Reflecting Back on 2021
To the Amazing InPlace Community,
I’m not going to sugar coat it, 2021 has been a rough year. There have been many times when I didn’t think we were not going to make it to the other side of the pandemic. I know we are not out of the woods yet, but we will continue to be thoughtful about our actions and stay true to our values.
THANK YOU to everyone in the US and abroad that has supported us - we would not exist without you! Thank you for your time, talent, words of encouragement and commitment to our shared vision and values. I want to give a special shout out to our students and LEAD board who have been instrumental in shepherding us into our next chapter. It is because of all of you that I want to celebrate all that we have accomplished together.
As I reflect back on last year, I am proud of the fact that we have continued to have honest conversations and address challenging issues like climate change head on (check out our blog to learn more!). I know this will serve us well in the future as we continue to learn, grow and implement our new strategic priorities under the name of InPlace.
Since making this shift last spring, we have been working to transition our organization and lay the groundwork for programs in 2022. Part of that was expanding our partnerships at Western Washington University to include the School of Environment, Institute for Global Engagement and Fairhaven College. We are hopeful this will open up programming to more folks and allow us to continue to offer interdisciplinary experiences that are transformational for our students. In 2022 our goal is to ease back into travel with COVID, community consent and safety at the forefront of our decision-making processes. For now, we will focus on four programs:
Community, Environment & Development in SE Asia (Spring 2022)
Students from Western Washington University, Da Nang University of Education and the International Exchange Club at Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Science & Humanities alongside members of the Go Co Youth Union. They are working on their asset map and project idea together outside of a house in Go Co.
A new program that will connect stakeholders regionally through peer-to-peer learning in SE Asia and amplify local solutions for global change.
2. Salish Sea Biodiversity, Culture & Conservation (Summer 2022)
Western Washington University students in the North Cascades (above) and Salish Sea (below) studying natural history and ecology.
Students can now ‘study abroad’ without the carbon footprint, while learning about the ecological systems and indigenous natural resource management practices that guide the region. A BIG thank you to Abe Lloyd for creating our very first domestic program and second STEM course!!
3. Peacebuilding, Development & Sustainability in Vietnam (Summer 2022)
Participants in our 2019 program celebrating the end of the program on the beach in Quảng Ngãi, Vietnam.
Students working with their team to create a map of Go Co based on their observations, community walks and interviews, led by LEAD board member Thao Pham.
We first ran this program in 2019 in partnership with Da Nang University of Education and invited folks from our regional network as well as students from central Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City to participate alongside WWU students. We look forward to continuing to learn and use this as a space for innovation!
4. Biocultural Diversity in Nepal (Fall 2022)
Western Washington University students hiking together in Langtang National Park in Nepal.
A student learning traditional techniques to plow the field from a community member in rural Nepal.
After two years, our students are ready to return to Langtang National Park in Nepal to explore issues of biodiversity and conservation. Throughout the pandemic, we have seen how resilient systems are key to supporting local livelihoods, and we will continue to consider our role in amplifying local efforts.
Our decision-making processes throughout the pandemic have been grounded in our values. Instead of pivoting prematurely, we have been intentional in our approach to ensure we are staying true to our mission. This year, we have continued to implement strategies to better connect our network through peer-peer-learning. In theory, this will challenge conventional conceptions of sustainability by prioritizing structures that celebrate local expertise. We have been excited to see one of key partners in Vietnam - the University of Education in Da Nang sign an MOU with a partner community. Now instead of staying in the classroom, students will have the opportunity to learn about environmental conservation, food systems, traditional heritage and community development directly from local residents. Communities are innovating in so many different ways and there are countless opportunities for us to learn from one another. Our programs will continue to support local efforts and allow communities and institutions in different regions of the world to learn from one another.
Stay tuned in the coming year as we continue to hone our programs to align with our plan for a better future. We have already started to implement carbon offsets for travel across all programs, as well as create a space for curricular innovation around place-based education and diversity, equity and inclusion priorities. We are not perfect but we will continue to learn from our mistakes and do our best with the resources we have at our disposal. If you want to get involved - let us know. We are always happy to have more folks from our wonderful community participate in our efforts.
Here is to a better 2022!! 🎉🎉 We look forward to connecting with friends new and old in the coming year.
Ashley & The InPlace Team
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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.