Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Sydney Assil of The Honey Project Is Helping To Change Our World
Try, try again. Sometimes, people will say no, plans will fall through, and deadlines will be missed. None of these things should be deterrents to progress and hard work. When I began, I would feel very suddenly deflated when something didn’t play out as I had planned. Now, I go into new opportunities with an open mind, ready to bend and stretch plans to fit and succeed despite unforeseen obstacles.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sydney Assil.
The Honey Project is a non-profit organization launched in 2022 and co-founded by Los Angeles native high school student Sydney Assil. After discovering an opportunity to partner with AgroVision — a local blueberry farm in Peru that relies on bees for pollination, The Honey Project, through Sydney’s vision, took a leap of faith by investing in its own bee boxes to support the farm’s needs with proceeds from honey sales going to support local community schools and educational initiatives. In less than three years, The Honey Project has supported three schools in Peru, totaling roughly 250 students, with the hopes of one day being able to support more children across the globe. From building school libraries with Spanish-to-English learning supplies to hosting annual holiday parties to school supply giveaways, the organization’s unwavering efforts have been a beacon of light to those in need. Today, The Honey Project extends its outreach to also support and lend resources to schools impacted by the January 2025 wildfires in Sydney’s hometown of Los Angeles.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up? You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
The Honey Project was built on the belief that a child’s education is the foundation of success and upward mobility. We aim to break cycles of poverty in highly disadvantaged communities by enhancing education and providing critical resources to schools in need. Our work began in Olmos, a resource-limited region in the desert of Northern Peru. We support the schools in the area by providing them with school supplies and learning tools such as books or even an entire library, as well as things as basic as a roof to shelter an incredibly sunny playground. We own bee boxes that produce locally sold honey in Olmos to provide much of the funds for the project, combined with fundraising and collection drives. With the honey, we have a stable and sustainable system of support for the schools that also helps protect the environment and the bee population in the region. Collectively, these factors come together in the hopes of changing the area’s deep-rooted poverty cycle and creating opportunities for upward mobility while also protecting the environment.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
The Honey Project was originally started as a family effort, with the support of my parents and my two brothers. For a couple of years, it was a very grassroots effort, with my family doing what we could to support the schools in Olmos, Peru, in small ways. Two and a half years ago, at the beginning of my ninth-grade school year, I began what would be a full year of meeting weekly with some of the students in Peru virtually to give them English lessons. The experience I had teaching and forming connections with these children is what inspired me to officially establish The Honey Project as a non-profit organization and assume a leadership role, catalyzing and expanding our efforts. Since then, I have led yearly trips to Peru, including initiatives such as building and filling a brand-new school library and hosting yearly holiday celebrations for the students.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I was eleven years old when The Honey Project’s efforts were first launched. A fifth grader with no true entrepreneurial, philanthropic, or leadership experience stepping up and taking control of a project based in a foreign country was not a consideration. However, as I grew older, my connection with the young Peruvian students was what inspired me to do more. On every visit, my family and I received countless hugs and displays of gratitude from the most adorable and excited group of children I’ve ever met. After my experience tutoring and forming closer connections with the kids, I knew more could be done and felt an obligation to do it as one of the few people outside of their community who was acknowledging the limitations placed on them.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
When I realized that The Honey Project could make a larger impact with the right foundation, I applied for 501(c)(3) recognition, purchased our domain, set up a website, and started planning initiatives for our upcoming trips, along with some local fundraising events. Of course, I had the benefit of pre-established relationships with schools and other support staff working out of Peru because of the work my family had done, and I think that went a long way in making my planning go more smoothly.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
In the summer of 2023, I led one of The Honey Project’s yearly trips to Peru. While visiting a school and hosting a large educational celebration, complete with school supply gift bags and drawing and writing competitions, a young boy approached me. Giggling with his friend, he told me he wanted my number. I laughed and said I was too old for him, and we could be friends, seeing as he was about nine years old. This put them both into a fit, and the other boy clarified through their laughter: “No, he wants your number so you can teach him English!” (in Spanish, of course). This completely shocked me, in the best of ways. It was the first time I had gotten such a clear display of these students’ desire to learn and thrive, knowing that speaking English is statistically one of their best guarantees at high-profile jobs in their country. It really warmed my heart and felt like a sign that the work we were doing mattered and was having an impact.