During the 2012 NAFSA Conference and Expo, the GoAbroad Team was pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Innovation Awards. As part of a continued effort to recognize the hard work and dedication this year’s nominees, GoAbroad will be sharing individual features of the 2012 GoAbroad Innovation Awards finalists over the coming weeks. This week, we are thrilled to bring you the Innovative New Program, Volunteer Abroad Award finalists!
Please join us in congratulating the following Finalist (and Winner!) of the Innovative New Program, Volunteer Abroad Award:
Rustic Pathways
“Women Speaking Volunteer Project”
Women Speaking is a grassroots initiative from Rustic Pathways that aims to weave together the female narrative. As mothers, daughters, teachers, business-women, and friends, women fulfill many roles in Southeast Asia, and their roles in society will continue to evolve as the region modernizes and changes. This trip pulls back the curtain on the female experience in Thailand, revealing a vital part of society that often remains hidden from view, especially from visitors. Participants experience the sleepy fishing ports in Southern Thailand, the bustling metropolis of Bangkok, and rural rice farms and Hill Tribe villages, discovering a colorful array of female voices throughout the journey.
Throughout the trip, participants move beyond the conversation, and students are encouraged to actively participate in the lives of girls and women from across the spectrum of Thai society. Woven together, the stories heard and the experiences had make up the intricate fabric of the female narrative. The goal is to have the connections made during this trip to empower students to better understand both the women of Southeast Asia, their home country, and around the world.