Ha's humble campaign against poverty
“Hello, I’m Ha Nguyen, a graduate student of the European Master in Tourism Management, and I have a small dream to share with you.” This is how Ha (Vietnam, generation 2016-2018) kicked-off her crowdfunding campaign, taking place during the 2017 summer holidays.
Vietnam has been ranked the 62th poorest country in the world with the population of 91.7 million (2015). Today, there are still millions of Vietnamese people who live under the world-poverty line (<$2/day), who cannot afford education for their children, who cannot afford medical treatment for their family, and who are forced to live in extreme conditions without water or electricity. Inspired by a UNICEF Video “What will it take to end the poverty in Viet Nam”, Ha came up with a crowdfunding campaign called: “For the better lives of needy Vietnamese”. Many questions flew through her mind, but rather than contemplating those bigger complexities she decided to act with her campaign. |
“Raised in a humble family and accustomed to the struggle of affording education when being a child, I came to the understanding of how meaningful external help can be: one smile, one word of encouragement, one small donation that might change a life. In other words, a fortune for a child or a family.”Ha
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As Ha has been working for years with communities in Vietnam’s National Parks she combined professional and charity work in the summer by visiting two provinces located in two different National Parks: the ‘Đồng Tháp’ province in the Tram Chim National Park, and the ‘Lâm Đồng’ province in the Bi Doup National Park. Through her working experience, Ha understands that pro-poor tourism can be - with dedicated people and funding - a significant tool for improving living conditions and alleviating poverty of poor communities. In the past she delivered recommendations and reviews on tourism development, published in local media. But, besides tourism, Ha believes that education can offer a real way out of the poverty cycle, therefore she initially aimed to visit local schools, talking with the children, organising mini workshops and encouraging children to speak up, inspiring their dreams which she believes is still a challenge in Vietnam’s current education system.
“I understand that it is always better to give the the rod than the fish, but once people are depressed, a short-term solution is needed that gives hope and the courage to move on.”Ha
In the Tram Chim National Park Ha wrote a handbook for a Homestay project run by WWF, and simultaneously got in touch with 8 local families to learn about their specific situation and provide short term solutions. She recounts that “the most touching cases are the family of 11 people living in a flooding fragile hut, and the family of 4 people living in the tiny boat on the verge of sinking. In the case of the second family, they didn’t even have a penny to seal the hole and thus the boat actually sunk twice! It’s the very first time they received outside support as I witnessed the hope expressed through their smiles and tears”.
In the Bi Doup National Park Ha spent a night in the K’Noh village where her host led her with his motorbike to 14 families. The families are part of a minority group, living only 50 km away from the main centre, in a remote and undeveloped place: “the whole village survives through farming: the annual corn and coffee harvest. However, most the families don’t own land and work therefore for the ones who have, receiving in return a daily/weekly wage for food. When I visited the village, the rainy season had started, so there was no work. Those who didn’t own land or don’t possess stored food had to leave the village behind or search the forest for food. According to my local contact they are faced with starvation in this season. Thus, I decided to support 14 families with 15kg of rice, instant noodle and hygiene items. When I observed their lifestyle, I noted the lack of basic hygiene awareness, so I shared my experience with them in this regard before giving a way the support.”
"I understand that it is always better to give the rod than the fish, but once people are depressed, a short-term solution is needed that gives hope and the courage to move on.
In fact, I know that what the project has done for them is very little, but it certainly did contribute to those small communities in intangible ways as well, such as the motivation for young ones to go to school. Frankly, we must start somewhere and this was a very new experience for me. The program helped me to gain a better understanding of the situation in those places, and to be a better version of myself. To sum up in numbers, the project raised 1.302 US$, supported 23 families in the Tram Chim and K’ Noh village, as well as in the Free meal program in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh province." |
Yousra on A Route To Connect
During her fourth semester Yousra (Brazil, Cohort 2015-17) decided to move to Portugal, where she got involved with MEDesTU, an association that promotes the Arab and Islamic world through the deconstruction of prejudices. MEDesTU is also part of the PAR Refugee Support Platform (PAR), aiming to help refugees in areas such as legal support, language, integration and socialization.
