With the opportunity to work remotely from anywhere in the world, so comes the opportunity to connect with new communities; with new people and cultures that were once foreign and now awe-inspiring.
As nomads, we’re often invited into new communities with open arms and find a place to call home-away-from-home and so, how do we show gratitude for this hospitality?
How do we give back to these communities and these people?
Who are Nomads Giving Back!
Nomads Giving Back! is a social enterprise with the vision to inspire you to give back to the communities you call home-away-from-home.
Ultimately, Nomads Giving Back! are trying to solve the question people often ask, which is “I want to connect with locals, I want to give back to the local community, but I don't know how.”
Founded almost two years ago by social entrepreneur, Tarek Kholoussey, the organisation has facilitated over 65 events in their main hubs Bali & Medellin, Colombia, connecting nomads with local causes.
They have built a community, both offline and online, of impactful nomads with compassionate hearts and offered guidance on giving back - whether that’s information about local and international causes, matching nomads with organisations through their volunteer matching program, or connections made through their Facebook groups and Ambassador program.
Prior to the pandemic, Nomads Giving Back! facilitated impact trips, language camps, and skill-sharing programs that directly supported local community groups and not-for-profits.
We’re not a regular travel blog; we’re a collection of women living around the world, all with different backgrounds, jobs, desires, & nationalities. What do we have in common? A passion for life abroad. Each article is written from the 1st-hand perspective of a woman who has actually done or experienced what she writes about.
Learn more about the author by clicking her bio pic at the start or end of each article.
How you can volunteer with Nomads Giving Back
The Nomads Giving Back! Volunteer Matching Program:
With travel restrictions and social distancing affecting much of the world, volunteering may not be top of mind, but organizations are struggling to reach their impact goals and they need your help.
Nomads Giving Back! partners with NGOs, social enterprises, and non-profit organizations around the world who have specific needs so we can match them with kind-hearted volunteers like you who have skills to offer.
How it works:
- Fill out the Volunteer Matching Form to indicate your skills and the types of organizations you want to help
- Receive an email from Nomads Giving Back! with organizations that match your preferences and need your skills
- Choose the organization you want to help
- Coordinate details directly with the organization (we’ll put you in touch with them), then start volunteering!
Volunteer with Nomads Giving Back!:
As I mentioned above, Nomads Giving Back! is a unique organization whereby, in true start-up fashion, its team members volunteer their time in dedication to the cause. They connect through a global Slack channel and run bi-weekly global calls and leadership calls where team members can connect, inspire, and empower one another.
If you’re passionate about social impact or want to help your community in a bigger way, Nomads Giving Back! is expanding their global team. They accept volunteers on a part-time basis and you can view a list of open positions here.
Why their mission is so important
The underlying mission of Nomads Giving Back! is to create positive social change around the world, and this mission is so important in the current climate of events.
As the global pandemic debilitates industries, worsens poverty, and puts a strain on global mental and physical health, perhaps the best thing we can do is be there for one another and promote compassion, kindness, and selflessness.
Research has shown that giving makes us far happier than receiving, and Nomads Giving Back! lives out its mission by inspiring others to do just that. If everyone in the world helped just one other person, imagine the kind of world we would live in?
The pandemic has redefined what it means to be connected, perhaps while physical connection is not possible there is a connection to be found in giving.
My experience volunteering with Nomads Giving Back!
I have volunteered with Nomads Giving Back! for over a year now.
I started as its first Ambassador, through our shared values in educating and inspiring others to consider social and environmental impact while travelling. At the time I was running a sustainable tourism blog titled The Altruistic Traveller, and I had the opportunity to speak at one of Nomads Giving Back’s Meaningful Movie Meetups on the topic of sustainable fashion.
It was then that I saw what Nomads Giving Back! was trying to achieve by bringing like-minded people together to discuss topics that shape our future, and support local causes that are on the frontline of social change. At that event, over 40 people learned about the harsh realities of unsustainable fashion and unethical supply chains. It was inspiring to see minds walk away with new insight and a drive to take that insight and create their own impact.
The pandemic was hard on the organisation, as it was on all of us.
They could no longer hold in-person events or impact trips that bought much-needed income to local communities. Us nomads all disbursed, some back to their home countries, some riding the storm where they were. But still today, the 100% volunteer-run organisation strives to inspire us to create impact and to give back.
And that’s why I am still here, because my values haven’t changed and neither have theirs. We believe in a better world - a more connected world.
For more information about how you can get involved with Nomads Giving Back!, head over to their website to browse possibilities, join their Facebook group, and get in touch with them directly.
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