Why Build Schools With Us?

Supporters and strategic partners building a brighter future with us need to know their contributions have maximum impact. Our SMART schools, designs, etc. are next generation infrastructure that the world needs. The question arises: Why SRG? Why should we do this rather than leave it to another organization?

Local People First: We have a number of policies and procedures that ensure local people and communities around our campuses take priority over corporate and international interests. Our operations are designed so that wealth flows toward the developing world rather than away from it. However, that flow is not perpetual charity… established schools earn their funding by publishing media, making art and doing scientific research. We are educating generations of creators, innovators and makers.

Non-Profit & Non-Dividend: Every campus is a non-profit or equivalent depending on the laws of the host nation. In the Philippines, for example, we have non-profits, foundations and cooperatives as options. SRG, our international network, is a social business so at both local and global scales there is no one getting rich. There are no hedge funds reaping thousand percent profits, even the founders have strict salary caps that limit them to median household incomes.

Active Transparency: The SMART program produces regular online content for the world to enjoy and explore. Audio visual production is built into both the campus and the curriculum. We share the experience of staff and students with you.

Design & Data Sharing: SMART schools share plans and research results with the world. If someone else in the developing world wants to build a school or a system similar to ours we share complete blueprints for free. If someone in a city wanted to DIY an aeroponics system in their apartment we share designs for free. Researchers at universities around the world without enough funding can access our experimental data sets for free.

Self-Sustaining Operations: Every established school is designed to operate without financial assistance from the SRG network. Special project and emergency funding will be available, but these schools become self-reliant. As a network SMART schools also gain advantages through economies of scope and scale. All of this means your continued support can keep building new schools, keep helping more people.

Our Core Virtuous Cycle: We want others to emulate the best of what we do. However, our core competencies and non-dividend nature allow us to do it more efficiently and effectively. Our program is structured with a core operational cycle that continually improves everything we do through specific projects. Implementing the whole cycle is also the best way to avoid the “loss of knowledge problem”.

When an architect designs a building, they ultimately need to work with other industry professionals. There is a disconnect between firms – details get lost. Then the plans are made real by a contractor, but again knowledge is lost because the architect can’t be there all the time. Communication is never perfect. The builder also learns practical details the architect can not, reality never quite matches the plans. Then the owner / operator takes control of the building. Once again knowledge is lost as they didn’t build it – living and working in the place teaches a different set of lessons the architect and builder will never completely learn.

Following the whole process and retaining the lessons learned is what SRG accomplishes with our core cycle. When we build the next school we can apply all those improvements, avoiding the mistakes. Our designs thus adapt to locale and evolve over time in a process of continuous improvement. We are dedicated to building next generation schools and this is how we do it:

Design: We use systems based thinking and benchmarking against real hardware for first generation designs.

Refine: When we research systems and plan their integration we use a variety of methods to simulate and evaluate. A key to this process is staged development.

Create: There is no substitute for actually making something. By building our schools we learn what can be made and what can not. Reality is never a perfect match for plans.

Operate: The campus and curriculum both work to educate students and help local people. Our mission is to create and operate schools that work. Operations are the ultimate test of how the systems run.

Enjoy: Students, staff, guests etc. will count our schools as a major part of their lives. People must have a good quality of life… there needs to be joy in living. Through online media we will share this with you.

Explore: Major innovation is rare, but there is a vast universe to explore. On campus and off we investigate what is possible. We can even discover that some things only seem impossible.