Dear fabulous reader,
I was in the shower (where I do some of my best thinking), pondering all the political fighting and social media outrage that seems to happen every week. Well, ok every day!!
Each day, people yell into the echo chamber.
I don’t know about you, but I have slight “outrage fatigue.” I can’t get up in arms anymore about a single speech or tweet, or what someone is wearing. I’m tired of it, and real problems don’t get solved that way.
They get solved by getting out there and doing something.
I recently read a great book called The Death of Expertise, which talks about how study after study has shown that people online tend to wall themselves off from opinions they don’t agree with because it’s easier than ever to just find information that confirms what you already believe.
But as travelers, we meet people from around the world. We experience cultures and values different than our own. I think is why travelers tend to be more open-minded than most. We have a broader perspective. We’ve been outsiders ourselves. We travel because we want to see the differences in the world, not hide from them.
Which is why, thinking about this topic, I am glad we have FLYTE, our community charity that raises money to send high school students on international trips to help expand their minds and put their education into practice. FLYTE aims to show kids that the world is much bigger — and full of more possibility — than they could ever imagine!
So far we’ve raised $26,000 to send these kids on a volunteering trip to Guatemala:
These are the students from the Victor School in Victor, Montana, a small town of only 800 in rural Montana that is 96% white. Living so far outside a metropolitan area makes it hard for them to interact with a diverse range of people. Ten days in Guatemala isn’t a lot of time for us, but for these kids, it represents the start of a bigger, more important journey.
But we need another $7,000 more to make this trip happen!
And I’m asking for your help to help us get us to the finish line! On bended knee!
This trip is their chance to get out (even if only for a moment) and see the world, experience new cultures, and see the possibilities that exist beyond their small town. It’s a chance to spark an interest in the world and in education.
It is a chance to turn these kids — who, thanks to FLYTE, now have passports — into travelers and global citizens.
It is a chance for them put their schooling into practice.
It is a chance for them to see a world completely different than their own and develop empathy. To broaden their horizons and not just listen to what cable news or a curated social feed tells them.
It’s never been more important to broaden people’s perspective.
And it starts with these kids.
Because they will soon be the adults of the future.
For as little as $1, you can help us get there. If everyone who reads this website gave a dollar, we could make this – and many more like it – happen right away!
We can be the change we want to see in the world. Travel has done so much for us. So many people have been strangers in unknown lands.
If you’ve been wondering how you can pay it forward and get involved in building a better world, this is your chance.
I know this is a budget travel website and most of us don’t have a lot of money but for the cost of a few drinks, you can pay it forward and help great a new generation of responsible travelers!
NOTE: We are a 501(c)3 charity so your donations are tax exempt. (US residents only)
These kids, their teachers, and their parents will be forever changed by your generosity.
If you’re the type of person that believes love trumps hate, help us help these kids.
If you’re the kind of person that is looking for a way to spread the power of travel, help us help these kids.
Let’s pay all our travel kindness forward and send these kids from the small town of Victor to Guatemala!
Thank you so much for any support!
Sincerely,
Nomadic Matt
P.S. – Please help us share this organization and cause by forwarding this blog post to your friends and family or sharing it on social media! Let’s change some lives!
The post We’re 75% of the way to completing this mission! Help us get to 100%! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
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