Hello Mr. Bennett,
I really enjoyed reading about your work. You've created a unique travel experience that incorporates historical education and a connection to the local community and its needs.
You mentioned scholarships for U.S. students. How many students receive these scholarships and what are they for?
You mentioned a report in Venice that is affecting policy locally and abroad. Can you tell us more about this report and how it is impacting policy?
Thank you for submitting your entry and keep up the good work. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you. We inaugurated our travel scholarship program in 2008. And so this is our second year. We had one student last year, and hope to have two this year. (The first student was selected last month and is funded. We're engaged in a separate fundraising campaign for the second student, and it looks pretty good.)
The idea behind the scholarship is to turn sustainable travel on its head. Normally, and this is the case with most of our sustainable travel program, we think about the negative impact of travel on a destination and try to either mitigate or lessen that impact. But it's always focused on the destination. In this case we've turned it around, and we're thinking about the traveler. In particular we're concerned that the exclusive nature of travel due to cost makes travel unsustainable in a broad sociological or political sense. If travel, as many claim and we believe, is a fundamental part of civic education and gives one a broader sense of the world and our place in it, it's problematic and inevitably detrimental that only a narrow segment of society can partake. Without extending the benefits of travel to the economically disadvantaged we build a society of travel haves and travel have-nots, separated by a chasm of cultural awareness.
So with this idea underlying it, we teamed up with St. Hope, which is a community development organization that took over Sacramento High School in the inner city neighborhood of Oak Park in Sacramento. The scholarship is intended for a high achieving student with an interest in art or history, a track record of community service, and economic need. Sac High has no dearth of kids with need, and many of the applicants for the scholarship have very little chance of jetting off to Europe for a week or semester.
Last year's recipient spent a week in Rome during which she participated in 1-2 walking seminars on site at the major monuments with local professors, and then produced a video project to document her experience. The student has gone on to enroll in the art history program in the local university in Sacramento.
This year's scholarship will mirror last year's: a week in Rome filled with learning experiences.
The report that we're underwriting in Venice is the second part of a study on the ecology of the Venetian Lagoon, commissioned by Venice in Peril. In this second part, the researcher, Jane da Mosto, has studied the impact of tourism on Venice and its environment. This is the first time that anyone has unified all the various studies on garbage, boat wake, and other effects of tourism on the city into a single report; and so it is already having an impact. Preliminary copies have found their way into the local environmental agency, which has recommended that the tourism authority step up its efforts to control garbage and improve the monitor of waste outflows from the cruise ships. This is a small thing, but it bodes well for the future. Venice faces a major hurdle in dealing with the effect of tourism, and in particular the huge cruise ships that are now the lifeblood of the local economy. But this report will shed light on some of the true costs of that lifeblood and allow stakeholders to make decisions with context.
...is to understand and walk in the footsteps of the past. My first experience with Context Travel walking tours was in 2006 on my first trip to Rome. All that I had done and read to prepare for this city was marginalized when I began my first walk with Context and the small, personal window they opened for me to Rome. I returned in 2007 an will call them again in 2010.
I found Context on a ramdom web search for tours in Italy and altough uncommon for me, decided to book all my walking tours with them based on the websites obvious passion for the traveller experience. I was not disappointed. Ancient Rome, Baroque stroll, Ostia Antica., Vatican museums. The eclectic mix of guides, all perfectly matched to the subjects and exploding with information was like falling into the subject matter. The common bond was that they all loved the city not only as it was but as it is. The very clear message that Rome, as it exists today can only continue it's historical rich path by educating it's visitors on the future as well as it's past.
I have suggested Context to many, many travelers and have always heard back that their experience with them was beyond the expectations.
Flying into an airport , renting a car and driving to a countryside is wonderful, but there is a reason Rome, London, Venice and New York attracted large groups of people in history and still do today.
Context Travel helped me become a better traveller with this education.
We've seen the incredible work that Context Travel does - I am always so very impressed with the mission, scholars, and organization. We've talked with many of their Docents, as well as with Paul, and the commitment that Context has for sustainable travel - and education - is extraordinary.
Hacemos llegar ,el equipò de Bio Uruguay y yo nuestras felicitaciones por estar entre los mejores en éste Desafío 2009.
Adelante con su proyecto en pos de un Turismo responsable y sustentable.
Lady Rodriguez
On July 1, 2009 the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators. If possible, please take the time to respond to some of the provocative questions and issues that were raised by the judges. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team.
“I am a walking tour enthusiast because they are an interesting way of learning about a place and connecting with the place. I liked the hand tool nature of it, which was great! This kind of context touring could be translated to every city, but is this happening? I would like it more if it were transportable and moved on to other cities than they have been covering. The idea of basing tourism on locals looking around the village and improving their own space that they live is encouraging and innovative. When we think of tourists, we should think of bringing them to our place and showing them our cultures and where we live in order to make them appreciate our city, invest in our city and make it a better place. You want to see people appreciating your city. This gives community ownership and local appreciation as well.”
