What inspired you to work for your organization?
After a later-in-life commitment to the Peace Corps, I returned to my rural home in West TN to help out my family for what I thought would be a short few months. Their health issues translated into a five-year stay and discovering much of the beauty and the need in a rural poverty-stricken area.
As a reporter for the local weekly paper and then the first Communications Director for the school district, I first interviewed and then got to know Stacie Freeman, the Global Studies Director for a nearby college. I soon learned of her heart for introducing our local youth to the wonders of travel service learning.
When I then met Julie Hill and witnessed her passion for the arts and education and her unique skill set of interacting with donors at her university, I knew these two educators needed to meet. An introduction, and many conversations later, they formed Global Citizen Adventure Corps; a nonprofit that would provide scholarships for travel service learning aimed primarily at rural and economically disadvantaged students but with programs open to all.
Describe a typical day at work.
We are small but we are mighty. I work remotely, and part-time, so I usually give GCAC around 4 hours a day. My work might focus one day on creating pages for the website, another on strategy for reaching more teachers with the opportunities we offer their students, and another on crafting a co-leader manual and creating its accompanying online training tool. One day it meant driving to New Orleans to represent the org and receiving GoAbroad's Innovation in Philanthropy award.
Why do you do what you do?
I know firsthand how travel can transform perspectives and open minds. I may have come from a town of 2,000, but after visiting more than 30 countries, I see things from so many different angles. I'd love the students participating in our programs to have the option of exploring well beyond their city limits.
One of the first GCAC programs Karen Campbell participated in. In Costa Rica working with community partners.
What is your favorite part of your job?
The photographs of the smiling faces of the students as they work and play hard inspire me and I hope to do the same for others as I share their stories with our local media and via our website. When one more person understands and supports our work, I feel a part of something much greater than just me and my keyboard.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
I have a Master’s in Communications and have utilized it for five decades, in fields as varied as religion, politics, education, and nonprofits. After my first international trip, where I witnessed interpreters firsthand, I realized I do the same in my roles. I listen and translate so that others may understand, and find the best channel for conveying the message. Perspective is a trait learned in travel and honed in writing, photos, training, and more.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
We are a nonprofit so I don't do what I do for financial gain. My nomadic life (i.e. no mortgage, rent, repairs, etc.) is a simple one, but with wifi and a keyboard, I can communicate extravagantly! We are focused now on spreading the word about the good we do and believe that if communicated effectively, our donor and participant base will grow, and we can see more students become the global citizens our world needs them to be.
What are some current projects you are working on?
I've just updated the website so that users can more easily navigate to critical information. My current big project is compiling the user manual. After that, is the online learning tool for our ever-growing number of program leaders and co-leaders. Since we are building the plane as we fly it, I'm also working on improving our communications strategy.
Karen, a past Peace Corps volunteer and now Vice President for Communications for GCAC, shares her experience with GCAC participants.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
I'd tell that 20-year-old to remove her thoughts of limits. I've learned travel can happen without large bank accounts. I often say I didn't have the capacity to envision the expansiveness of the life I have led. I have no regrets, but given the opportunity, I'd tell my pre-travel self to think and dream bigger and live with open arms and mind regarding what's possible beyond what's visible.
What makes Global Citizen Adventure Corps special?
GCAC is a nonprofit that offers scholarships to students who are usually first-time travelers, from rural and economically disadvantaged areas, and ready to work on community-identified service projects in international settings. We offer transferable college credit via an online course that goes beyond the history of a setting and digs into culture and what it means to be a global citizen.
Why should someone choose Global Citizen Adventure Corps over competitors?
Not everyone should! We are not a high-end tour company. We keep our programs as cost-effective as possible, we support UN Sustainable Development Goals, and seek to listen to our local partners about what's needed in their communities rather than go in with an agenda.
We are educators who believe in the power of travel as a transformative tool. We work hard and play hard. We want those people who share our vision and mission to come along for an amazing and fun ride!
What hopes do you have for the future for Global Citizen Adventure Corps?
GCAC is needed to tell teen girls, like I once was, in small towns that something beyond what they know is possible, to offer teen boys from disadvantaged areas hope for a future.
My hope is for GCAC to extend its reach to those students across the U.S. and then introduce them to countries around the world. To do so, we need to increase our exposure and our donor base.
At the annual summit for GCAC board members and volunteers as the emcee, recognizing outstanding participants.
Are there any developments with your organization that you would like to share with us?
For a relatively young organization, we continue to be recognized — as GoAbroad did — for our mission and vision. We celebrate the accolades and are actively seeking partners with whom we can share our stories and collaborate. We would love to have more educators join us as program leaders, and have more exposure in publications and on websites that cater to our target audiences.
What makes your organization easy to market to potential participants?
Anyone who wants to charter a program, or serve as first a co-leader and then leader of a program can notify us via our website. The registration for participating in a program and the scholarship application are also online. We are also real people who know that traveling today has been regulated by apps. We are ready to connect with those interested and guide our new friends or acquaintances along the way.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
The mission of GCAC is to cultivate global citizen leaders through education, travel, and service opportunities, and increasing mutual respect for people, places, and the planet. Our vision is to create a global community in which the world’s challenges and opportunities are met by educated, compassionate leaders and thinkers.
We collaborate with in-country partners to identify appropriate service projects that also support UN Sustainable Development goals. Locally, our students are gaining college credit, earning community service hours, and adding to their educational tracks. Academically, we offer a variety of learning opportunities from agriculture to the arts. We cultivate the community of cultural cheerleaders for our cause via active social media, outreach to local media, an engaging website, and regular newsletters.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I'd like to see expanded perspectives and transformed lives that jump first to a question of, "What other way might this be viewed," rather than "My way is THE way," when confronted with differences. To me, true learning is evident in a transformed life, not simply by measuring the gaining of information.
How do you help support participants?
My primary role is telling their stories. I am also a monthly financial supporter of GCAC and am actively seeking more donors. I seek to share insights with our very active and diverse board to equip them to be even stronger supporters of our efforts.
If you could participate on one of your organization's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
My ideal would be to participate in each new location as a media professional, capturing photos and telling the story in real-time. I have my heart set on either Brazil or Cuba in the coming year.
What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?
No matter what they ask prior to travel, I usually say, "It's on the website and let me show you." During programs, they ask very insightful questions about culture and then I tell them if I know or say, "I don't know so let's learn together."
Behind the scenes, Karen works alongside board members and Co-Founder.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Here, I would simply repeat our mission and vision. The mission of Global Citizen Adventure Corps is to cultivate global citizen leaders through education, travel, and service opportunities, increasing mutual respect for people, places, and the planet. Our vision is to create a global community in which the world’s challenges and opportunities are met by educated, compassionate leaders and thinkers.
Why do you think learning a new language is important?
It's so easy to think your culture, language, world view is THE way to operate. Struggling with a new language helps you empathize with those in your community who might be using a language other than their heart language. For me, it was humbling in a good way as I had to listen and learn from younger teachers as an older Peace Corps volunteer trying to resurrect her college Spanish.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Consider your impact. While it is informative to travel and see the sights, eat the food, invest in the local economy, etc., we have the opportunity to do so much more if we seek to travel with purpose. Serve other cultures, learn from them, and do all as sustainably as possible.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel is transformative, changing hearts and minds, and perhaps the future. As we humans grow beyond our self-imposed boundaries of geography and worldview, and seek to collaborate with others.