It is in this context that Yousra got involved in "A Route To Connect", where she aimed at working with refugees to better understand their real struggles and needs.
It is in this context that Yousra got involved in "A Route To Connect", where she aimed at working with refugees to better understand their real struggles and needs.
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PROJECT IN A NUTSHELL:
A Route To Connect focuses on spreading awareness about the refugee situation in the Balkan route, giving a voice to the stories of refugees and empowering youngsters to take action.
One of the main activities of the project has been a study trip across the Balkan countries (15th May -2nd of June) which started in Slovenia, headed down to Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia, and ended in Greece. A group was formed by students, activists, clowns, refugees and humanitarian workers who visited camps, volunteer groups and initiatives that are present all over the Balkans, in order to provide needed support to people seeking refuge. In cooperation with Clowns Without Borders, the visits to the camps were enriched by circus performances and artistic parades.
After the study trip the participants follow up on the experience and create local projects with a team back home during the summer of 2017.
WHAT IS THE BALKAN ROUTE?
First a fast transit route for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, the Balkan route was officially closed in March, 2016, leaving thousands of displaced people stranded in Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece.
EVOLUTION OF THE ROUTE:
2012 - The Western Balkan route became a popular passageway into the EU.
2015 - More than 700.000 people traveled the route from Greece to Central Europe.
March, 2016 - The Balkan route was officially closed.
June, 2016 - Serbian NGO Grupa 484 says that over 650 000 migrants and refugees, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, were registered in Serbia between June 2015 and June 2016.
A Route To Connect focuses on spreading awareness about the refugee situation in the Balkan route, giving a voice to the stories of refugees and empowering youngsters to take action.
One of the main activities of the project has been a study trip across the Balkan countries (15th May -2nd of June) which started in Slovenia, headed down to Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia, and ended in Greece. A group was formed by students, activists, clowns, refugees and humanitarian workers who visited camps, volunteer groups and initiatives that are present all over the Balkans, in order to provide needed support to people seeking refuge. In cooperation with Clowns Without Borders, the visits to the camps were enriched by circus performances and artistic parades.
After the study trip the participants follow up on the experience and create local projects with a team back home during the summer of 2017.
WHAT IS THE BALKAN ROUTE?
First a fast transit route for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, the Balkan route was officially closed in March, 2016, leaving thousands of displaced people stranded in Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece.
EVOLUTION OF THE ROUTE:
2012 - The Western Balkan route became a popular passageway into the EU.
2015 - More than 700.000 people traveled the route from Greece to Central Europe.
March, 2016 - The Balkan route was officially closed.
June, 2016 - Serbian NGO Grupa 484 says that over 650 000 migrants and refugees, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, were registered in Serbia between June 2015 and June 2016.
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"Place of birth should not define yourself, nor a document, a paper, a passport." Yousra
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"I wanted to see things for myself and not what has been portrait in the media: find a way to help, listen to their stories, understand their local codes. My father was Syrian - he left his country not as a refugee, but seeking a better life. I will never be able to see the Syria he told me about; but I do really want to help the Syrians (and others) find a place where they can feel home again.
After the Route, we will start updating the website with stories, photos, memories and videos from the journey. As part of the Awareness Raising Campaign we will also implement local public events in 8 different countries, concentrated around three key dates: World Refugee Day (20 June), International Youth Day (12 August) and International Day Of Peace (21 September). I still need time to digest everything I saw in the Route... all the stories, the looks, the fences, the smiles. There's a LOT of bad things going on in the world, but there are many good people too. And there is hope. We must always have." |
MASTER THESIS - During the project Yousra wrote as well her Master Thesis on Gender Equality, presented in London.
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Konstantinos' strive for equal educational opportunities
Right before his start in the EMTM programme, Konstantinos (Greek classmate from generation 2016-18) founded together with his sister the “H-Ug”, or “Help-Uganda” Project. “H-Ug” is a project that aims at supporting local communities and schools and promoting educational opportunities for Ugandan students.