“I really like this innovation. It re-considers the way we take a city tour in the right 'context'. It has loads of potential and is already doing well. The branding development of the business online has real potential for sustainability. I think it project is about getting a deeper connection with a place through that social awareness of a place and connection. I would like to see the quantitative social impact demonstrated by this project. This is one area where this project could take off with the right creativity.”
- Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” Judges: National Geographic Society, United Nations Foundation, Tribe Wanted, The Green Belt Movement, Lonely Planet, Southwest
Context travel is the best organization ever to make visitors feel at home and truly understand foreign cities. It is able to get to the heart of a culture, its people, its art and history and its lifestyle. What it also does is to make one aware of the peculiar problems each city has and how, as a turist or visitor, one may contribute to relieve them and how to preserve the cultural heritage each one of us can profit from.
I first utilized the services of Context Travel in Rome, in 2006. They set the benchmark in providing personalized tours led by PhD level docents who have extraordinary knowledge and insight into their areas of expertise. The tours are varied and well organized - the groups no larger than six. Context Travel is located in several countries, including the U.S.
the research of contexttravel consists in getting behind the surface and looking for the true cultural and social background in order to get tourists into a true view on either unaccessible sites or workshops or restoration sites; the choice of docents depends not only on their specific knowledge in one or the other field but also in the capacity to get the customer into a particular local atmosphere and such a personal treatment that one can feel almost at home and being taken around by a friend.
interest
These are some of my thoughts
I have many ideas useful for all people derived from nature and help the nature .I want of economic decision-makers and owners of capital to manufacture and marketing and advertising
the water
ideas to maintain the water
ideas to bring drinking water from nature
ideas to take the advantage from the user water
Energy
The exploitation of wind energy in the home and farm
The exploitation of solar energy in the home and farm
Exploitation of human energy
I have ideas in the invention and manufacture of machine
That make the owner will be free and happy and reduce costs in everyday life
This machine helps the owner in the availability of money
And for this machine many features and functions needed for every home and every human being seeks to liberate the needs
Parts of this machine is available in the market by 80 percent
I want to sell these ideas after the translation from Arabic into English
I want every one needs to be free own, especially energy and water and rationalization to maintain them and he learn how to preserve them Forever
i am Teacher has more than 20 years
I am a tourist guide i am speaking a little English and I work guide in the desert and I can walk in the desert and the help of this GPS
I want to make the tourism the title of the world peace
and This is the travel and tourism company hfilk@yahoo.com www.Smraaljanoob.com http://www.panoramio.com/user/1683546
Comments
Hello Mr. Bennett,
I really enjoyed reading about your work. You've created a unique travel experience that incorporates historical education and a connection to the local community and its needs.
You mentioned scholarships for U.S. students. How many students receive these scholarships and what are they for?
You mentioned a report in Venice that is affecting policy locally and abroad. Can you tell us more about this report and how it is impacting policy?
Thank you for submitting your entry and keep up the good work. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Dana Frasz
Ashoka's Changemakers
Hi Dana,
Thank you. We inaugurated our travel scholarship program in 2008. And so this is our second year. We had one student last year, and hope to have two this year. (The first student was selected last month and is funded. We're engaged in a separate fundraising campaign for the second student, and it looks pretty good.)
The idea behind the scholarship is to turn sustainable travel on its head. Normally, and this is the case with most of our sustainable travel program, we think about the negative impact of travel on a destination and try to either mitigate or lessen that impact. But it's always focused on the destination. In this case we've turned it around, and we're thinking about the traveler. In particular we're concerned that the exclusive nature of travel due to cost makes travel unsustainable in a broad sociological or political sense. If travel, as many claim and we believe, is a fundamental part of civic education and gives one a broader sense of the world and our place in it, it's problematic and inevitably detrimental that only a narrow segment of society can partake. Without extending the benefits of travel to the economically disadvantaged we build a society of travel haves and travel have-nots, separated by a chasm of cultural awareness.
So with this idea underlying it, we teamed up with St. Hope, which is a community development organization that took over Sacramento High School in the inner city neighborhood of Oak Park in Sacramento. The scholarship is intended for a high achieving student with an interest in art or history, a track record of community service, and economic need. Sac High has no dearth of kids with need, and many of the applicants for the scholarship have very little chance of jetting off to Europe for a week or semester.
to be cont'd in the next comment...
Last year's recipient spent a week in Rome during which she participated in 1-2 walking seminars on site at the major monuments with local professors, and then produced a video project to document her experience. The student has gone on to enroll in the art history program in the local university in Sacramento.
This year's scholarship will mirror last year's: a week in Rome filled with learning experiences.
The report that we're underwriting in Venice is the second part of a study on the ecology of the Venetian Lagoon, commissioned by Venice in Peril. In this second part, the researcher, Jane da Mosto, has studied the impact of tourism on Venice and its environment. This is the first time that anyone has unified all the various studies on garbage, boat wake, and other effects of tourism on the city into a single report; and so it is already having an impact. Preliminary copies have found their way into the local environmental agency, which has recommended that the tourism authority step up its efforts to control garbage and improve the monitor of waste outflows from the cruise ships. This is a small thing, but it bodes well for the future. Venice faces a major hurdle in dealing with the effect of tourism, and in particular the huge cruise ships that are now the lifeblood of the local economy. But this report will shed light on some of the true costs of that lifeblood and allow stakeholders to make decisions with context.
