Opportunity for Students
Global Works, a Boulder-based travel organizer, has been providing teen community service, cultural exchange, adventure travel and language immersion programs for 23 years. Based on the idea that learning is most impactful when lessons are experiential and interactive, about 800 high school and college students each year travel with Global Works’ special blend of programming. Beyond volunteer service, most incorporate a home stay, adventure activities like rafting or ropes courses and either language or other skill-focused options such as pre-business, premed/public health or soccer.
Bridge Christian Church in Longmont, believes this is because Jesus told us to love our neighbors. He encourages his congregation to follow a three-pronged approach with this effort: to show love to our immediate neighbors living next door, to the people in our communities and to those around the world. On staff at LifeBridge for 6 years, Depler has led many intergenerational volunteer groups with various purposes and destina-
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” —Maya Angelou People—be it staff, client travelers or the local communities they visit—are a clear priority for the company, which has seen 10–15 percent growth in the last five years. Appearing 22nd on Outside magazine’s Best Places to Work list, Global Works has a high employee retention rate and a combined 65 years of field service experience. Students and their parents can rest easy knowing two or more carefully selected, experienced group leaders attend each trip tions. Most recently, he took a group to visit a local church and with safety as a cornerstone via effective planning, prevention and child development center in northwest Ecuador to offer its leaders encouragement. vigilance throughout. “It is so important for these communities to know there are Destinations include countries throughout Central and South America, Africa, Spain, China, the Fiji Islands and people that care about them and to ask how they would like for more. Each community partnership has been developed based us to help,” he says. Global outreach at LifeBridge is about relationships with a conon personal connections with the community it will serve, whether that is a local teacher, Peace Corps volunteer or other scious effort not to do for others what they can do for themselves. personal contact. This allows for long-standing relationships Depler says, when it comes to working within a relationship, the in rural communities so that programs meet educational goals word “with” is so much more powerful than “for” or “to” in order to avoid hurting people by trying to help them. in a sustainable way. He goes on to describe an interaction with a Executive Director and Co-Owner Erik WerGlobal Works chief in rural Kenya. After the church provided ner says the trips are ultimately about fostering 2342 Broadway funding to hire local people to install fresh water personal growth by developing of a sense of globBoulder wells in the village as well as group of people to asal citizenship, a more diverse world view, passion 303.545.2202 sist in the work, the chief expressed his gratitude for service and self confidence. GlobalWorksTravel.com for making it “our” well, not just building it for “We truly believe that travel has the power to them. This had given him and his people pride and change lives,” says Werner. LifeBridge Christian a sense of empowerment. Church Love Thy Neighbor That’s what the partnership is all about,” says Depler. 10345 Ute Highway The Corporation for National and CommuniAll of the global partnerships currently in place resLongmont ty Service estimates that U.S. religious organizaonate with the church’s core values and vision. Much of 303.776.2927 tions account for 34 percent of all volunteer time, the congregation is passionate about children’s issues, LBCC.org more than any other category. so several programs center around single mothers and Drew Depler, global outreach pastor at Lifeservices for children in destinations such as Kenya, Eccontinued >
June 2014 | Boulder Lifestyle 41