Because of You - Donor Report 2011

Students Plan a Trade School in Guatemala
Scholarships reaching around the world

It started as a “what if” conversation between two SAIT Polytechnic Architectural Technologies students. Today, it is their passion – to build a trade school for an impoverished community in Guatemala.

In April 2010, already thinking almost a year ahead to their final semester major design project, Jude Polsky and Christine Zevnik approached instructor Marc Bussiere with their idea for a humanitarian project in the Third World.

“We wanted to design a building that would have even the slightest chance of being built, and we were also interested in working for people who couldn't afford to pay for design services,” says Polsky.

Bussiere liked what he heard. “A project like this gives students the ability to have a say in their own education and an opportunity to graduate with a real sense of purpose and mission.”

With the go-ahead, Zevnik and Polsky spent the summer contacting dozens of aid agencies worldwide to find a suitable project. Their search led them to Mayan Families, an agency that has worked for 20 years in the Panajachel region of Guatemala. The agency identified the community’s wishes for a trade school.

The Pana Project, as Zevnik and Polsky dubbed it, was launched and planning began for a 16-day research visit to Guatemala. Zevnik and Polsky were awarded $8,000 from SAIT’s ’88 Olympic Legacy Fund to help pay for the trip. The School of Construction paid for their instructor to accompany them.

They met with local residents to gain an understanding of the community and toured vocational schools in the region. They also met with a local architect involved in designing humanitarian-based projects. Then they rolled up their sleeves for the physical work of measuring the property and documenting the site.

Since returning home, Zevnik and Polsky completed a preliminary design and scale model of the facility and are working on raising the $500,000 they need to turn the design into reality.

Polsky and Zevnick’s project is a textbook example of paying it forward. As SAIT students, they were both recipients of scholarships funded by Albi Homes. Polsky and Zevnick say they admire Albi for its support. “With awards like these we could concentrate on our studies without having to worry as much about money. It also feels good to be recognized for our hard work.”

Tom Mauro, founder and chairman of Albi Homes and SAIT Distinguished Alumnus says he funds student awards because he believes in helping people who aspire to be educated in the construction industry. He says it’s a “win-win” situation because by supporting scholarships Albi benefits with an increasingly skilled Alberta workforce.