By Sadie Hunter
Pete Freeman is a lot of things – a Notre Dame Eagan Fellow, a podcast host, a guitar instructor and more – but a nearly yearlong endeavor will put him back in a somewhat familiar place and add “developer” to his résumé.
The 2014 Noblesville High School graduate and Notre Dame sophomore will travel this summer to see his plans for a primary school in Ghana come to fruition.
Freeman, 20, traveled to Nkanfoa, in the southern portion of Ghana, in western Africa, last year for research, where initial plans for the school began to form.
“I had never been to Ghana, never been to Africa – to do a two-month internship with an organization called Global Mamas,” Freeman said. “In the last three weeks I was there, I was just kind of hanging out with my boss, a Ghanaian woman about 50 years old, Patience. She said it had always been her dream to build a school for young children, like a primary school … So almost half jokingly, I said, ‘Let’s do it. Why not?’ She kind of laughed, and it was kind of a joke, but then the next day, I didn’t have a lot of work, so I began talking with people, looking at property values, specifically looking at land and what that would cost, but also what it would cost to build a school, to pay for construction, and it was expensive. However, it was achievable.”
In August 2015, Freeman left and came back to Noblesville, continuing to work with his contacts in Ghana. He said there were several hurdles in looking at land acquisition and the actual construction of the school. The plans with Patience didn’t work out, but by the end of October 2015, Freeman began working with an organization, SABRE Charitable Trust, to build and external learning space – an innovative and outdoor school, first launched in the United Kingdom – to be called Ambition School.
“Fast forward to January of this year. I was home for winter break … From about New Year’s to Jan. 5, I compiled all the photos, the campaign video; I created the fundraising website, just put my ducks in order so to speak. Then, on (Jan. 6), anticipating that this would be anywhere from a two-week to month, maybe more, fundraiser, I launched the page. In less than 24 hours, we raised over $4,000. It happened just perfectly. That was it. From there, everything happened really quickly.
Ambition school will teach anywhere from 40 to 80 kids from a very rural, fishing/coastal area of the country.
The school will be built from July 1 to Aug. 15, but Freeman will go as early as May, using funds from his grant to conduct research. The grant, awarded to Freeman in April 2015 and again in March 2016, is awarded to one Notre Dame student each year allocates $5,000 annually for four years.
“That research will probably be on the feminization of poverty or on the role of education in poverty and how those two things interact,” he said.
In August, Freeman will fly to Rwanda, in eastern Africa, to spend the next five months continuing his research.
“On weekends and holidays, I will be able to fly to Ghana to see the updates, help build the school if there’s more to be done, just keep an eye on it really,” he said. “By December, I’ll be able to see that the kids are there, the curriculum is good and the teachers are ethical and teaching and all that kind of stuff.”
Monetary and school supplies donations are still being taken for Ambition School. To learn more, visit petefreeman.com.
More about Pete Freeman
High school: Moved to Noblesville from Hanover, Ind. in sixth grade. Graduated from NHS in 2014.
College: Sophomore at Notre Dame studying gender studies, peace studies and sociology. Will graduate in 2018. Plans to attend grad school at Oxford.
Family: Parents Eric and Beth (teaches Kindergarten at Hinkle Creek Elementary), siblings Molly, 15, and Ben, 13.
Future goals: “In terms of future goals, I either want to be in academia … or I would be into social entrepreneurship, working for women’s education and women’s equality in the global south.”
Travel: Switzerland (winter 2014, three weeks for research); Amsterdam (spring 2015, one week for research); Ghana (summer 2015, two months for research and internship with Global Mamas); and Italy (spring break 2016, one week for research).
Podcast: Freeman, with Noblesville High School student Zack Baker, started his podcast, “The Edupreneur” in summer 2014. The podcast focuses on innovation in education and entrepreneurship and has more than 50 episodes, available in the iTunes store.
Contact: Twitter: @mrpetefreeman, Email: [email protected]
TIMELINE FOR AMBITION SCHOOL
June 2015 – Ambition School is imagined. Freeman begins working with contacts in Ghana to plan the school.
Jan. 1-5, 2016 – The campaign for the school is created and organization.
Jan. 6, 2016 – Fundraising begins and ends. The $2,500 goal is exceeded in the day.
May/June 2016 – Freeman will travel to Ghana to begin research and do work for Ambition School.
July 1, 2016 – Building will begin and last through Aug. 15.
Aug. 15, 2016 – Building expected to be complete by this date.
