One the 1-year anniversary of becoming a digital nomad it only seems fitting to announce I’ll be joining the Nomads Giving Back! team, as an ambassador!
Nomads Giving Back! (NGB!) is a social enterprise with the vision to inspire nomads, expats and travellers to give back to the communities they call ‘home away from home.’
The nomad community is increasing rapidly as more of us make the decision to leave the confines of our countries, cities or offices, in exchange for a location-independent lifestyle. This is made possible by increased internet access around the world, as well as open borders and regions that welcome foreigners into their communities. That warm welcome often feeds the nomad’s value of freedom. Freedom of movement and freedom of choice. Many nomads hold immense gratitude for this freedom, I know I certainly do. And when I met the founder of Nomads Giving Back! for the first time, I realised we shared this gratitude, and also shared a vision to demonstrate that gratitude in the way of service.
Tarek Kholoussy founded Nomads Giving Back! because he saw an opportunity for the nomad community to give back to places they temporarily reside in. As foreigners, we are often welcomed into these communities and allowed to live our location-independent lifestyles as we wish. In exchange for this, Tarek saw an opportunity to encourage nomads to work with local NGOs or initiatives providing service, guidance or collaboration. The aim is to create local hubs, run by leaders and volunteers, and facilitate activities that result in social and/or environmental impact.
In Ubud, Bali, NGB! collaborates with co-working space Outpost at both their Ubud and Canggu locations to host bi-weekly Meaningful Movie Meetups. In Medellín, Colombia, they run skill-share programs. Most recently, NGB! teamed up with GLOT, the University of Antioquia and Alcaldía de Medellín, for their first-ever language skills camp. The purpose of the three-day program was for nomads to share their language skills with teens and young adults in Medellín. These are just a few examples of the connections NGB! has facilitated around the world, with many more to come.
Through our shared values of community and compassion, a mutual decision was made for me to join the global list of NGB! ambassadors. This month I was able to meet the team for the first time, in beautiful Ubud, Bali, where we are collaborating on 3 separate events including a screening of Girl Rising at the 2019 Modern Woman Festival. Girl Rising is a film that follows the life stories of nine girls from the developing world, who struggle every day for freedom, education and a voice. I’ll be speaking with fellow ambassadors about activism as a woman and how girls play a major role in global development.
Other events include an appearance at the Nomads for Change Festival and a screening of The True Cost, a documentary about who really pays the price for our clothes.
To say that I’m honoured to join the NGB! team is probably an understatement. As a nomad, as a traveller and as an activist I know too well the importance of giving back to the community, and collectively working towards the greater good. In the impact space collaboration is so important, and I believe that together we can really change the world. I will remain a voice for the organisation, helping to inspire nomads and the general public to give back to the places they travel to.
More to come.