The Young Leader

Archives for February 2016

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Giving Back, in a Sustainable Way – GLA Alum Helps to Plant 10,000 Cacao Seedlings

“I am always looking for opportunities to push the boundaries of what I know to help me continue to expand my horizons.”

–Maya Haria

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Name: Maya Haria
Home Country: United Kingdom
Education: University of Warwick
Passions and Interests: Field hockey, traveling, and international development
Transformational Experience: Dominican Republic: Building a Sustainable World™
Making an Impact: Raised $8,000 and helped to start a micro-enterprise program based on small-scale cacao plantations in the Dominican Republic

Most people who plant seedlings in the ground have modest hopes for their garden: a lovely view, perhaps, or even some vegetables to use for homemade recipes. And while Maya Haria is modest about her accomplishments, her ambitions and achievements are anything but.

Her goal? To raise $8,000 to fund a cacao plantation project in the Dominican Republic.

$8,000 is no small amount of change, so Maya put a plan in place to raise all the money she needed to fund the project, with the help of others involved. She held bake sales. She raised money through online, charitable giving pages. And she even encouraged family and friends to pitch in what they could. In the end, she raised the funds to get her cacao project off the ground.

The end result? Several greenhouses constructed from foundation to ceiling, and two completed cacao plantations, contributing to a total of 10,000 cacao plants.

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Maya’s journey began when she first attend the Building a Sustainable World™ program through GLA in the DR back in 2012. She selected this program not only for its focus on environmental conservation, but also for its commitment to the people in these Dominican communities.

One of the main reasons I chose my GLA program was the focus on sustainability, and being able to be a part of projects and initiatives that are designed to be sustainable means that every time you help someone, you know that you aren’t just helping one person. You are starting something that will continue to impact the lives of them, their families and the people around them.”

Along the way, something changed. While her initial focus was on sustainability, she realized she was much in “a much better position to pinpoint” problems and solutions at the macro level – looking at the scale of the problem for a distance to find solutions that are sensible and effective over the long-term. Neither Maya nor her parents had expected such a dramatic shift in her viewpoint.

Prior to my first GLA trip, I think my parents underestimated the impact that it would have on me and on the next few years of my life. Having returned to the Dominican Republic for two more summers, they have definitely seen the impact that my GLA program has had on my life, and how it has influenced the direction that I have chosen to take… My program choice definitely expanded my understanding and passion for international development. I am now studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and am interested at looking at development from the point of view of policy-making and economic development, building on the experience that I have had through my GLA program and with 7 Elements.”

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Maya decided on the cacao plantation project because it was something that could be replicated by others. This pilot project will allow local Dominicans to profit off of these cacao plants over the long term, and she was involved from the initial planning stages to the final construction. Maya plans for more in the future.

Her plans for the future are not set in stone yet, but she’s committed to doing something meaningful with her time and energy now that she’s had a taste of what these kinds of projects can mean to people in-need. She said of her future goals:

Ideally I would like to have influence at a macro level, whether it be related to policy-making or using my skills to have a strong involvement in the non-profit side of the career path that I choose to pursue.”

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Maya is currently attending the University of Warwick, where she is on a committee that organized a sports and activities day for 200 disabled children, and supports ‘Mind’, a mental health charity.

Program Maya attended:

GLA Dominican Republic: Building a Sustainable World™

Curious about exploring your own GLA adventure? Check these out:

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What is the Peace Corps and What are the Qualifications to Join?

You may have heard of the Peace Corps, but how can you get involved right now? How old do you have to be to be in the Peace Corps? Are there other requirements?

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Welcome fellow volunteer enthusiast! If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to join the Peace Corps, look no further:

The U.S. Peace Corps sends Americans abroad to provide humanitarian aid for high priority regions.

They provide global volunteer training programs as well as a 1-Year Physician and Nurse Volunteer Program.

  • The minimum age is 18

  • Volunteers must be U.S. citizens

  • Most opportunities require a 4-year degree

  • Volunteers usually serve for 2 years after in-country training

  • The agency provides volunteers with training, guidance, and support

Unfortunately, many of you might not fulfill these requirements just yet. On the bright side, now you know exactly what you need to work towards.

If you have your heart set on applying for the Peace Corps, then keep dreaming 🙂

Believe it or not, you actually have one really big advantage right now: Plenty of Time.

The Peace Corps isn’t going anywhere, and you certainly can in the meantime!

What are you passionate about? Where and why do you want to go abroad? What kind of service excites you?

Once you can answer these three questions, then you’ll be well on your way to an unforgettable adventure.

Here’s a personal example to give you some inspiration:

  1. I’m passionate about student-centered teaching and creating non-profit, service organizations

  2. I want to go to Australia because I connect with the personality, culture, and climate

  3. Serving higher education as an instructor, entrepreneur, and volunteer adviser excites me

Once you build that emotional fire, you’ll exude genuine confidence and a contagious enthusiasm.

You’ll have no doubt of whether you will go—it’s now only a question of when. That’s all you need. You have more than enough creativity and persistence to figure everything else out.

