We were fortunate enough to meet Malia Everette, Director of Global Exchange‘s reality tours. Global Exchange is an International Human Rights Organization whoses reality tours explore the social and economics impacts of US foreign policy, both past and present. Malia explained to us how her reality tours are different from typical tours.
Can you explain what makes Global Exchange’s reality tours unique?
There are many reasons. As you know we offer socially responsible, alternative, educational travel programs. Our program is also built on the principals of experiential education (thus all of our tours incorporate learning as part of the travel journey). Our programs are also transformative and we believe that experience can be the basis for change (individual and thus social). I know we share the belief that travel inspires change. It opens people’s hearts and minds. I have seen the power of people-to-people connections over the years and what our alumni have done upon return.
We offer tours to over 29 countries now. New in 2005 are Bolivia, Libya, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Reality Tours does go to places to explore the impacts past and present of US policies. For example in Afghanistan, Palestine and Israel, Colombia,Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, Mexico and Iraq.
We also offering inspiring tours that examine the successes of the grassroots, or those promoting examples in sustainability.Tours in this light again look at globalization in the context of that country and then meet with groups, individuals, etc that are doing something about it. Our delegates hear first hand what the changes have been to local communities, their cultures, their economy and even political realities. We run many inspiring programs to Cuba (our Eco and health focused tours), Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua (Fair Harvest), Ecuador, India, Argentina, and Jamaica.
In a nut shell, we run socially responsible or alternative “ecoadventures”, fact finding human rights delegations, and general educational and cultural exchanges. The multifaceted plethora of our offerings at Reality Tours, makes it unique and inspiring, and frankly it shows with clarity the true connections of our humanity despite geographical boundaries and ideological differences, as well as highlighting and honoring the amazing ecological and cultural diversity and agency in the world around us.
I also think it is unique that for 16 years Global Exchange as a nonprofit human rights organization has dedicated itself to building understanding around the world by using travel. The creation of Reality Tours shows the social entrepreneurship of the organizations’ founders. I feel honored to have continued their initial vision and to build the program over my 8 year tenure here.
Lastly, I love working with our Customized Tours program. About 40 percent of our annual tours are specially tailored for high schools, churches, universities, professional associations and groups. Working to make a dream journey become a “reality” is wonderful.
On GlobalExchange.org, it says that the participants will explore how the US’s economic and foreign policies impact other countries. Can you give us an example?
In Cuba: we have sent tours for 15 years. Sending people to Cuba is and was important because of the fact that the US has maintained an embargo against the country and does not have diplomatic relations. Our tours are designed to have North Americans and Cubans exchange ideas and for our participants to come back home with a humanized vision and experience of Cuba. When they share their thoughts it helps to change others impressions and educate them.
The embargo hurts average Cubans and we believe that it is wrong (as a human rights issue) and that it is a policy that has been ill conceived and enacted. Additionally the travel restrictions to Cuba should be challenged.
We believe in dialogue and diplomacy. We also believe in respecting the national sovereignty of other nations and that people should have self determination. That said, at Global Exchange there are diverse opinions about the current state of affairs in Cuba, but we are unified in our perspective that US relations should be normalized, peoples should be able to travel, and that the embargo be ended. We also realize many of the successes Cuba has made over the past five decades in health, education, culture and in sustainable agriculture, development and renewable energy. In this light we believe North Americans and Cubans have a lot to share and support.
Will you give us an example of one of your more popular reality tours?
Cuba was by far our most popular destination until January of 2004. We still send out a few licensed groups and are a licensed travel service provider but with out our people to people educational specific license we no longer can send 80 percent of the groups we did previously. In 2004 we saw both our tours to Asia and Latin America really grow. Also the volume of our tours to the Middle East doubled.
What kind of response have you received from your participants?
Positive. Our numbers have been growing and growing over the years. We have had over 20,000 people travel with us to Cuba alone over the years. And probably have about 27,000 almuni with all our programs. Many now are traveling to other destinations with us. Word of mouth is the best way to share the real effects of what our participants do and see, and what they say and do when they get back home.
Global Exchange is an International Human Rights Organization based out of San Francisco. We are a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that works to build people to people ties through international exchange on our Reality Tours, through Speaking Events and Literature, and through our Human Rights, Economic Justice and Corporate Accountability Campaigns.