graduate degrees. Both have been shaped by an international education. They both left their respective native countries (Tahiti for Melissa and Switzerland for Max) after high school, to pursue post-secondary education abroad. They both studied at universities in France and in California, where they met. Be it for sports or pastoral care, Max and Melissa's engagement for mentoring and coaching teenagers and young adults during their spare time has been a common drive ever since they were married in 1988. After raising their two boys in California and having spent over a decade as High School Counselor (Melissa) and Administrator & Teacher (Max) at several international schools in Western Europe and the Middle-East, they have decided to share their international education experience and passion for supporting teens to serve the youth in Melissa's native islands of French Polynesia. Funding As a not-for-profit charity grassroots organization, our mission is possible thanks to the generous donations and contributions of our supporters, volunteers and partners. All donations and excess funds resulting from operations are used for our programs to support the local Polynesian youth. * from the Institute of Statistics of French Polynesia (www.ispf.pf) |
