
<h3>What inspired you to go abroad?</h3><p>I was raised in a small upstate New York town and felt that being immersed in another culture would be invaluable for my perspective.</p><h3>Why did you choose Omprakash?</h3><p>I chose Omprakash because of the flexibility, affordability, and strong ethical focus of the program.<br></p><figure class="awesome-image centered" style=""><img style="" src="https://www.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto3-iandavis-1528883392.jpg" alt="Landscape view of mountains and lush green valleys"><figcaption class="caption">The mountains<p></p></figcaption></figure><h3>What does ethical travel mean to you?</h3><p>Ethical travel is travel that supports the greater good. Typically, the greatest concern of ethical travel is the effect on the local people and environment which hosts travelers. The local communities and environment must be respected and impacted negligibly or positively as according to the perspective and values of the host communities, and not the travelers. Ethical travel should also better the traveler by engaging them in critical thinking on their perspective and role on the planet (and not impart or reinforce biases in the traveler).</p><h3>What was your favorite part about Oaxaca, Mexico?</h3><p>The friendliness of the people was the best part.</p><h3>What made your experience abroad unique?</h3><p>I had never had to seriously speak Spanish and was 17 &mdash;fresh out of high school&mdash; when I left for Mexico. My perspective and view of my place in the world has been changed forever.</p><h3>How has this experience changed the way you approach your day-to-day life and/or the future?</h3><p>This experience has totally reframed my perspective on my place in the global system. It has shown me my privileges and set me on a course to try to find a way of living that best combats inequality in the world. I am currently considering a profession in micro-finance and find myself with more patience and compassion for the world less privileged than my own.</p><figure class="awesome-image right-aligned" style="width: 50%;"><img style="" src="https://www.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto1-iandavis-1528883565.jpg" alt="Selfie of man in front of building in Mexico"><figcaption class="caption">Mexico DF<p></p></figcaption></figure><h3>What advice would you give other people hoping to spend time abroad right after high school?</h3><p>Make sure you have support at home: be sure to have ways to contact family, friends, and someone who understands the difficulties of cultural immersion. Also, be sure you find a program appropriate for your abilities.&nbsp;</p><p>Don't be afraid to stretch a little bit in learning to do development work, manual labor, or teaching your native language, but don't apply for positions like management, micro-finance, impact assessment, or medical working unless you really have received schooling in those things.&nbsp;</p><p>Both you and your volunteer agency need to be thinking responsibly and ethically including accurately assessing your capabilities. Finally, get to know your partner affiliate as well as possible before going, and don't be afraid to pull out of an assignment if something doesn't seem like it's a good fit.</p><h3>How did local staff support you throughout your program?</h3><p>My local bosses were exceptional at making me feel welcomed and useful as a part of my English teaching program. They were also very responsive to my doubts and questions, and helped make sure that all of the living arrangements I had found for and by myself were adequate.</p><h3>What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?</h3><p>I wish I had collaborated with my Omprakash mentor &mdash;my contact person while I was home and abroad&mdash; more.</p><h3>Describe a typical day in the life of your program.</h3><p>Omprakash has every type of listing for volunteering positions so I had a rather light volunteering position. I would wake up with my host family, do my exercises, bike downtown, prepare my English classes to teach, and twice a week I would spend around 5 hours getting to and teaching my classes.&nbsp;</p><h3>What did you enjoy doing in your free time?</h3><p>I enjoyed seeing museums, music, biking, running, hiking, and enjoying good food very much.</p><figure class="awesome-image left-aligned" style="width: 50%;"><img style="" src="https://www.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto2-iandavis-1528883658.jpg" alt="Tables filled with fruits and pictures in celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico"><figcaption class="caption"><p>D&iacute;a de Muertos</p><p></p></figcaption></figure><h3>What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?</h3><p>My accommodation was a family house just outside the city where our office was. I lived with three adults in their late 20s, their parents, and a few other individuals and small families that changed while I was there. Some of which were two goats, rabbits, six Chihuahuas, a kitten, and an iguana. I either shared a room or had it to myself. The best part was I had a family to live and eat with.</p><h3>Would you recommend living with a host family to others?</h3><p>I would recommend living with a host family because it's the most surefire way to have a meaningful connection with the host culture and people. It's also very helpful to have people watching out for you and being your friend.</p><h3>What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?</h3><p>It is very much up to the participant to find a partner that suits them. I found a great partner affiliate for me, but it requires a fair amount of research and patience. It's also the best program ever.</p><h3>Now that you're home, how has your program abroad impacted your life?</h3><p>I am committed to understanding income inequality, learning another language (Spanish), and becoming much much more confident in my abilities.</p><p><span style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">Would you recommend Omprakash to others? Why?</span><br></p><p>I would most, most, most definitely recommend my program because it not only offers life-changing cultural immersion in safe settings, but it also gives you incredible choices in the kinds of experiences you want, and maintains the highest ethical standards in educating all those involved to the greatest extent possible.</p>


Ian Davis

Check out this GoAbroad Interview with Ian Davis who participated in Omprakash program.

