Study Abroad, Responsible Travel & Community-Driven Development

Intercultural Education

Study Abroad & Responsible travel

We offer transformative educational opportunities to foster resilience and adaptability, form genuine connections, and help shape a better future. In partnership with Western Washington University, our programs draw on an inclusive and culturally responsive curriculum to challenge preconceptions through our deep connections to local communities. In doing so, we strive to create lasting intercultural relationships built on mutual respect and reciprocity that serve as a foundation for meaningful, long-lasting change.

Intercultural Education - Study Abroad & Responsible Travel
Community development and community engagement in Gatlang, Nepal

Community-Driven Development

local Solutions for Global Change

Our approach is bottom-up rather than top-down. We believe the most effective and lasting solutions come from local communities rather than outside experts. Our role is to strengthen these efforts, not to design them. We prioritize alternative ways of knowing by partnering with visionary local leaders and organizations with the determination to help their communities thrive and support their efforts.

 

Engage InPlace:

You can help build the InPlace community and uphold our values for social and environmental justice. We love to connect people to the causes they are passionate about supporting, so there are many different ways for you to get involved!

 
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Why InPlace?

 
 
“I learned to travel in a way that had been missing from my other experiences. The intercultural education that was provided shifted my worldview, taught me how to better engage with the local community, and got me thinking about how I might make a difference.”
— Kelsey, Alum - 2009, Bhutan
 
 
 
 
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News from the Field

News from the Field
Reflecting Back on 2021

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.

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Reimagining Responsible Travel

What 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.

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Why Study Abroad? Are Carbon Offsets Enough?

There 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?

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Climate Change, Study Abroad & Responsible Travel

Since 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.

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Principles of Responsible Travel #5: PARTICIPATING RATHER THAN OBSERVING While we emphasize culturally appropriate behavior, we have found this can sometimes paralyze travelers from participating out of fear of making mistakes. Most local communities
Principle of Responsible Travel #4: DEVELOPING LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS We travel to communities with the goal of building long-term relationships based on mutual trust and friendship. Rather than pursue one-off visits, we prefer to cultivate connecti
Principle of Responsible Travel #3: LEAVING A SMALL FOOTPRINT We are conscious of the resources we use in other communities, particularly in areas where they are limited. We also try to minimize our waste from consumption, specifically from plastic b
Is there anything better than sharing a meal together? Here's our Vietnam Global Village Program sitting down for some grub back in Summer 2019. What's one of your favorite meals to share with people? #eattogether #communitydevelopment #communityeng
Principle of Responsible Travel #2: LEARNING FROM AND VALUING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE We believe there are many insights to be gained from cultures that have existed for centuries or millennia. Whether it is on the role of community or cultural and env
Dr. Chu Manh Trinh is a leader in natural resource management and community-led development in Vietnam. His passion is teaching and working alongside communities, and we are lucky to have him co-teach portions of both our SE Asia and Vietnam programs
Principle of Responsible Travel #1: Cultural Sensitivity Responsible travel starts from a place of respect for cultural differences and a healthy dose of humility. While we do not believe we need to leave our values behind, we do think one of the gre
Congratulations to all of the InPlace alumni that officially graduated today!! 🎓🎓 You give us hope for the future, and we know the steps you take and the efforts you make will help change the world for the better. Please tell us how we can continue
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
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