Why GROUND?

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

GROUND partners with communities across Asia to assist in their sustainable development. The communities we work with are our clients. We work with them to design mutually beneficial programs ensuring that the community’s development needs come first.

CULTURAL EXCHANGE AND IMMERSION

We create challenging journeys for young people that strengthen leadership skills, build resilience and teach cross-cultural understanding. GROUND understands the value in cross-cultural sharing and provides a sustainable environment to enable that.

TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEYS

Similarities unite more than differences divide, and this transformation in understanding is the lifelong legacy that our program leaves for both participants and local communities.

HOW GROUND WORKS

Our programs work by putting the communities’ development needs first, meaning that we put our programs together differently to many other organizations.
We then match the needs of the community with the educational goals of a student group.
A typical GROUND program will feature a healthy mix of culture, contribution to a sustainable project, local community immersion, cross-cultural interaction, lots of fun and some downtime.

Read more about how GROUND engages for sustainability here.

CREATING TRANSFORMATION

GROUND’s journeys are developed with the objective of transforming young travelers through positive experiences. Building leadership skills, resilience, and cross-cultural connections are the foundation of this transformation.

LEADERSHIP BUILDING

They say that travel is the best form of education – and it’s easy to see why. Every challenging scenario weathered and every decision made is a reflection of the skills we need to develop for everyday life. It’s a lesson in how to communicate, tolerate and innovate; all skills that great leaders share.

For a young person, being involved in a local community project is a powerful opportunity to find leadership within themselves. Whether helping to construct new toilet blocks, carrying out primary health checks, renovating local community centers or teaching children basic hygiene, the time spent on project not only builds confidence in one’s abilities, but also changes one’s outlook on life.

RESILIENCE

Resilience comes from stepping out of one’s comfort zones and successfully adapting to change. Through participating in one of GROUND’s journeys, travellers are likely to find themselves immersed into cultures and a way of life they are unfamiliar with. Our programs help develop a reservoir of personal strength, based on flexibility, tolerance and being open to the challenges and positive effects of change.

CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTIONS

GROUND journeys blend together countless aspects of cross-cultural relationships by encouraging travelers to cooperate both within and outside of the team. Travelers overcome language barriers, establish strong personal relationships and open their minds to new possibilities in their new environments. As they progress through their journey with us, both cultural and socio-economic boundaries fade away, leaving space for collaboration, understanding, and empathy.