About Us
Four Friends and a Satellite Dish
In 1998, four college friends had an idea to connect young people across the globe to foster dialogue and forge meaningful connections. They had heard about the emergence of video conferencing technology and thought maybe they could use it to link classrooms.
Before long they were crossing borders wearing backpacks stuffed with satellite equipment. Their focus was on linking places where the culture gap was widest, where the need to break down stigmas was greatest, and where young people were least likely to be aware of each other’s perspectives.
They went to Rwanda and Sudan, Iraq and Syria – to listen to and amplify the voices of young people who’d witnessed genocide and war and who’d lost homes, parents, sisters and brothers.
On the other end of those early connections were American students who might have thought ‘that war is not in my country,’ or ‘that crisis doesn’t affect me.’ But now they’d met someone – a person, not a stereotype – who’d lived those experiences.
Suddenly, the students’ perspectives – on both ends of the conversation – shifted. They realized the world was much more complex and interconnected than they’d understood.
This was the genesis of Global Nomads Group.
Next Generation Nomads
Today’s young people are keen to define their own identities and to engage with the social and political issues that most directly affect them and their communities. They are concerned about the world they’re inheriting and also believe in their capacity to change it. And they are ‘digital natives’ who seamlessly blend their online experiences with those ‘in real life.’
Global Nomads is equipping young people with the tools they need to take the reins and be the drivers – not just the recipients – of our programs. They are now our content creators, and their collaborations are prompting increasingly courageous conversations among global youth who are sharing their stories, questioning each other’s preconceptions, breaking down stereotypes, and discussing pressing social issues with clear-eyed purpose and urgency.
The next generation of Global Nomads is here. And Global Nomads Group is meeting them where they are.
