Innovation

What began as a humble, father-and-daughter-run after school program has grown into an innovative academic-enrichment program for bright and gifted children. Brain Power’s mission is to provide unique, socially and environmentally-driven curriculum, world-class teaching, and experiential learning opportunities, while benefiting the community and creating the ideal work environment. What sets Brain Power apart is more than just its dedication to excellent education. The true innovation lies in the meaning behind Brain Power’s every action. Founder and Director, Dr. Karine Rashkovsky explains that she creates every lesson plan with the idea of challenging the status quo. “I want students to grow up developing a history of ideas and never accept one idea of their existence,” Karine explains. This is where the environmental connections and philosophical discussions about social impact become fused within every lesson from English to Maths, from Robotics to Coding. “I want to shake up [students'] ideas of what’s normal and challenge them to do more for themselves and their community.”

The ‘disruptive innovation’ doesn’t stop on education. “Every aspect of the business needs to echo the values [of sustainability and social justice]”, says Karine. As a result, the walls are made of recycled juice boxes and recycled jeans for insulation, the electricity is powered by Bullfrog Green Energy, the wall art is made from recycled materials and they are working on installing electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot. The themes of inclusivity, empathy and diversity also manifest themselves in Brain Power's approach partnership. Brain Power has developed a just employment structure with fair, transparent salaries and provisions for equitable work force. In addition, during the construction of the building, Karine also made a point of hiring exclusively minority women. “I love what I’m doing because I get to live out the classroom experience I always wanted,” Karine says. The same rule applies for the work environment that Karine has created which reflects the world she wants to live in.

Inspiration

In a way, understanding the inspiration behind Brain Power is the key to recognizing its values and goals, even 30 years later. It was three decades ago that Karine’s father opened up his home to children from the community, offering math programming sessions for those in need, often at no cost. The only prerequisite for the after-school enrichment programs was a passion for math and problem-solving. Karine, who was only a young student herself when classes began, quickly began assisting her father in running lessons, first just in math, then in English as well. It wasn’t long before word spread of this community service being run out of the Rashkovsky home. It was only when the high volumes of students resulted in neighbourly objections that the two realized it was time to open an official location. As Karine grew into a bright university student herself, she found the school system insufficient in providing the enrichment and after-school opportunities to nurture her academic talents. It was then that Karine decided to pursue research in education with the aim to revolutionize and transform learning experience for bright, high-achieving students.

Years later, it is now Karine leading the business herself, integrating more modern practices and professional touches to the enterprise but staying true to the core values: community service, high-quality education and inclusivity. “I believe that education is a right,” explains Karine, who offers merit-based scholarships for anyone who asks, without demanding evidence of financial need. Within the candidates, she looks for dedication and willingness to learn, believing that anyone and everyone should be welcomed through the Brain Power doors. Although the two no longer work together, her father’s initiative and ideas are craftily woven throughout Brain Power’s fabric and shine through with every new enrollment.

Overall impact

In order have the greatest impact on her students, Karine rejects any notion of standardized education programs, innovating within every class. Among her vast range of curriculum subjects designed to inspire socially conscious and environmental thought, Karine has facilitated a plethora of experiential learning activities for the students. From designing wall art made of recycled jeans to planting trees in the community and even travelling to Cape Breton on a subsidized trip, there are loads of opportunities for students from all socio-economic backgrounds to feel engaged and excited about learning. Karine explains that the amount of pressure on children to fulfill the career goals that their parents set for them is astronomical. When she found that her students didn’t believe they could follow a ‘risky’ career path, deviating from the traditional doctor or lawyer roles in order to become entrepreneurs or innovators, she sought out eclectic inspiration for her students. “I don’t just want kids to grow up to find a job, I want them to grow up to find solutions to world issues,” Karine says. Subsidizing a trip to Nova Scotia, Karine introduced them to a nature artist and a fiddle maker who among other professionals, were living out their dreams in a rural setting. “I thought if they saw that someone is doing it from a small town in Nova Scotia, they could see themselves [following their dreams] in Toronto,” Karine explained. The impact is immeasurable. “One student wrote in his university application that [the Cape Breton trip] was the most meaningful experience of his life,” Karine explained. By giving students the opportunity to reflect creatively and purposefully, surrounded by nature, Brain Power is shaping future innovators and big-picture thinkers.

Socially, Brain Power has added a huge benefit to academics struggling within the university and college employment structure. Karine explained how disappointed she was with the university system as talented and passionate academics face job insecurity, low wages and a lack of general respect while working for traditional academic institutions. At Brain Power, those who hold PhD degrees can find the prestige, recognition and inspiration that they deserve with job security, benefits and equitable pay structures. While Brain Power hopes to contribute to decent work and economic growth, their work also helps to reduce economic inequalities between different levels of the academic hierarchy. When asked about her employment choices, Karine says she “just wants to do the right thing” and that it has in turn rewarded her by “attracting the kind of people who have the same values.” Profit-hungry businesses attract profit-hungry workers, Karine explains, and that’s just not what she’s looking for.

Business benefit

Karine believes that doing good is simply good business. To the surprise of many, Brain Power has yet to run a single marketing campaign in all of its 30 years. The recognition that it has received for its innovation, dedication to community service and environmental stewardship has been more than enough to skyrocket the business success, year after year. With the money that she’s saved on advertising, Brain Power can feel confident re-investing it back into their environmental projects like electric vehicle charging stations, with the hope that it will garner community's political interest in the business. The business value of environmental and social initiatives is also huge for a medium-sized business, like Brain Power as it hinges on the quality of the service and the respect for the brand. Without these social and environmental initiatives, Brain Power just wouldn’t feel as authentically progressive as it does and its reputation for shaping future innovators wouldn’t hold as much weight.

Social and environmental benefit

While the business has been economically profitable, with enrollment growing every year, environmental and social issues remain at the core of the enterprise. “The word business never even occurred to me,” says Karine. What really matters is challenging the status quo, doing more for the community and the world. “Profit was always just a plus.”

The social benefits are as ubiquitous as they seem, with impacts ranging from the creation of job security for bright, young academics to creating a space for socially conscious thought and debate in the classroom. The out-of-the-box lesson plans also provide unique opportunities for students to engage within parts of their community they may have otherwise never known. With class trips ranging from visits to the indigenous communities to explore concepts of Earth Ships to participating in park cleanups with their neighbours, the social integration and outreach opportunities provide an invaluable chance for students to forge deep connections with those around them.

From an environmental standpoint, the benefits will be the greatest in the long-term. By using Bullfrog Green Energy for example, Brain Power is helping to transition Canada to cleaner energy sources while helping to fund new, emissions-free energy projects. While the immediate benefits of tree-planting and green architectural design include the reduction of waste, the long-term effects are of huge interest to Karine. Down the line, Brain Power’s impact will be reflected in how each student makes his or her decisions in life, drawing on the environmental and social lessons he or she internalized at Brain Power. This is the true value that Karine holds close. As a ‘disruptive innovator’, Brain Power is creating a generation of powerful thinkers, empowered to tackle big world problems and challenge the status quo.

Interview

Dr. Karine Rashkovsky, Founder, Director, & Lead Instructor