Ian Davis | Omprakash Alumni Interview

Ian Davis - 2017 Program Participant


<p></p><p><span style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold;">What inspired you to work with Omprakash?</span><br></p><p>Before working with Omprakash, I had found my studies inspiring, yet I was eager to put what I had learned into practice. In previous work positions, I often felt excited to be working towards something, yet didn&rsquo;t feel I had the space to reflect on or question the projects I was part of.</p><p>What inspired me about Omprakash as an organization is the openness to combine reflection, dialogue, and action. I find this combination, and constant aspiration to ask new questions and dig deeper both inspiring and fulfilling.</p><figure class="awesome-image right-aligned" style="width: 50%;"><img style="" src="http://www5.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto1-alexknott-1529629531.jpg" alt="Woman smiling in front of overview of cityscape"><figcaption class="caption">All smiles<p></p></figcaption></figure><h3 style='font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);'>Describe some of your typical responsibilities and projects as the Director of Outreach &amp; Curation.</h3><p>Some of my responsibilities and projects include communicating with and supporting our 180+ Partners around the world; marketing and social media; supporting our grant recipients; curating content on our Blog and Global Dialogue discussion forum and hosting webinars; writing content; and continuing to develop our EdGE Program. The variety in my work, and the ability to interact with the wide range of members that make up the Omprakash network on a daily basis keeps it very interesting!</p><h3>How do you use your own international experiences- everything from growing up in England, South Africa, and Singapore, to teaching English in Cambodia and China, and other experiences in Mexico, Greece, Turkey, Kenya, Argentina, Canada, and Costa Rica (WOW!)- in your work today?</h3><p>It all comes in, and sometimes in unexpected ways! I am very fortunate to have had many diverse experiences, and I try to bring what I&rsquo;ve learned into my interactions with EdGE students &amp; Partners, my writing, and my involvement in the EdGE classroom.</p><p>Looking back on my experiences also reminds me of the journey that brought me to where I am now, and the many ways I&rsquo;ve changed over the course of it &hellip; which reminds me to keep an open mind, and continue to engage in conversation with others!</p><h3>Why do you think it is important for people to travel and experience new cultures?</h3><p>The way we grow up often seems so natural to us that it can be hard to imagine other ways of being, thinking, and believing.&nbsp;</p><blockquote>Interacting with others with vastly different experiences in the world can help us to de-center our own perspectives, and imagine alternatives.</blockquote><p>Travel isn&rsquo;t always necessary for this &ndash; many of us live with difference all around us in our own hometowns, states, or countries &ndash; yet, travel often does provide the first connection to other people and perspectives, and can help us to realize the differences and social issues present in our own communities when we return.</p><p>Fear of other people tends to come from not knowing&ndash; once we start to connect across differences, fear and imagined barriers start to disappear. At the same time, social injustices start to become more evident and more important for all of us to contest. I think the current political climate in many parts of the world shows us the importance of such connections!</p><h3>What issues do you see in the world of international education that don&rsquo;t line up with your values and expectations for mutually beneficial and educational relationships between providers/programs and the communities in which they are located within?</h3><p>While mutually beneficial relationships may be an aspiration for many, few organizations make this a central part of their mission, or think outside the box (beyond financial transactions) in terms of what such relationships might actually look like. We don&rsquo;t claim to have the answer, but we do endeavor to work with our host Partners to figure out how we can do better, and continuously adapt according to their feedback.</p><p>One issue, I think, is the incentive structures created when people pay to volunteer, as this often lead to organizations focusing more on the experiences and comfort of their students, and neglecting the interests of the host community they are supposedly &lsquo;helping&rsquo;. Often, these programs are set up to deliver a neatly packaged volunteer trip that is designed to make the volunteer feel good about their contributions, and rarely opens a space for real connections and dialogue, deeper engagement, and the possibility of an evolving process of mutual learning.</p><p>Furthermore, few volunteer organizations offer a robust and challenging educational program to help volunteers get beyond problematic or simplistic assumptions about service, and make the most of the mutual learning that can come from international engagement.&nbsp;</p><blockquote>To move towards the ideal of mutually beneficial and educational relationships, we must question our own ingrained assumptions, as volunteers and as program admins, in terms of how our programs operate, and what this means for all involved.</blockquote><h3>What organization would you love to collaborate with in the future as part of your outreach and curation?</h3><p>So far, Omprakash has been fortunate to collaborate with a range of non-profits, higher education institutions, volunteer organizations, schools, and businesses. Each of these collaborations has allowed us to explore new possibilities, has pushed us to ask new questions, and has allowed us to evolve in our work.</p><p>I would therefore love to collaborate with any organization interested in deepening the learning potential of their programs, asking tough questions, and engaging with these complex issues with us!</p><h3>What does ethical global engagement mean to you?</h3><p>I think of ethical global engagement as something to strive towards &ndash; an emergent process rather than something tangible or fixed.</p><p>That being said, at its roots, I think it emerges from humility and realizing you don&rsquo;t have all the answers, questioning realities and perspectives (starting with your own!), and striving towards equitable relationships, while acknowledging inequalities and power imbalances. It begins with the willingness to reflect upon your own intentions, engage in open dialogue with others, and continually adjusting the way you move through the world as a result.</p><h3>Do you have any travel or non-travel lessons that you live by/ use as a guiding factor in your life?</h3><p>We all live in some sort of &lsquo;bubble&rsquo; &ndash; inevitably, we tend to only have the chance to interact with certain segments of the population. This is true on a global scale, but also on a local scale. While our bubbles are comfortable and familiar, I have found that profound learning often takes place when you&rsquo;re able to get beyond the bubble and have meaningful interactions with people you don&rsquo;t necessarily (at least on the surface!) have a lot in common with.</p><p>When I began traveling, I made an effort to go beyond this bubble and interact with people I usually wouldn&rsquo;t. In the context of volunteering, this often means trying to meet and get to know people living in my host community, rather than just interacting with other volunteers or travelers. In time, I also realized the relevance of this practice in one&rsquo;s own community, as there may be people living such different lives on the other side of town, or even in the apartment next to you.</p><h3>Why should an individual choose Omprakash over other providers?</h3><p>We enable direct connections with our host Partners &ndash; there are no fees or &lsquo;placements&rsquo;. Rather, we allow you to figure out what position is best for you in conversation with the organization(s) you might wish to support.</p><blockquote>We also challenge you (in the best way possible!) through our EdGE Program, opening new spaces for personal growth, reflection, and deep learning.</blockquote><p>We are also one of the most affordable options: you will be responsible for your travel and living expenses (we do offer grants and a crowdfunding platform to help you with these!), but we don&rsquo;t charge a volunteer fee to work with our Partners.</p><h3>What hopes do you have for the future of Omprakash?</h3><p>Omprakash was built on the ideal of building relationships, and these relationships have gotten us to where we are now. My hope for the future of Omprakash is that we can continue to forge meaningful connections, and deepen our relationships with those already in our network.</p>


