PRESS ROOM
WHY OUR WORK MATTERS
Gallup Polls reported in The State of the American Workplace that only 33% of the US workforce in engaged at their jobs while PPS High Schools reported a 19% engagement rate for the 2018-19 school year.
The village that Passion Impact fosters engages students holistically by supporting AVID teachers and school staff, prompting parental involvement, and connecting students with the pathway to educational and career success through nonprofit and professional relationship building.
- We supports teachers and staff on the ground level by engaging students in service-learning pedagogy as we connect with AVID curriculum.
- Parents volunteer at events, connect students with their professional networks.
- Students lead programs and gain confidence and skills they use in college, scholarship, and job applications.
Mission
We engage youth in a lifelong exploration of career development through volunteerism and education!
Vision
We see a world where students claim community engagement as a tool of connectivity, curiosity, growth and joy.
Values
Curiosity – Connections – Growth – Joy
History
- Incorporated in 2014 by Stefan Peierls and Bradley Burns to engage college students in their communities.
- Began serving High School students in Portland, OR through after school leadership programs.
- Students planned, implemented, and evaluated 11 Volunteer Fairs between 2015 and 2018 with 1000+ students and 60+ nonprofits in attendance.
- Students recommended a shift to monthly volunteer events on campus to be more equitable and accessible to all students.
- Partnered with AVID teachers at Franklin High School to implement monthly workshops around self-awareness, service learning, and career exploration.
- Hired Adrianna Davis to run High School Programs including Internships, Volunteer Event Program, Classroom Workshops, and Service Learning Field tips.
- Transitioned current programming and created teleprogramming in response to COVID-19.
Our Students
Passion Impact serves marginalized students to engage them in their educational pathways toward chasing passionate careers and overcoming the opportunity gap. Students and their families in our programs hail from Nepal, Vietnam, Mexico, Russia, China, Thailand and more with many of them speaking multiple languages.
BLOG
Read student and staff blogs to gain a deeper understanding of PI
PRESS RELEASES
Learn about our most recent events and engagement opportunities
Student Stories
“While volunteering with Passion Impact, I have improved my use of spreadsheets, learned effective methods to communicate with non profits and companies, and helped build confidence in myself by talking to others that I might not know so well. Volunteering also help me create more friends that I interacted with in school and help introduced me to many other staff members that I might have ever met if I only stayed in my bubble
Now, during the COVID-19 situation, I am still trying to keep in contact with others in my age group and by doing this it helps me feel more connected with others and feel more like I’m not in this alone.”
Alan Tran
Senior | Franklin High School
March 2020
“Passion Impact has taught me a lot of skills that I had not learned in school. With these skills I am able to stay organized with my classroom materials, be on track with schedules, and apply for scholarships and college. PI has really involved me in activities I had never experienced before. I am now able to take business calls and pitch ideas to nonprofits and companies with confidence. Being a part of PI has made me more confident overall. I find that my ability to hold a conversation and make new friends is easier thanks to the social activities that we do at PI. I have also learned more things about my community as well. And because of PI, I have become more involved in school activities.
Being involved with PI makes the COVID-19 situation less lonely. I enjoy joining virtual meetings and talking with other students on ways we can provide events and online opportunities to student volunteers and other people in the community. I think that our upcoming plans for a workout session, a children book reading session, and a game day session are really exciting. My hope is that many people use these services to connect with others and still make an impact throughout these difficult times.”
Danni Iv
Senior | Franklin High School
March 2020
” Passion impact has given me multiple opportunities to extend my skill sets and create events for other students to explore their passions. I have learned new leadership, graphic design, and advertising skills through passion impact that will help me land a job/find my career in the future. I’m super glad we’re doing virtual meetings and virtual events during this time because it keeps everyone in-contact and engaged “
Mery Gurung
Junior | Franklin High School
March 2020
“Before joining I was never really confident in public speaking or leading. When I joined Passion Impact, I found myself getting more confident with public speaking as time passed. Passion Impact is a great resource for students to use for school. Not only does the organization provide volunteer opportunities, but most importantly a great way to network. Now that we are isolated because of COVID, it is great that the organization is making sure to stay in touch with the students, and making sure that things still run even though we are stuck at home.”
Kayla Phu
Junior | Franklin High School
March 2020
Press Permission
All information on this page is acceptable for re-publication with the caveat that the integrity of the referenced information remains intact.
For More Information:
Stefan Peierls
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (503) 912-4241