Please let me know if you need anything further.
Best,
Paul
...is to understand and walk in the footsteps of the past. My first experience with Context Travel walking tours was in 2006 on my first trip to Rome. All that I had done and read to prepare for this city was marginalized when I began my first walk with Context and the small, personal window they opened for me to Rome. I returned in 2007 an will call them again in 2010.
I found Context on a ramdom web search for tours in Italy and altough uncommon for me, decided to book all my walking tours with them based on the websites obvious passion for the traveller experience. I was not disappointed. Ancient Rome, Baroque stroll, Ostia Antica., Vatican museums. The eclectic mix of guides, all perfectly matched to the subjects and exploding with information was like falling into the subject matter. The common bond was that they all loved the city not only as it was but as it is. The very clear message that Rome, as it exists today can only continue it's historical rich path by educating it's visitors on the future as well as it's past.
I have suggested Context to many, many travelers and have always heard back that their experience with them was beyond the expectations.
Flying into an airport , renting a car and driving to a countryside is wonderful, but there is a reason Rome, London, Venice and New York attracted large groups of people in history and still do today.
Context Travel helped me become a better traveller with this education.
We've seen the incredible work that Context Travel does - I am always so very impressed with the mission, scholars, and organization. We've talked with many of their Docents, as well as with Paul, and the commitment that Context has for sustainable travel - and education - is extraordinary.
Hacemos llegar ,el equipò de Bio Uruguay y yo nuestras felicitaciones por estar entre los mejores en éste Desafío 2009.
Adelante con su proyecto en pos de un Turismo responsable y sustentable.
Lady Rodriguez
www.biouruguay.org
http://bio-uruguay.blogspot.com
On July 1, 2009 the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators. If possible, please take the time to respond to some of the provocative questions and issues that were raised by the judges. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team.
“I am a walking tour enthusiast because they are an interesting way of learning about a place and connecting with the place. I liked the hand tool nature of it, which was great! This kind of context touring could be translated to every city, but is this happening? I would like it more if it were transportable and moved on to other cities than they have been covering. The idea of basing tourism on locals looking around the village and improving their own space that they live is encouraging and innovative. When we think of tourists, we should think of bringing them to our place and showing them our cultures and where we live in order to make them appreciate our city, invest in our city and make it a better place. You want to see people appreciating your city. This gives community ownership and local appreciation as well.”
“I really like this innovation. It re-considers the way we take a city tour in the right 'context'. It has loads of potential and is already doing well. The branding development of the business online has real potential for sustainability. I think it project is about getting a deeper connection with a place through that social awareness of a place and connection. I would like to see the quantitative social impact demonstrated by this project. This is one area where this project could take off with the right creativity.”
- Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” Judges: National Geographic Society, United Nations Foundation, Tribe Wanted, The Green Belt Movement, Lonely Planet, Southwest
Context travel is the best organization ever to make visitors feel at home and truly understand foreign cities. It is able to get to the heart of a culture, its people, its art and history and its lifestyle. What it also does is to make one aware of the peculiar problems each city has and how, as a turist or visitor, one may contribute to relieve them and how to preserve the cultural heritage each one of us can profit from.
----------
Alex
I first utilized the services of Context Travel in Rome, in 2006. They set the benchmark in providing personalized tours led by PhD level docents who have extraordinary knowledge and insight into their areas of expertise. The tours are varied and well organized - the groups no larger than six. Context Travel is located in several countries, including the U.S.
the research of contexttravel consists in getting behind the surface and looking for the true cultural and social background in order to get tourists into a true view on either unaccessible sites or workshops or restoration sites; the choice of docents depends not only on their specific knowledge in one or the other field but also in the capacity to get the customer into a particular local atmosphere and such a personal treatment that one can feel almost at home and being taken around by a friend.
interest
Hello dears
These are some of my thoughts
I have many ideas useful for all people derived from nature and help the nature .I want of economic decision-makers and owners of capital to manufacture and marketing and advertising
the water
ideas to maintain the water
ideas to bring drinking water from nature
ideas to take the advantage from the user water
Energy
The exploitation of wind energy in the home and farm
The exploitation of solar energy in the home and farm
Exploitation of human energy
I have ideas in the invention and manufacture of machine
That make the owner will be free and happy and reduce costs in everyday life
This machine helps the owner in the availability of money
And for this machine many features and functions needed for every home and every human being seeks to liberate the needs
Parts of this machine is available in the market by 80 percent
I want to sell these ideas after the translation from Arabic into English
I want every one needs to be free own, especially energy and water and rationalization to maintain them and he learn how to preserve them Forever
i am Teacher has more than 20 years
I am a tourist guide i am speaking a little English and I work guide in the desert and I can walk in the desert and the help of this GPS
I want to make the tourism the title of the world peace
and This is the travel and tourism company
hfilk@yahoo.com
www.Smraaljanoob.com
http://www.panoramio.com/user/1683546
----------
i am mohamed from libya
hfilk@yahoo.com
www.Smraaljanoob.com
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