MISSION STATEMENT
Here at International Outlook Foundation, we strive to utilize our resources as multicultural students to help others. Our mission is to improve the quality of education in areas that are not financially advantaged. In this process, we seek to strengthen the communication and connection between the world’s youth and deepen the understanding and knowledge of each other.
OUR SERVICES
We hope to improve the quality of education for economically disadvantaged children in rural areas in China. We reach out to schools that do not have adequate resources and materials and help them receive a full and enriching education. Hoping to utilize technology and other modern platforms of education, we raise money to support the education of Chinese students who have a passion for learning but who lack the opportunity to do so. In this process, we will get to know the students that we are helping and contemporaneously, they will get to know us as well. We hope to visit these students when we get the chance and through these interactions, both sides will learn about each other’s cultures through analyzing the behavior and tendencies of our respective counterparts.
CO-FOUNDERS
ELLEN GUO
CEO
Hello, I’m Ellen Guo. The only life I have ever known is that of a very privileged human. But I understand that even in the 21st century, so many people are unable to even vaguely experience a comfortable living. Thousands upon thousands of people die every day because of starvation. When my father was a child, he lived in a poor village in rural China. He lived with shoes never big enough for his growing feet, only eating precious meat during the New Year celebrations, and hoping that one day he could buy some candy. He made me realize that though I live such a comfortable life, there are so many people out in the world, even now, that cannot experience even the simple pleasures of food to eat and a roof to sleep under. When I was younger, I had donated money to organizations in hopes of improving the lives of poor children. On the website where I donated, I was able to see the smiling faces of the families I was helping. Now that I can make a larger impact on the world, I believe that I can make even more children smile. As a result, I met Tiffany and decided to create International Outlook Foundation. Because I am also an ABC, I hope to bridge the gap between the people like me in the U.S. and underprivileged people in China. With my knowledge of American culture, I want to help those trying to learn English and striving come to the U.S. From this, I hope that eventually I can put a smile on the faces of children in poverty. Because happiness shouldn’t be restricted to the privileged.
THE HARKER SCHOOL BRANCH
HELEN YANG
President
My name is Helen Yang. Living in Silicon Valley means that I have been surrounded by a protective bubble of high-tech companies and privileged peers; however, growing up, my parents told stories of the rural Chinese villages they grew up in. After years of hearing stories of one-roomed schools with leaky roofs, I finally decided to visit an elementary school in rural China to see for myself this summer. I saw firsthand how children of all ages traveled miles by foot just to attend school, and how they were excited by the simple ballpoint pens I bought for them. Their enthusiasm allowed me to realize that millions of children in China and all over the world love to learn, but have no access to proper education. A few weeks later, I met Ellen, and after exchanging our experiences in interacting with underprivileged students, I joined International Outlook Foundation. I hope we will be able to fuel children’s passion for learning and provide new opportunities by working to give them the education they deserve.
COLLABORATORS
SHIN SHIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Shin Shin Educational Foundation constructs, remodels and rebuilds primary schools in the remote, rural and despondent regions of China. They believe that the basic education is deserved by all children and our mission is to improve their learning environment and reduce the disparity in the quality of education received between metropolitan and rural areas in China. IOF and Shin Shin shares the same mission on helping the students in rural regions of China. IOF and Shin Shin are collaborating on several China schools.