| Fizah HAB & Ishan Ibrahim |
JERUDONG International School (JIS) recently welcomed Polio Points co-founder d’Arcy Lunn to further help develop and embed the Polio Points reward system into JIS as well as spread awareness on the concept of ‘Teaspoons of Change’, small but significant ideas, attitudes and actions that have a positive impact on people and the planet.
Head of JIS Upper Years Anthony Piper shared, “The Polio Points reward system has revolutionised the way many of our students think about their place in the world. Everyone wants to make a positive impact but the Polio Points reward system allows every one of our students to actually make a real difference.”
The visit commenced with a workshop, led by Lunn for students in both junior and senior schools that explored how to mobilise the school and the community to explore what a JIS student should truly stand for.
The content of the workshop aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as a discussion session together with the Year 9 students about Polio Points, the Teaspoons of Change initiative and the importance of reducing plastic waste; emphasised the importance of embedding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their daily routines by changing small habits as well as promoting a healthier lifestyle.
As the activities continued, Lunn and 22 Year 12 students met representatives from local NGOs – Save Kampong Ayer, Reef Check, and the Beach Clean Up – and visited Seria and the Hornbill School in Panaga, where he and JIS student representatives discussed Polio Points and its overwhelming success at JIS and how Hornbill School could adopt such a scheme in the future.
Lunn added, “It is always a unique experience at JIS and in Brunei as it is where Polio Points first started and I thank students for their contributions to the global eradication of polio. Every Polio Point and every ‘Teaspoon of Change’ does matter, and the students at JIS are a great example of acting personally and locally while impacting globally.”
Working closely with JIS for an entire week, Lunn also talked about his own professional and personal journey as well as the creation of Polio Points to Junior School children emphasising why it is so important to continue to earn Polio Points and how students can make a real difference in this world by making ‘Teaspoons of Change’ from any age, both in school and among the community in which they live.
