Why Me to We Trips?
Me to We trips are unique in that each trip works in collaboration with our charitable partner, Free The Children. An international development organization and educational partner, Free The Children has established partnerships with the communities where Me to We trips travel. The strong partnerships that Free The Children maintains with local communities and governments enable Me to We trips’ participants to truly interact and engage with developing communities overseas.
This partnership allows participants to directly experience Free The Children’s sustainable Adopt a Village development model, which is driven first and foremost by the needs of the local community. The purpose of each trip is to complement and advance the work of Free The Children through meaningful volunteer opportunities. Free The Children’s on-the-ground operations employ full time and permanent staff 12 months of the year to ensure that local development projects are completed and to guide trip participants during their time as volunteers.
Me to We trips are driven by the goal of creating systemic change—not only within the communities where they travel, but also for its trips’ participants. Me to We offers post-secondary students a unique opportunity to become more informed and engaged international citizens and global thinkers. Extending the educational experience outside the walls of a classroom, a Me to We journey is a chance to put theory into practice.
Each trip has four areas of focus:
- Community-based learning through interactions with community members where Free The Children works, and in-country discussion and education about the issues that affect developing countries.
- Volunteerism to learn about sustainable change in partnership with the community.
- Leadership development to equip participants with the tools they need to act on their education and experiences upon their return home.
- Access to a community of like-minded individuals upon return from the trip to give each participant a network that they can rely on and engage with to encourage lifelong active global citizenship. This community offers tangible ways for trip participants to take real actions to ensure that the Me to We trip is the first step in their own larger, sustained journey towards changing the world for the better.
