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GV at a Glance: Our Philosophy
Cornerstones of Global Visionaries' Philosophy
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Experiential Education -- Youths experience what it is to truly live as global citizens and leaders by immersing themselves in their own communities as well as communities in Guatemala. They work side by side with other youth, acquiring language skills and cultural competencies, participating in reforestation, school construction, micro-lending and patient care in hospitals. In doing so, they become agents of concrete change that benefits everyone; they embody the characteristics of positive leadership. Participants are empowered to create their own worldviews based on their own experiences. Students share in the ownership of guiding the organization--deciding the future of the program and curriculum.
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Creation of a Diverse Community -- Believing a healthy community creates justice and equality for everyone, the participant group is intentionally diverse, based on race/ethnicity, socio-economic class, geography, gender, as well as many other important identity factors. Through retreats, work teams and structured workshops in diversity/"pro-justice" (ie: anti-oppression), youth guide youth to understand and name their own privilege and/or oppression as well as the structural causes of institutional oppression in order to be allies for each other. They create a community with understanding and appreciation for diversity.
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Peer to Peer Education -- Students who complete the first year of the Leadership Program can join the Youth Board (YB) to learn advanced leadership and facilitation skills. YB trains and mentors first year students in work teams, fundraising, and cultural and diversity training. More senior members of YB share their skills with first year YB members through theater, discussion, and creative reflection. Youth begin to rely on each other for answers and trust their peers to support and guide them.
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Community Partnerships -- GV counts on a great number of partnerships to attain the depth and holistic scope of our mission. All of the successes of GV's local and international work teams are built upon years of groundwork by its partner groups including Global Partnerships, EarthCorps, and As Green As It Gets. Partners also provide trainings for the Youth Board and help in reaching out to at-risk youth in Seattle to further involve students of color and low-income families in GV.
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