Global Visionaries

Global Visionaries, an educational non-profit organization, educates and empowers youth to become active community leaders and global citizens who promote social and environmental justice through community service at home and abroad.

Description:
Global Visionaries carries out its mission through the yearlong Youth Leadership Program, which provides diverse groups of high school students with a global perspective, empowering them to understand the intrinsic relationships between local and international social and environmental justice issues and volunteer work. This program culminates with the Service-Learning and Cultural Immersion Trip to Guatemala, which extends, internationally, our students' local commitment to service. Locally, our students engage in "Work Teams" revolving around micro-lending, fair trade and environmental restoration. Through anti-oppression training, our students learn to respectfully interact across cultures and promote peace and cooperation among diverse peoples.

History:
Global Visionaries (GV) was the brainchild of student, Jason Morgan Foster. He came to his former geography teacher, Joe Fontana, in the fall of 1996. They had the dream that real education was outside the classroom and in the real world. In June of 1997, Global Visionaries took its first trip and has been growing ever since. Global Visionaries has taken over 25 trips and over 500 students to Guatemala. The Yearlong Leadership Program continues to grow in breadth and depth. GV students have built over five schools, reforested over 3,000 trees, over a dozen homes, and protected Seattle urban habitat among many other accomplishments.

Contact people:

Chris Fontana, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Nikolina Horvat, Office & Finance Manager, (phone), (email) Allison Jorgensen, (email)

Main office number: (206) 322-9448
Office fax number: (206) 322-9719

Address:

2524 16th Avenue South, Room 305 Seattle, WA 98144 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.global-visionaries.org

Directions:

Nearest Bus Stop: Buses 36, 38 and 60, 2 minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Liability
	Yes
Does your organization welcome court-ordered community service volunteers?
	No
Does your organization have volunteer positions for youth 12-18?
	Yes

Last updated on February 1, 2010