Alex Knott

Get to know the people behind Omprakash! Check out this GoAbroad Staff Interview with Alex Knott.

Alex Knott | Omprakash Staff Interview

Alex Knott - Director of Outreach & Curation

Join Omprakash's Widening Circles program and engage in meaningful internships with grassroots social impact organizations worldwide. This program offers a unique blend of professional development, cultural immersion, and personal growth.

The internship is flexible, ranging from a few weeks to several months with financial aid and fundraising support available. This is ideal for aspiring changemakers committed to addressing social and environmental issues. Students and graduates seeking to apply their academic knowledge in real-world settings is also welcome.

Interning with Omprakash's Widening Circles program provides a transformative experience that combines professional development with social impact. Participants will not only gain valuable skills but also contribute to meaningful change in communities around the world.

Take the first step towards making a global impact with Omprakash's Widening Circles program. Whether you are a student, recent graduate, or professional, this internship will provide you with the skills, experience, and network needed to drive meaningful change. Apply today and start your journey towards becoming a global changemaker.

Intern with Omprakash's Widening Circles Program

Omprakash

Corporate Pirates

Since 2004, Omprakash has been dedicated to building mutually beneficial and educational relationships between grassroots social impact organizations and volunteers, donors and classrooms around the world who can learn from and support their work.

At the core, our work is about learning through relationships, and our primary goal is fundamentally educational. By forging connections within our network, we aim to "lead out" citizens of the world towards an awareness of the human community from which they are indivisible and within which they can enact change. This process helps our diverse international Partners amplify their impact, and it empowers everyone involved to become more critically conscious participants in processes of social transformation.

Since 2004, Omprakash has been dedicated to building mutually beneficial and educational relationships between grassroots social impact organizations and volunteers, donors and classrooms around the world who can learn from and support their work.

At the core, our work is about learning through relationships, and our primary goal is fundamentally educational. By forging connections within our n...

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