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Help Paisley Empower the Next Generation

Paisley’s Pals is a global non-profit organization started after Paisley Elliott learned about refugees in preschool. Radiating compassion and a love for geography, Paisley is determined to change the world. Paisley’s Pals is a love-based organization that is working to build a community of changemakers, a squad of encouragers, and a crew of includers. With bold creativity and a desire to create a more inclusive world, Paisley’s Pals is focused on raising global awareness and access to quality education. Building a more peaceful and sustainable planet requires every child to take direct, tangible action in their own backyard. We believe all kids have the power to change the world, and by developing compassionate social activists and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit, we can strengthen communities and find creative solutions to our shared global challenges.

"We are changemakers and peacemakers. We WILL lead the way!"

- Paisley

Update on the Peacemaker Preschool

I’ve been hard at work raising money in my community. From LemonAID stands to a fun Dodgeball Tournament- we have raised just over $5000 so far. And this past Monday, 3 amazing teachers made the journey from Rwamwanja to Entebbe, Uganda to begin a year long Montessori Teacher Training program! It is so exciting to watch step by step as PeaceMaker Preschool comes to life. I love getting daily updates from Olivier and the RIC team on the ground. Check the cutest group of students enjoying their new classroom.

We still have so much work to do- and the next priority will be starting a sustainable food program and putting in a playground for the children. Share this amazing update with everyone you know! Let’s spread the word, and get the children of Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement a beautiful and safe school to thrive at!

Help Paisley Support the Peacemaker Preschool

The Refugee Innovation Center and Paisley’s Pals have started construction on Peacemaker Preschool, a Montessori-inspired primary school, but we need your help to raise enough money for learning materials, teacher salaries, and most importantly a food program that will make sure every child gets one full meal per day. It’s hard to learn when you’re hungry.

Paisley's Pals and the Refugee Innovation Centre

We are so excited about the progress that our friends at the Refugee Innovation Centre are making on the Peacemaker Preschool at the Rwamanja refugee settlement. Here’s a look back at our 2021 trip to Rwamanja, and the amazing work that we did with our friend Olivier and the RIC. We can’t wait to hear more stories of how our refugee friends are benefiting from the new Peacemaker Preschool!

Hear Paisley's Speech at the 2022 Youth Assembly in New York City

Hear Paisley participating in a panel discussion about the importance of providing education to our refugee friends at the 2022 Youth Assembly in New York City.

Piloting the SHINE Box

In October 2021, Paisley’s Pals began piloting the SHINE Box in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in Western Uganda. Armed with 10 pop-up classrooms, 6 million digital resources downloaded on 10 Raspberri Pi Computers, 400+ books and an amazing partnership with the Refugee Innovation Center, Paisley’s Pals deployed a multitude of solutions to help increase access to education for the children of Rwamwanja. From a bike share program and a menstrual health education program, to handing out solar lamps and beginning a digital skills training program, the SHINE program encompasses many scalable solutions that are making a big impact. We spent weeks on the ground listening to and learning with the refugee-led program that continues to run the program once Paisley and crew returned back home. As of July 2022, the SHINE program has impacted over 2500 youth and hopes to add a vertical farming program and an ECD program in early 2023.

Harnessing the transformative power of education, the SHINE box is a portable, mixed-age STEAM learning platform designed to be a catalyst for social innovation and to inspire interest in science, technology, and engineering. With a goal to empower the next generation of global citizens through imaginative lesson plans, the SHINE box curriculum sparks opportunities to understand the Sustainable Development Goals, and to find creative solutions to our shared global challenges. We envision a world where ALL children have equal say in their future, and by using voice and choice while practicing empathy and compassion, the SHINE box hopes to shape our future world leaders and social activists, makers and doers, innovators and changemakers, all focused on creating a more peaceful world.