Partnership Matters: Building schools in Nepal

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  CTE-BUS.912.8301110.1.4 Identify Important alliances with key people outside an organization to support strategic growth.

  CTE-BUS.912.8301110.1.5 Develop strategies to manage change within the organization that balance the needs of the organization, employees and other stakeholders.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Partnership Matters: Building Schools in Nepal.” See CPALMS resource ID 214685.

• Career Connection

  
  

  The lesson fosters career readiness by simulating real-world business scenarios, where students practice strategic planning, teamwork, negotiation, and communication—key skills in business management. Students enhance their understanding of non-profit management by engaging in a role-play of evaluating partnerships and drafting strategic emails and developing vital soft skills. These activities build their industry knowledge and prepare them for professional roles requiring strategic insight and effective interpersonal communication.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Role-play conversations and discussions that help form important alliances outside of an organization.
  • Explain strategies for developing partnerships that manage change and balance the needs of the organization.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  For this lesson, it will be beneficial if students are aware of terminologies like a partnership, a non-profit organization, and also for students to be familiar with www.kidsofkathmandu.org.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  1. How can non-profit organizations assess and choose the right partners for their projects?
  2. What are the challenges of maintaining a partnership over time, and how can these be mitigated?
  3. In what ways can non-profits ensure the sustainability of projects like the "Re-Building School" initiative?
  4. Discuss the challenges of fundraising for long-term projects compared to immediate disaster relief. How can non-profits like KOK overcome these challenges?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To begin the lesson, the teacher will explain the concept of a non-profit organization, and the importance of a partnership and briefly discuss Nepal, the earthquake in 2015 and the damage it created.
  2. Introduce the case study, “Partnership Matters: Building Schools in Nepal” (see CPALMS Resource ID# 214685).
  3. Discuss the case study with students by asking the following questions.
     1. Why is it crucial to establish and maintain relationships with the right partners for the successful completion of a construction project?
     2. Review why KOK and AFN partnered right after earthquake using the case study. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this partnership.
  4. For the next activity, the class will be divided into groups of 8-10 students. Each group will then be further divided into two, with each sub-group representing either Kids of Kathmandu (KOK) or the Asian Friendship Network (AFN). These groups will engage in a role-play discussion that simulates the journey of their partnership from its inception through to its conclusion. Teachers will provide the handout (attached) to each sub-groups, and explain the step by step procedure. They will explore the motivations, challenges, successes, and ultimately the reasons behind the decision to end the partnership, articulating how each organization might have felt during these times. Students will be reminded to respect their peers' opinions and to maintain a professional tone in their communications, even if the discussion brings about frustrations or disagreements.
  5. After the role-play activity, the teacher will guide the class through a structured debriefing process to ensure the lessons learned are connected back to the course benchmarks.
     1. Why do you think KOK and AFN ended the Partnership?
     2. The case discusses the void perceived by KOK; however, what voids might AFN have experienced upon the partnership's conclusion? Are there any benefits KOK could realize from terminating the partnership?
        The teacher will invite each group to share the main arguments and insights from their role-play discussions, focusing on the dynamics of the partnership between KOK and AFN.
     3. After each group has shared, the conversation will be opened to the whole class, allowing students to express agreements, disagreements, and introduce new ideas. This part of the discussion encourages diverse viewpoints and the exploration of complex issues, highlighting the multifaceted nature of strategic partnerships.
  6. With the insights from the role-play discussion still fresh, the facilitator will revisit the main question of the lesson: Why is it crucial to establish and maintain relationships with the right partners for the successful completion of a construction project?
  7. To solidify the day’s lessons and encourage further reflection, students will be assigned a task. They are to compose an email to a representative of KOK, suggesting strategies for finding future partners and articulating what they believe is the right approach to securing the right partners suggesting the balance for organizational needs and shareholders' interests. See the attached email template.
     1. This assignment not only reinforces the day’s learning but also prompts students to apply their knowledge in a real-world context, further bridging the gap between theoretical benchmarks and practical application.
  8. The teacher will conclude the class by prompting students to reflect on how the lessons learned can be applied to partnerships across various organizations. Students will be asked to share how their perspectives have evolved based on the role-play activity and the subsequent discussion. This step ensures that the theoretical concepts discussed in class are applied to the practical scenarios explored during the activity.
     1. What lessons from role-play can be applied to real-life business partnerships?

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Students will be reminded to respect their peers' opinions and to maintain a professional tone in their communications, even if the discussion brings about frustrations or disagreements.
  • The step by step procedure for role play can be found in role paly document.
  • The lesson can be divided into 2 class periods.
  • Strategy: Teachers should circulate to monitor the discussions, ensuring they are on track. If so, they should encourage continuation; if not, they should guide the group back to the central topic by reminding them of the key discussion questions.