A Catalyst for Global Citizens and Social Entrepreneurs
Be a Part of Global Sustainability www.global-visionaries.org
global vision. local action.
Our Mission To educate and empower youth to become active leaders and global citizens who promote social and environmental justice through community service at home and abroad.
What Sets Us Apart
Global Visionaries (GV) is committed to building socio-economic, racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity among program participants. Our scholarship fund enables us to include representation from all income brackets—fifty percent of our students receive financial aid. GV strives to teach young people to accept and respect those who are different from them, building solidarity among diverse groups of students. The year-long programs offered by Global Visionaries provide the context for youth to become powerful agents of change. Program participants impact their local community through service and social venture projects; they also partner with communities in Guatemala to support micro-finance businesses, improve access to education and healthcare, and advance environmental protection efforts. Nearly 400 U.S. and Guatemalan high school students participate in our programs each year.
A Catalyst for Glob
United States Programs Annually, nearly 400 U.S. and Guatemalan high school students are selected to participate in our leadership programs. GV offers a multi-year program that provides participants the opportunity to develop leadership skills and to work on projects addressing social justice and environmental issues. GV also trains community volunteers to act as mentors to improve retention of at-risk students.
First Year Leadership Program Participants in this program receive training in social justice, environmental, and cross-cultural issues. They also volunteer on local work teams through partnerships with non-profits including EarthCorps, Local Roots, Youth Venture, and Bridges to Understanding. The program culminates in a 15-day cultural-immersion trip to Guatemala where students volunteer alongside our Guatemalan teen participants, live in homestays, and study Spanish with a private tutor.
Youth Board Upon graduation from the first year leadership program, students may chose to apply for a position on the Youth Board. Members of the Youth Board receive advanced leadership training and work directly with first-year students in positions of leadership as they lead retreats and teach class sessions. They also work closely with GV staff and the Board of Directors to provide organizational support and assist with strategic planning. Youth Board members also serve as mentors to students in the first year leadership program.
In School Global Leadership Classes Several Seattle-area high schools offer semester-long social studies classes using the Global Leadership Curriculum, a social-justice based curriculum developed by GV in collaboration with teaching professionals. The Curriculum emphasizes learning though community service and hands-on leadership skill building exercises, teaching students about 21st century problems and empowering them to bring about change. Upon completion, select students from the global leadership classes will join the GV first year leadership program.
In Numbers • Total number of years GV has worked in Guatemala • Total number of International trips • Total number of U.S. youth participants • Total number of Guatemalan youth participants • Total number of Guatemalan and U.S. youth board leaders since 2004 • Total number of students enrolled in GV’s global leadership class in Puget Sound public high schools • Total number of adult trip (life-long learner) participants • Total number of trees planted since 2005 • Total number of of school rooms built since 2004
14 36 702 495 198 420 16 12,395 16
Architects Without Borders-Seattle is excited to be partnering with Global Visionaries in Guatemala. We've been impressed by their collaborative approach to empowering youth and the communities in which they serve. They've been enthusiastic collaborators in envisioning sustainable and sensible design strategies for the project. With a group of our volunteers heading to Guatemala, we're looking forward to continued success together. –Brian Gerich, Board Member, Architects Without Borders, Seattle
bal Citizens and Social Entrepreneurs
Guatemala Projects School Construction
Guatemala has a total population literacy rate of sixty-nine percent. This rate is significantly lower among indigenous populations where communities typically lack the basic capital and infrastructure needed to educate their youth. U.S. and Guatemalan GV participants, with the help of local village residents, have built sixteen classrooms in four Guatemalan villages since 2005. This collaborative effort will result in a total of fourteen additional classrooms for grades K–6 by 2017.
Reforestation Since 2004, GV has created 16 school rooms providing access to education to 210 new students.
Today, only twenty-six percent of Guatemala remains forested. Of the forest that remains, fifty percent is classified as primary forest and is home to a number of endemic or threatened species. Since 2005, U.S. and Guatemalan youth have contributed to reforestation efforts by planting and tending to over 12,500 trees in three regions of Guatemala. GV has set a goal of planting an additional 3,000 trees in 2010.
Healthcare
A significant number of Guatemalans lack access to basic health care services. Guatemala has the highest infant mortality rate and one of the lowest life expectancies at birth in Latin America. Through GV, students have procured and donated over 10 tons of medical equipment to villages most in need. Students also volunteer their time in Guatemala by assisting nursing staff at a long-term care hospital facility.
Micro-business
Approximately fifty-six percent of Guatemalans live below the extreme poverty line, which is defined as lacking the means to purchase a basic basket of food. GV is committed to finding sustainable solutions that enable those in need to support themselves and their families. In 2006, GV began a fruitful partnership with As Green as It Gets (www.asgreenasitgets.org), a Guatemalan organization that supports small, independent coffee producers and promotes environmentally responsible agriculture.
Global Visionaries-trained U.S. students provided a micro-loan to entrepreneurial Guatemalan youth, former GV Guatemala participants, to start Espresso de Esperanza, a small coffee roaster and exporter.
A Guatemalan Corporation: A True Youth-run Business Success Story Unwavering demand for their product has made this a successful business, providing sufficient revenue to cover infrastructure costs, to gain legal status as a corporation, and to acquire export licenses, green coffee purchasing licenses, taxpayer ID, and a sanitation certificate. Espresso de Esperanza has even issued stock. The five owners of the company are now furthering their education as university students in Guatemala.
Since joining Global Visionaries, I have learned to see things beyond what they seem, whether good or bad. Now I can project shortand long-term goals, consider the consequences of every action I perform in my life, and respect people with the simple fact that they are people and deserve it. In short, I'm a better person and I see the world in a much more positive light. –Billy López, GV Guatemalan Youth Board
global vision. local action.
A Catalyst for Global Citizens and Social Entrepreneurs
Be a Part of Creating Global Youth Leaders To keep all these programs running in Seattle and in Guatemala, a little goes a long way... $50,000 provides scholarships for 30 low-income students to participate in the GV program $25,000 funds the salaries for two full-time and several part-time contract staff in Guatemala to coordinate GV projects, trip logistics and coordinate the 100 Guatemalan participants. $12,400 builds one classroom $7,200 will pay for the roof and floor $4,000 will pay for 1,500 cinder blocks to form 4 walls. $1,200 will pay for the windows $2,500 funds our technical support needs for the coming year $2,000 pays a partial scholarship for 1 low-income student traveling to Guatemala to build 1 classroom $1,500 keeps our Seattle office open for one month
Any amount you donate is greatly appreciated.
With your help we can train our Guatemalan and U.S. youth for a lifetime of leadership, providing them with knowledge of ecological and social justice issues, as well as an understanding of how the choices they make affect the world.
Get Involved
Additional opportunities for involvement include the Gap Year Program for young adults and the Life Long Learner program for adults. For more information on how to become involved, visit us online at www.global-visionaries.org.
Join Our Campaign! Global Visionaries 2524 16th Avenue South Room 305 Seattle, WA 98144, USA
phone 206.322.9448 web www.global-visionaries.org email gvinfo@global-visionaries.org
www.global-visionaries.org