Our decision-making processes throughout the pandemic have been grounded in our values. We have been intentional in our approach to stay true to our mission. This year, we have continued to implement strategies to connect our network through peer-peer learning, hone our model for change and community-driven development, and tackle challenging issues like climate change.
Read MoreWhat are the tourism practices we can use to mitigate escalating climate change? The ongoing global health crisis of COVID-19 is urging us all to answer this question as economies, livelihoods, and our environment battle its repercussions. Hear from Renee Bailey, a WWU Alum and LEAD Board member, about reimagining responsible travel.
Read MoreThere is no perfect solution to deal with the climate crisis. Individual action will only take us so far. We need systemic change within our largest institutions. At the same time, it's important for InPlace to address our own carbon footprint and the cost of study abroad on humanity and the global environment. But are carbon offsets enough to justify the cost of study abroad?
Read MoreSince our founding, we have grappled with the tradeoffs of international travel and climate change. For us, this ethical dilemma has remained at the forefront. Should we be taking students abroad when the communities we work alongside are directly impacted by climate change? This blog will explore those questions and possible strategies moving forward.
Read MoreIn recognition of our collective impacts on the climate and the news from the IPCC earlier this month, we wanted to share a beautiful piece written by one of our alumni about her hometown in the Mekong Delta. Stay tuned as we continue to grapple with a warming planet, and lay the groundwork for what we plan to do going forward.
Read MoreDr. Chu Manh Trinh is a leader in natural resource management and community-led development in Vietnam, and we are lucky enough to work with him on our Vietnam programs. His passion is teaching and working alongside communities, and here he shares some of the lessons he's learned in his long career.
Read MoreOur mission is centered around building relationships with communities and people whose ways of life are grounded in deep place knowledge. When communities are able to find and maintain a mutually beneficial balance between people and land, everyone is better off.
Read MoreWe have some big news. When our normal operations halted last year due to Covid-19, it gave us a chance to have some long-overdue conversations about our name and work. Since then, we've spent a good deal of time brainstorming, writing, discussing, and rewriting, and we've finally reached a point we feel good about.
Read MoreGet to know the faculty leader of our Biocultural Diversity in Nepal Program: Abe Lloyd. A passionate ethnobotanist, his own experience with study abroad and responsible travel have helped shape the program.
Read MoreWe know that meaningful change takes time, and we wanted to be intentional about our course of action. There are always areas to improve, and we must continue to take steps to create more enabling environments for systematic change. For us, that means it’s time to hit the reset button and make sure our work is aligned with our values of social and environmental justice.
Read MoreIVS acknowledges the events of the last week and aims to act in solidarity with those who continue to suffer from white supremacy and racism in the United States. It is imperative to bear witness to racial violence, acknowledge the pain it causes, reexamine our own biases, and support community initiatives to begin to change a broken system.
Read MoreBipin Lama, the Program Manager for our Nepal Program, and his friends took action when they noticed their neighbors in the Thamel District of Kathmandu going hungry. Together they purchased food and supplies to cook 100 meals per day for those in need. Our goal is to provide at least one meal a day until businesses are allowed to open.
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