Global Explorers Blog 
Cambodia Field Update
Just over one year ago, a colleague at Colorado State University shared an RFP from the U.S. Department of State with me. It was a call for proposals for nonprofit organizations interested in sharing cross-cultural learning experiences with diverse groups of U.S. students.
I jumped at the opportunity. As a result, we were awarded the chance to develop the American Youth Leadership Program with Cambodia. Now, thirty diverse students and five educators from across the United States are in Cambodia working alongside Cambodian peers to share stories and lessons.
Today, the photo above was sent from our Afar Magazine reporter in the field with a note that the trip had been amazing so far. It's a shot of U.S. student participants alongside Cambodian students reading books that were donated as a part of a successful fundraising campaign that we co-hosted with We Give Books of the Pearson Foundation. For every book read in the U.S. online at We Give Books, one hard copy book was donated to a library in need. In this case that library was a school library in rural Cambodia.
As Director, I'm not able to travel with students as much as I might like. Photos like these remind me of what a great privilege it is to share cross-cultural immersion experiences with students.
Share on Facebook Post to Twitter Posted by David Shurna · June 27, 2011
What’s Your Favorite Sound?
As a part of our Hear the World Sound Academy in the Grand Canyon this year, we asked all of our participants to share their favorite sound. The students with and without hearing loss will head to the Grand Canyon in August to study sound and hearing loss in partnership with the National Park Service, the Grand Canyon Association, the Hear the World Foundation, Grand Canyon Youth and Global Explorers.
Share on Facebook Post to Twitter Posted by David Shurna · June 20, 2011
Eye-Opening Experience
Often when we think of the Leading the Way program, our immediate thoughts are of the blind students who are empowered and inspired by the program. While blind alumni consistently site the program as a turning point in their lives, we also see a huge impact on the sighted alumni. Leading the Way teaches young people from all backgrounds about overcoming many different types of adversity.
One shining example is Jackie Juarez, a sighted high school junior who lives in Longmont, Colorado. Jackie's parents immigrated from Mexico many years ago. her Leading the Way application was a clear front-runner; its raw, humble honesty moved us. A star player on her high school basketball team with an excpetional academic record, Jackie also volunteers hundreds of hours every year at the community organization that provides food to her family.
Share on Facebook Post to Twitter Posted by David Shurna · June 7, 2011
That’s Right: I Said OOOD
Surely “oood” is a typo. Perhaps the cat stepped on the keyboard? Does Global Explorers actually practice something as ridiculous-sounding as “OOOD”?
It’s not, she didn’t, and we do! OOOD is our acronym for Out of Office Day. Global Explorers believes in occasionally convening outside of our normal workspace so that we can tackle some of the big picture issues that deserve our attention. Our OOODs facilitate discussion and generate valuable input from staff. These mini-retreats give all of us the opportunity to contribute equally and freely, whether you are an intern working 15 hours a week or the founders who started GEx from scratch.
In addition to meaningful dialogue, we also enjoy tasty snacks.
During our OOOD in March, we spent the morning in a cozy lodge reflecting on our personal values as well as the values of Global Explorers as an organization. That afternoon we volunteered our time at ReSource, another local nonprofit that promotes waste reduction by recycling used building materials. Service is a key component of our programs, and Global Explorers believes that regularly serving our home community is where it all begins.
Our OOODs are a special part of GEx organizational culture and just another reason that it feels good to be a part of this team!
