GIVE AND SURF INC

Our goal is to have a long lasting, sustainable impact in the communities where we work. We aim to have a significant, positive impact on a small, targeted population who are the most in need as opposed to trying to reach as many as possible with a limited impact. In order to accomplish this goal of truly changing a small community, it has taken years to build strong relationships with every family member, community leader, and student but as a result Give & Surf is well respected and trusted in the communities where we work. These strong bonds have enabled us to successfully launch and continually expand our educational programs with support from the Ministry of Education, local government, and the communities being served. By intentionally serving small, targeted communities, our hope is to stay engaged in each student's progress and to support them in their educational pursuits from age three through university.

Our strategy has been to remain focused on two small indigenous communities, Bahia Roja and Bahia Honda, which had extremely limited access to education prior to 2011 when Give & Surf was founded. By limiting our scope of work, we are able to allocate more resources in these communities to ensure that the programs and projects are sustainable and that there is a long-term, positive impact on the students and families we work with. The most important strategy has been building strong relationships within the community which has been achieved through a daily presence in the communities we work for the last five years and by delivering on the promises we make. The communities are very weary and distrustful of outsiders, particularly white people, who have made promises of money, goods, and projects in the past but then have not followed through. It would be impossible to empower the local communities and to engage them in our educational programs if they did not fully trust us and if they were not engaged in the process of determining what programs and projects their communities needed most.

Give & Surf has several capabilities that allow us to meet our goals. First, our long-standing, strong relationships with the communities we serve is our greatest strength. Being present in the communities on a daily basis has helped to build these strong bonds and ensures that the community is engaged in all aspects of the decision making process for programs and projects that occur in their village. As a result of this buy-in, we have successful attendance rates, have been able to grow & expand our program offerings, and are able to respond to community needs in a timely, effective manner.

Secondly, we have strong relationships with the local government, including the mayor and Ministry of Education. Our collaboration with the municipality has resulted in us being able to build and complete projects on government-owned land as well as to offer our programs in public schools. The Give & Surf teachers work side-by-side with the public school teachers which has promoted a collaboration between the two and a greater accountability of students' progress.

Lastly, we have the resources necessary to achieve our mission and strategic goals. Our largest sustainable revenue stream is provided by over 200 volunteers that volunteer with Give & Surf each year. The volunteer fees they pay for the service trip provide the majority of the funding needed to operate our educational programs. Between our small staff team and large number of volunteers, we are able to effectively lead programs, take on community development projects, and ensure our future sustainability.

In the almost five years since its inception, Give & Surf has achieved an incredible amount. We lead preschool and kindergarten, elementary school English classes, summer camp, adult English classes, and recreational activities for the small villages of Bahia Roja and Bahia Honda. All of these programs are sustainable and complement the education provided by the government. In addition, we have supported numerous community development projects, such as the building of schools, sidewalks, a library, and playground, to ensure safer, healthier environments that are conducive to learning.

Now, that these key goals have been achieved and these programs are sustainable, we've been able to start to look at the future and what we want to accomplish next. The next goal is to expand the preschool and kindergarten classes to five days a week; currently we offer these programs on alternating days (Bahia Roja on Tues & Thurs and Bahia Honda on Mon, Wed & Fri). The public schools across Panama offer five days per week of school starting at age three so our goal is to provide this same level of education in Bahia Roja and Bahia Honda where public preschool is not offered. We also have the opportunity to start learning about community development and education needs in other small indigenous communities in the Bocas del Toro archipelago. As most of the infrastructure needs have been met in the communities we currently work in, we can start assessing other needs and determine the best way to expand our impact.