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Early on in my journey of taking on a leadership role in The Honey Project, I think my priorities were less balanced than they have become. I could become very hyper-focused on smoothing out the basics, like getting a logo and polishing the website, worrying that we wouldn’t be able to make a large enough impact or be taken seriously enough if we didn’t appear established and organized. While I still value those things, I think I wasted a lot of time trying to perfect our image without recognizing the community I had who would have continued to support and uplift our work without a perfectly polished image.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I am extremely grateful for my parents’ support and guidance in establishing leadership of The Honey Project and growing my vision. They also sacrificed their time to attend and help plan our yearly visits to Peru. Like them, my older brothers helped found The Honey Project, along with my entire extended family and all the friends who have given endless support and love to the project. It would not be what it is today without every single one of them.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I have Guisella Galecio to thank endlessly. A mentor, friend, and dedicated woman, Guisella is one of the reasons The Honey Project exists today. A Peruvian native, she helped us establish relationships with schools in Olmos and is the local coordinator for every event we host there, doing the work that would feel impossible to do from across the globe. It is she whom we have to thank for helping to navigate the process of our honey sales in Peru and making yet another opportunity all the more accessible for us. Her passion and love for the children and the project itself are two of the driving forces behind our organization.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
I think more emphasis needs to be placed on education in terms of government funding and action. So much of society across the globe can acknowledge education as one of the primary ways to fight poverty and create fair and equal opportunities for future generations, yet there are places where so little goes into enriching and advancing schools and academic opportunities for kids. I hope to make a sizable impact not only on the lives of the students that The Honey Project touches but also on surrounding communities and governments to effect change and inspire more to support young students and their upward mobility.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- It’s okay to reach out and ask for support before having all the answers. There have been so many times when I’ve found myself too nervous to pitch an idea or attempt a partnership without having a credible foundation to stand on. The truth is, it takes a village, and there’s nothing wrong with reaching out for support and admitting that you can’t do everything on your own.
- Don’t be shy about asking family and friends to donate, volunteer, or support you. Community really is everything, yet I used to catch myself feeling timid and awkward outwardly asking close family and friends to donate or volunteer at events. Now, I send out emails and texts to everyone I can think of when I need support, and the impact is amazing. The people who love you want to help you succeed; they will give what they can, whether it be their time, donations, or loving energy!
- STAY ORGANIZED. I am most productive when I keep myself on a weekly schedule, aware of long-term deadlines and keeping note of every little thing I plan to get done in the coming week, even if they’re as simple as remembering to send out an email.
- It’s better to make a small impact than no impact at all. Early on, I would often get hung up on planning fundraising events or Peru trips, worrying too much about the scope of the project and making it as meaningful as possible. The truth is, a couple of years ago, we weren’t able to accomplish the things we can now, and those smaller efforts were important in getting us to where we are today. I’m proud to say The Honey Project has been going for almost five years, and if we didn’t have our grassroots beginnings, we never could’ve made the change we ultimately have.
- Try, try again. Sometimes, people will say no, plans will fall through, and deadlines will be missed. None of these things should be deterrents to progress and hard work. When I began, I would feel very suddenly deflated when something didn’t play out as I had planned. Now, I go into new opportunities with an open mind, ready to bend and stretch plans to fit and succeed despite unforeseen obstacles.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Working on The Honey Project has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life for one simple reason: the kids. To me, there is no feeling more special than the gratitude of a little kid who feels the impact we’re having on their life and feels just as passionately about their own future as I do. I think any other young person should focus primarily on something that ignites and impassions them in the same way and pour their heart into it. Though I wish everyone could feel as strongly about children’s education as I do, I think what is so special about the world is that we were all brought here to serve a different purpose, and what matters most is that we find and devote ourselves to it.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
The first person who comes to mind every time I’m asked this question is Malala. First, because she was also a young woman with a passion for education, but also because she stands for the power of passion for change. Risking her life for the opportunity of a better future for herself and all the other young women in her community, she exemplifies hope for progress and change in a world where education is still so restricted for the most deserving humans.
How can our readers follow you online?
The Honey Project has begun updating its followers on its Instagram account, @honeyprojectfoundation. Our website is www.thehoneyproject.org.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Sydney Assil of The Honey Project Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.