Hi Everybody,
Let’s Get Global is making great progress, and I’m calling on my friends to officially join the international volunteer team. Most of you receiving this have already indicated that you would like to help.
As you know, LGG is a movement to encourage and assist American youth to experience other cultures...to cross borders and share lives! If you believe in the idea, I invite you to join us. I’m excited when I think about the fact that if we work together, we can actually change the cultural norm in the country. I’m hoping that you’ll get your friends, relatives, and neighbors to join too.
Here’s the link to our Volunteer Questionnaire. There’s a lot of work to be done and we need everyone. Please take a few minutes to let us know how you’d like to help. There’s something for everyone to do.
http://bit.ly/LGGvolunteer
The questionnaire is a little long, but in order to plan our strategy, we need to know how you think you can best contribute. You don’t have to answer all the questions, but we do need everything that’s got a little red star next to it. Thanks for taking the time to fill it out.
Even if you happen to be in China or New Zealand or Suriname, we can put you to work doing research and posting stuff on your blog and on Facebook and Twitter. And if you’re in the US, you can help us spread the word in your community and in the local media. We’ll be sending out more ideas and suggestions as we grow. A movement needs numbers and we’re counting on you.
The fun part of this volunteer form is what happens to your answers after you click “Send.” They go straight into a spreadsheet, fully organized (thanks to my ace sidekick, Kelli Shewmaker). I will be able to put in the word ‘Michigan,” and all the volunteers in Michigan will jump out at me. Or “Research,” and I’ll have a long list of people willing to “Google” on behalf of LGG.
As we’re waiting for your answers, we’ll be compiling our list of tasks. One of the things we’re working on is a pilot project of after-school clubs in five high schools around the U.S. We want to make these clubs outstanding and “the place to be.” We expect to have significant funding to make this happen. Our hope is that many students will be intrigued enough because of the clubs to plan a gap year. The word will spread to other schools. We need volunteers to help develop the curriculum, recruit local volunteers, do community outreach, etc.
And we’re developing a ton of other ideas as well. We need all the help we can get.
One of the volunteer tasks will be to help build a coalition of existing international gap year and academic programs. LGG is encouraging students to go abroad the year after high school, but we are fully supportive of academic exchanges during high school and college as well. We’d like to show funders that we’re strong and organized and united.
Another task is to help put together a list of foundations and philanthropists who have expressed an interest in bringing global experience to our youth. We’ll be specific in your assignments so it won’t be overwhelming. It could be that just one of your ideas will make a dramatic difference.
We have the beginning of a site (www.www.letsgetglobal.org)...but we want to build it and put in a bunch of bells and whistles. And lots more information. For that we need IT people and more researchers.
Yesterday I got a fabulous idea that kept me up most of the night! I’d like you to look at. I just added it to the LGG blog. I have a feeling you’ll be as excited as I am when you read and think about it. Given the fact that it’s a brand new concept for LGG, I’d really like to hear your comments. http://letsgetglobal.org/2010/08/wed-like-your-ideas-on-this
A quick review: we’re not running a program. We’re about spreading the word that doing an international gap year after high school and before the next phase of life is great for everyone. American youth will be prepared for the academic and professional challenges of college and the job world. Colleges will get more mature, focused, and flexible students. The corporate world will have employees who are better prepared to work in the global economy. And the U.S. population will be more understanding and respectful of other cultures. Education is so much more than what happens in the classroom.
There’s a lot to do and I’m counting on everyone who has connected with me...through my books, my life, my blogs...to pitch in and make this movement a dramatic example of how a team of people working together can bring an ideal into reality.
I hope you’re as excited as I am to be a part of this! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me: femalenomad@ritagoldengelman.com. Thanks. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Love, Rita
Let’s Get Global is a project of US Servas, Inc., a 501c3 with more than 15,000 hosts around the world. |
U.S. Servas members are 
