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Globe Aware, established in 2001, is an international, non-religious, non-governmental, non-political nonprofit organization headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The organization was founded by Kimberly Haley-Coleman and holds special consultative status with the United Nations. Globe Aware's mission is to promote cultural awareness and sustainability by implementing community projects in various international host communities. Volunteers are mobilized for short term service projects in over 17 program sites around the world. Like peers such as Habitat for Humanity, the organization is led by volunteer efforts.
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Recognition
Globe Aware, a federally recognized 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization, has been a member of the International Volunteer Programs Association since 2003. In 2006, Globe Aware partnered with Travelocity to be a Change Ambassador for Travelocity's Travel For Good program. In addition, in 2007, Globe Aware was authorized to administer the President's Volunteer Service Award to its volunteers. Globe Aware is an active member in the United Nations' sponsored Building Bridges Coalition and works with grassroots NGOs around the world. Globe Aware is also a partner of Volunteers for Prosperity, a government sponsored initiative to encourage international voluntary service by highly skilled American professionals supporting the global health and prosperity goals of the U.S. Government. Globe Aware also partners with UniversalGiving, an online nonprofit organization to offer their volunteer opportunities to people around the world.
Globe Aware-founder, Kimberly Haley-Coleman, has years of experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, and served on the board of International Volunteer Programs Association, a quality vetting organization.
Kimberly Haley-Coleman's experience in the volunteer vacation and nonprofit field was profiled in 2014 in Dallas, Texas-based magazine Preston Hollow People Hockaday Alum Helps Current Students Become 'Globe Aware' and in May 2014 in a Delta Sky Magazine article "Globe Aware a Voluntourism outfit for the time-crunched travelers."
Globe Aware operates in a variety of countries, including Costa Rica, Vietnam, Ghana, and Cuba, as evidenced by the Today Show's article "6 Places Where You Can Reinvent Yourself". According to Self (magazine), 65% of Globe Aware's volunteers are si ngle travelers, in addition to a number of families who volunteer together. From 2003 to 2008, Globe Aware saw a 100% increase in the number of families signing up for volunteer vacations.
Over the years, there has been a rising trend in the popularity of volunteer vacations and a rapid increase in the number of people interested in volunteering while traveling. The numerous options of organizations offering volunteer vacations have left prospective travelers struggling to understand the difference between each organizations and the programs they offered. Organizations like International Volunteer Programs Association and travel experts like CBS News' Peter Greenberg objectively critique and recommend programs for travelers.
Globe Aware has been featured in publications including the Huffington Post, Condé Nast Traveller, and the Wall Street Journal.
Globe Aware’s Cambodia program was featured in a documentary that aired on PBS called “Journeys for Good” that won three Emmy Awards. The documentary can be viewed here and here.
Globe Aware also specializes in multigenerational/family volunteer vacations and was profiled in a summer 2014 CNN report which can be watched here.
The organization was profiled on the NBC Today show by Kathie Lee and Hoda in June 2012.
Globe Aware volunteers and their projects, inspirations and experiences were also profiled on April 4, 2014 in Newsday: LI volunteers share their hearts, experience abroad
Controversies
Many controversies have arisen over the effectiveness and helpfulness of voluntourism. Frequent objections question the ability for volunteers to make a sustainable difference in as short of a time as one week. 6.
Another ongoing controversy with voluntourism includes Orphanage Tourism, the act of traveling as a volunteer to an orphanage overseas to spend a short period of time working directly with the children. Accusations against orphan operators include “keeping children in abject living conditions to generate continued foreign donations and lax or non-existent background check for potential volunteers.”. Globe Aware maintains a stance of not supporting Orphanage Tourism.