By the way, did you know that Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) was founded by a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer? Founder Andrew Motiwalla’s original vision was to create a Peace Corps for Teens. That’s pretty cool.

What other programs besides the Peace Corps could we help you work towards? We’d enjoy hearing your goals!

Contributed by Nick Fochtman

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Why a Teen Tour of Europe Should Always Include Spain and the United Kingdom

If you’re traveling across the world to Europe, be sure to include the United Kingdom and Spain on your list. You’re already abroad so the cost of a train ride or better yet, Eurorail is definitely worth it. Who knows the next time you’ll be in Europe – so take the chance! We’ve even put together a list of why you should go in case you need a little more convincing.

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1. Royalty. In the U.K. you have the chance to visit royalty and see the Edinburg Castle first hand. Who knows, you might even be able to take a picture with Prince William and Princess Kate or perhaps snap a selfie with the boy band One Direction if that’s more your style. In case you were wondering Spain has their royalty as well; King Felipe the sixth and Queen Letizia. Fun fact, the king and queen of Spain are actually going to the U.K. in 2016 to visit U.K. royalty.

2. Breathtaking Sites. Sure, every place you go abroad has sites to see, but the U.K. and Spain are filled with so many that also have a rich history. There’s Stonehenge in the U.K. and the artistic side to Scotland’s main city Glasgow. Spain has Egyptian temples and Roman ruins like the Roman theatre in Merida, which is still used for performances at times. Then there’s the Alhambra in Granada or the breathtaking cathedrals like the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. There are even 1,000-year-old mosques like the Mosque of Cordoba.

3. Food. Is anything else other than that word even needed? The U.K. but more specifically Ireland is filled with pubs everywhere that are all linked back to the countries history, each having its own unique story. Now Spain has some of the oldest running restaurants in the world like Casa Botin, but they also have some of the best food like tortilla española or patatas bravas which are just potatoes in a fancy sauce, but they sure taste way better than regular potatoes!

4. Events. While there are definitely places to go to and restaurants to try, there are also events to take part in. There’s everything from fireball whirling in Scotland to the Edinburgh festival, which is one of the largest performing arts celebrations. Supposedly there’s even Scotland’s Loch Ness monster! Spain has its fair share of events too, sometimes drawing in thousands of people like Pamplona’s running of the bulls or the annual Tomatina where you get doused in tomatoes. You could even eat grilled meat on an open volcanic vent on the volcanic island of Lanzarote. Not to mention the quaint decorations of people’s houses that look like they could come right out of a picture book.

5. History. The U.K. is where classic writers started off like Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and so on. Spain is where the famous artist Pablo Picasso started. It is also home to soccer or betters said, football and players like Iker Casillas. Talk about inspiration.

6. Outdoors. Take a stroll in Britain’s first and most popular national park the Peak District. It has river valleys, picture perfect houses, and all the greenery imaginable. Spain has its Mediterranean coast that gets sun almost 300 days per year, talk about a stay-cation. But if beaches and warm water aren’t you’re thing Spain has mountains too like the Bardenas Reales.

You’re already in Europe so why not go to these amazing places. The experiences and memories are well worth it – they’ll last forever!

Contributed by Samantha Watkins

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From a Student’s Perspective

Republica Dominicana

This article appeared in the school newspaper for Autumn, a GLA Alumnus

Have you ever wanted to travel outside of the country, but found your parents wouldn’t let you go alone? Well, what if you had the opportunity to travel with a group of teens for 8 to 21 days without your parents: would you take it?

This past summer, I had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic for 10 days through an organization called Global Leadership Adventures (GLA). GLA is a service-learning abroad program where students will learn the local culture, history, and language of their destination, serve in the surrounding communities, and explore all that the country has to offer. Potential destinations include Tanzania, Thailand, Fiji, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, and many more.

One of the greatest aspects of GLA is that within each trip, there is a specific focus. For example, if you love children, you can go on a trip that is centered on the children in their communities, teaching them to read and write English. If you love sports, you can spend all day with the boys and girls playing new games and teaching them some American games. If you love working with your hands like I do, you can go to the Dominican Republic and build schools out of plastic bottles and chicken wire, mix your own cement from the sand beneath your feet, and personally connect with the community.

You will work many hours of service depending on the duration of your trip, but each trip includes some amazing adventures. The Dominican Republic home base, for example, is right on the beach, and it’s great to cool off in the water after a long day of volunteer work. I spent a day snorkeling, shopping at the local stores, and relaxing on the beach. Another day, I went ziplining and cliff jumping from 50 feet up into a lagoon.

Parents need not worry about supervision; there are mentors and supervisors on every trip, and I felt extremely safe everywhere I went. Parents will also appreciate the other great aspect of these trips: affordability. GLA offers need-based scholarships, a guide to fundraising your trip (which is what I did), or payment plans you can work out with your trip advisor. I chose the Dominican Republic because I felt that it would be an eye-opening experience, and that was exactly what it was; I realized I am fortunate to live here in our small rural community. Everyone should travel outside of the country at least once in his or her life, so why not go to a place you never expected to go, have the time of your life, and give back all at once?

Contributed by Autumn E.

GLA Alumnus

Dominican Republic

 

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