On Wednesday, November 15, law professor (University of San Francisco School of Law) [1] and social entrepreneur Tom Nazario (Watch his bio.) visited the Lycée français to speak to our students and the wider community.
He shared the inspirational work he has been able to accomplish as the founder of The Forgotten International.
Our seventh graders prepared for his visit by studying the photographs in his book Living on a Dollar a Day [2] during their geography classes. When the students met him they peppered him with probing questions to learn more about the distant communities living in truly dire circumstances, which they discovered through his travels and aid work. Both our Y7 and Y11 students were able to watch his documentary in advance of his visit to get a better idea of the life-changing work that his foundation carries out.
To our Y11-ES students, Mr. Nazario gave a personal meditation on finding meaning and purpose in life and the value of assisting those in need. During his lecture he told the story of his personal realization of the suffering experienced by those in need as a young boy growing up in New York City. This life-changing moment galvanized him to research questions of inequality and seek ways of helping those in need. He shared insights about meeting people around the world and researching their specific needs. Our students learned that it doesn’t take a great deal of money to make a vast difference in the lives of the global poor. In fact, Mr. Nazario indicated that most grants from his organization do not exceed $1000 US.
During lunch with our faculty, Mr. Nazario shared a curriculum, entitled Doing Good, which he developed for high school students to develop a sense of compassion in them. The objective is to stimulate philanthropy among them. Our teachers of social entrepreneurship in Y9 found the curriculum a rich resource for students taking the parcours Be the Change as they prepare for the upcoming Start-Up Weekend in January.
In an exchange with history-geography teacher Sébastien Callegari, Mr. Nazario suggested introducing elements of the Street Law Program [3] into the Y10 Comparative Justice program that he has developed over the past two years. It is clear that Mr. Nazario awakened empathy for those suffering from poverty and a sense of global citizenship among our students. His work will sustain the innovative teaching and learning that is the hallmark of the Lycée.
About the Author :
[4]Arthur Plaza holds a Ph.D in History and French Studies from New York University. He also studied at Sciences-Po and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research in France in 2004-2005. Part of his research was published in the collective volume entitled “Politiques de la laïcité au XXe siècle” (PUF, 2007). In addition, he has been an editorial assistant at the scholarly journal, French Politics, Culture & Society.