1. Why Nonprofit Matters -- From the executive director
2. Leading the Way -- A student journey with blind athlete, Erik Weihenmayer
3. Immersed in Learning -- A teacher's perspective

2006 promises to be an exciting year at Global Explorers with trips as varied as the group of blind and sighted students hiking on the Inca Trail with world-renowned blind athlete Erik Weihenmayer, or the students from Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Program studying leadership in the Serengeti.

Unique partnerships like these are only one of many reasons it makes a difference to travel with a nonprofit organization like Global Explorers. Another is that our talented Board of Directors and staff make sure that we stay true to our mission of educating, inspiring and touching the lives of every single person that experiences our program. As a nonprofit, we regularly reinvest in our program whether we're providing seed grants to nonprofit partners in the countries in which we work, offsetting the global effects of our air travel by purchasing wind energy from Native American wind farms, or launching a small grants program to support student-designed follow-up service projects.

We also evaluate the educational impacts of our program. A recent comprehensive evaluation conducted by Duke University Graduate Student Heather Kerkering revealed the following.

"Participants' confidence, motivation, academic drive, social abilities, cultural awareness and appreciation of the local community, interest in service, awareness of local impacts on the environment, and advocacy efforts all increased following the (Global Explorers) workshop... Each survey acknowledged improved self-confidence, motivation, tolerance, and social ability in participants. Additionally, participants demonstrated stronger abilities and participation regarding group dynamics, assumed leadership roles, and continued to show a great interest in academics."

Post-participation surveys reported that the most meaningful aspects of our program according to our participants are educational value (97%), personal growth (91%), expanding cultural awareness (90%), understanding global conservation issues (89%), inspiring involvement in service (79%), and developing strengths as a leader (59%).

We look forward to each and every one of our participants experiencing inspiration, education, and a great deal of fun!

"We believe strength, courage, and resiliency exist in all of us. They start as tiny sparks, and it is only through facing challenges that they grow and blaze into the force that directs our lives and ultimately creates change in the world. We hope an educational adventure like this sets a course for a future generation of young leaders."
--Erik Weihenmayer

In June, 2006 Erik Weihenmayer, working with Global Explorers, will travel with a group of sighted and blind students on a mountain trek to Machu Picchu. This is the first time that Erik will be leading an expedition in which he takes both blind and sighted students to learn from and guide each other. During this program, seventeen students coming from all parts of the United States will learn about the natural beauty of Peru, study the rich Inca culture, and perform a service project for a local community. Perhaps most importantly, these high school students will learn to collaborate with each other to overcome obstacles as they push themselves to new heights.

We asked participants what they hoped to gain from this trip. Here are some brief remarks; read their full statements on our web site.

Jill
Learning about the lives of blind people side by side will be enriching and inspiring. This program involves new places, new people, a new experience and a new way to look at life.

Paul
I hope to learn what it means to be a true team player. I have no doubt that this will make me a better person and change my life forever.

Tiffany
I am interested in learning more about Peru because it will give me a new outlook so I can understand my own country better.

Cole
Perhaps the most important thing that would come from this trip is the leadership experience I will gain. I believe I will learn patience, tolerance and a greater understanding of people different than myself.

Justin
On a trek through Peru, I believe we as a team will all grow mentally, physically and spiritually.

Estey
This trip will encourage me to challenge the limits we place on each other and on ourselves.

In the thick of the Amazon Jungle, a Yagua Shaman held up a small jar of a tree sap he called "Dragon's Blood." It's a salve for cuts, he explains in Spanish, as he smears it along the edges of my eyes. And a cure for wrinkles. My Madison, Wisconsin, based high school science class chuckles. Later that day, 9th grade student Anna Berberet, eyes-wide, describes the Shaman experience as a first step in her lifelong dream of becoming an ethno-botanist.

For Anna, this was the culmination of her nearly year-long effort to travel to the Amazon as a part of my Amazon course. From preparatory after-school curriculum to fundraising, my students had worked hard to make this program become a reality. And there we were--immersed in learning and loving every moment of it.

Middle and high school aged kids are really at a crossroads in their life. No longer children with only their own immediate needs on their minds, they are becoming young adults ready to consider the part they play in the larger world. Immersion education is essential to develop global awareness. All of us are affected by physical and emotional experiences to a much greater degree than our book learning. I can think of no greater a way to impact a student's future than to live in the jungle for nine days.

So where did this experience begin for me and my students? For years, my colleague Geri Stenstrup and I had dreamed of taking students on such a trip. Elementary school students in our district learn about the Amazon as a part of their curriculum. Middle and high school students study biological diversity and the Amazon frequently comes up. We wanted our students to experience the Amazon first-hand as an inspirational educational journey.

After researching many travel companies, we ultimately decided on a nonprofit organization called Global Explorers. Their strong emphasis on long-term education, safety, community-service and field science were right in line with our educational philosophy. We sold our School Board on the program and we were on our way.

What most attracted us to the Global Explorers Program were its three primary components: preparatory coursework conducted prior to travel; an international immersion experience; and a follow-up community service project. Their core subject areas of conservation biology, cultural studies, service-learning and leadership also fit well with our educational objectives.

The preparatory work covers everything from tropical ecology to cultural studies to leadership and service. Best of all, the lessons emphasize teaching in the absence of competition, stress and negativity. They are taught with an atmosphere of trust and safety. Students are encouraged to try safe risk-taking. The lessons encourage creativity and foster curiosity. We were playful and used humor to keep our time together enjoyable yet productive. These elements of relaxed alertness leave kids and teachers with a comfortable feeling but at the same time motivated to learn. The anticipation of the approaching trip fueled our motivation to learn what we could in advance of our travels. The lessons help kids get to know one another and accept our differences. In fact while developing leadership skills it became apparent that our differences generally meant we were better off as a group by capitalizing on each of our strengths.

Finally, after months of preparation, we were on our way to the Amazon! The preparatory curriculum had energized us and served us well. The tasks we embarked upon didn't seem by directive so much as by choice, curiosity, motivation and healthy challenge. The kids were encouraged to hold the birds we caught, eat the piranha we caught for dinner, experience the Shaman's ministrations and weave a thatched roof. Playful volleyball and soccer games with the children at the school helped keep us lighthearted on our trip.

Brad, a 9th Grade student, was particularly impressed with the practical knowledge that the guide, Julio, shared. Brad remarked that Julio was a walking encyclopedia. We agreed he was much more than that. Brad learned how valuable a resource the forest can be and how passionate one person can be about his work.

Throughout the trip, the activities that were planned for us paralleled the curriculum we had experienced before we left. This design allowed students to put into practice the new terminology and concepts of an earlier classroom. We researched plants and animals of the rainforest and its layers from our books and websites. We were very excited to see them first hand in the Amazon. We shared our experience at meals, free time and in our bunks at night. The facilitated discussions were led by experts skilled in drawing out all kids and helping us make sense and meaning of controversial issues, environmental dilemmas, or straightening out the complexities of the ecology we were absorbing.

Nearly a year after completing our program, our students are still talking about this trip. We hope we never forget the smells, sounds and feel of climbing under the mosquito netting and lying on our beds that first night. Knowing the jungle life was all around us, we became a piece of the jungle life too. And that feeling will stay with all of us forever.