At the heart of Global Explorers is our commitment to long-term relationships with our students, teachers and the communities we visit. At the same time that we are working with students traveling to our workshop destinations, we are working with the communities that we visit at our workshop destinations. Through our Community Partners Program, we provide small grants to nonprofit organizations at our different destinations to support their programs for local youth and teachers. Below are some of our partners in each of our destinations.
Here are some examples of our partners in the different communities that we visit. We have intentionally highlighted those partners that have their own websites so that you can research them for additional information. In addition, we work with many other local partners (e.g. schools, researchers) that do not have their own websites. We support the work of all of our partners in culturally sensitive and environmentally appropriate ways.
Leading the Way Programs with Erik Weihenmayer
2009 Application Process
Visit Apply to 2009 Leading the Way to learn how to apply!
Global Explorers is proud to work with Erik Weihenmayer - one of the best known athletes in the world. Erik was the first and only blind climber to summit Mt. Everest. He is also an acrobatic skydiver, long distance biker, marathon runner, skier, mountaineer, and ice climber. Erik is a former middle school teacher and wrestling coach who has made his way on to the cover of Time, Outside, and Climbing magazines. He has also been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC’s Today, the Tonight Show, and Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.
In 2006, Global Explorers launched the Leading the Way initiative - international programs for blind and sighted students focusing on our core principles of leadership, service, science and culture. Our inaugural trip to Machu Picchu with 18 students was featured on ABC Nightline, ABC World News and the Travel Channel.
Find out more about the Leading the Way Program and how to participate.
For more information on Erik Weihenmayer, please visit www.climbingblind.org and www.touchthetop.com.
Foundation Fighting Blindness
The urgent mission of the Foundation Fighting Blindness is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases. To learn more, visit www.blindness.orgor to help with their Vision Walks visit www.visionwalk.org
Ensight Skills Center
Ensight’s mission is to provide clients with low vision, the opportunity to enhance their life skills, independence and self-confidence in a safe environment through adaptive technology and training. Ensight provides an annual scholarship to a Colorado student interested in participating in our Leading the Way Programs. To learn more, visit: www.ensightskills.org
Arctic Exploration
The Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Churchill, Manitoba
Founded in 1976, the Churchill Northern Studies Centre is an independent, non-profit research and education facility located 23 km east of Churchill, Manitoba. Their mission is to:
- promote and facilitate northern research, toward an understanding of the physical environment, social issues and economic development including sustainable resource development and use
- promote and facilitate university credit education and public interest educational opportunities
- promote and facilitate north/south understanding by providing a forum for dialogue on significant northern issues
- provide accommodation, logistical, and service support for independent researchers
Peru: Amazon and Highlands
CONAPAC, Peruvian Amazon Iquitos Region
The Civil Association for Conservation of the Peruvian Amazon Environment (CONAPAC), is an NGO formed in July of 1990, in Iquitos, Peru, by a group of Teachers, Forestry Engineers, and Employees of the Travel Agency Exploraciones Amazonicas S.A. -Explorama Lodges. Through CONAPAC’s Adopt-A-School Program, the organization provides educational materials and supplies for schools in rural Amazonia.
ANIA, Peruvian Amazon Tambopata Region
ANIA is a non-profit organization based in Peru that promotes social and environmental responsibility among children by getting them involved in the improvement and conservation of their own local environment. One of the ways this is achieved is through the creation of small protected areas called �children�s forests� that are managed and maintained by children who are trained and mentored by ANIA. The ANIA project that GEx is supporting in 2007 will elevate the children�s forest in the community of Boca Amigo to the government defined designation of a �Local Forest� thereby gaining government recognition of the local �children�s forest�. In addition, the project includes the construction of basic facilities so students from the nearest city may use the children�s forest to conduct scientific studies.
IRW, Peruvian Highlands Cuzco Region
Inti Runakunaq Wasin (IRW) is a non profit organization based in Cuzco, Peru. The mission of IRW is to provide support and a safe retreat for marginalized children in Cuzco. The staff at IRW, many of whom are volunteers, help children complete their homework and encourage them to stay in school, teach them skills that may help them earn a living, provide a warm and nutritious meal and offer personal support. The IRW project that GEx is funding in 2007 is called �Cuidemos Nuestro Salud Mantienendo el Barrio Limpio� (Taking care of our health by maintaining a clean neighborhood). The goal of the project is to reduce disease in marginal neighborhoods of Cuzco. IRW will accomplish this by educating children and their families about the health risks associated with unsanitary conditions and by adding latrines and waste bins throughout these marginal neighborhoods.
Baja Journey
El Santuario, Baja California, Mexico
El Santuario is a retreat center and ecotourism facility in Baja California. The owners have a strong commitment to: assisting the surrounding communities in appropriate ways, developing strong educational programs for youth, creating their facilties in an environmentally sound manner, and supporting conservation efforts in the region.
Tour Baja, Loreto, Mexico
The guides at Tour Baja are among the best in all of Mexico. They have an incredible knowledge of everything from local ecosystems to safety precautions to conservation efforts in the region. Traveling with Tour Baja guides ensures that our students have an unforgettable Baja experience.
Serengeti Safari
Roots & Shoots, The Jane Goodall Institute
Roots & Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute, is a youth-driven, global network of more than 8,000 groups in almost 100 countries. The goals of the Roots & Shoots, Tanzania project that GEx is funding in 2007 are to provide 150 students and 6 teachers in 3 rural communities with skills, knowledge and practical approaches to help their communities conserve the surrounding Mt Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve. Roots & Shoots plans to accomplish this by establishing a permanent 2 hectare field educational site adjacent to the reserve where they will host monthly field training sessions and create a tree nursery for native seedlings. The monthly trainings will include teaching students how to build and use fuel efficient stoves, various water retention schemes and how tree nurseries can be used as alternatives to deforestation.
Yucatan the Mayan Jungle
EcoColors, Yucatan, Mexico
Ecocolors offers some of the best environmentally sensitive educational travel experiences in all of the Yucatan. With Ecocolors’ talented guides and exclusive access to field research stations in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere reserve, we guarantee that your students will experience the tropical Yucatan like few others.
Other Partners
Mountain Vision
Mountain Vision organizes trekking and climbing expeditions worldwide. They have been in the business of guiding adventurous minded individuals to the highest and wildest places in the world for over a decade now. Whether guiding the first blind climber to the summit of Mt Everest, The Duchess of York up a rock face, or industry leading executives up Mt Kilimanjaro, Jeff Evans has been responsible for providing successful adventures to countless clients over the years.