Coming from a family environment where education was always a core value, Konstantinos realized how education can have a positive impact not only at an individual’s level but also at a community’s level. Believing that education should be a right for all, he decided in the summer of 2016 to act according to those values and beliefs. Together with his sister, Konstantinos departed to Uganda to implement the H-Ug Project. During a period of 20 days in the surroundings of Kampala, after observing and understanding the basic conditions in which children and students live and receive education, he acted according to the aims of the H-Ug Project. Some of the most significant activities were the visits to a nursery, primary, secondary and high schools. Furthermore, a two-day training seminar was held for students, administrative and academic staff at the Ndejje University, where they also informed the University committee on exchange opportunities through Erasmus+ and creating partnerships between European and African Universities. Lastly, he met the consulate of Greece in Uganda to discuss about the current policies regarding the possibilities of Ugandans who are willing to study in Greece. Throughout the first two semesters Konstantinos continued to build out his Project by organizing events and participating in Youth programs, where he had the chance to create collaborations with European NGOs. Being part of the EMTM, he decided to combine his passion about tourism and travelling with his passion on volunteering and giving. During spring break, he implemented a project, entitled as “H-Ug within Balkans”. A multicultural team consisted of 7 people traveled through Balkan countries to explore the countries and conduct several events in collaborations with Schools and NGOs with an aim to spread awareness concerning African education, the Uganda experience and to discuss the topic of Volunteerism. EMTM classmates supported Konstantinos' project and helped during several events. His EMTM cohort helped in subtitling the trailer and documentary “Uganda through our eyes”. In particular Lina (Kenya) shared her personal road of education during the Balkan tour, Saori (Japan) and Andreas (Austria) ran with Konstantinos as a team the Istrian Marathon in Slovenia thereby also spreading awareness about the H-Ug project. During the event "The Value of Education and Voluntourism" in Ljubljana, Lauren (Canada), Sil (Belgium) and Valentin (France) were involved by presenting other ongoing projects in Africa. Konstantinos is also country representative for Greece and Erasmus Mundus Ambassador trying to raise awareness and inform Greek students about studying opportunities through Erasmus Mundus. Together with Artemis (Italy), they spoke about Erasmus Mundus and EMTM at the Greek University of Piraeus, where they had been invited to conduct a workshop. Furthermore, Konstantinos met with the Greek Minister of Tourism to inform her about his actions, was invited to give a talk at a Greek TEDEd event to inspire and motivate students on traveling and volunteering, participated in the 'No walls - more words' project in Italy, and engaged in several Erasmus+ Youth Exchange programs such as the “Humans Rights Here Write Now” in France. In his fourth semester (which is dedicated to the Master Thesis) Konstantinos envisions a project that will combine all his passions and knowledge. He aims at strengthening the ties between European and African Higher Education Institutions, support local communities and schools and set several milestones that aim at spreading awareness; potentially running the SaharaMarathon in Western Sahara and climbing Africa's highest peak. “It is rare to find people with the same mentality, to share the same values and ideas, and most importantly to share the same beliefs. The EMTM family helps me everyday to improve, go further and make my dreams come true. It is the proof that united you can do much more than alone. I am glad and proud to be surrounded by those people, my people.” Konstantinos
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Trailer - 'Uganda through our eyes'
Konstantinos and sister Marilena on Greek Televsion Show 'Online'.
Western Sahara - A taste of the SaharaMarahon. Good luck!
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Oana's take on Virtual Reality, tourism and patient recovery
TOURISM AND VIRTUAL REALITY
Tourism Experience Research focusing on Virtual Reality (VR) still remains in its early stage (anno 2017). However, many tourism stakehoders such as DMO's or travel agencies are addressing new strategies based on the opportunities provided by this technology. A current example that reflects the influence of Virtual Reality (VR) in the tourism sector is the app Dreams of O, designed by Felix & Paul Studios. This application uses VR to promote Cirque du Soleil as well as to make people experiencing the touristic attraction through Samsung’s Gear VR headset. Thus, VR has become a marketing tool but also another way of experiencing Cirque du Soleil. It is not yet clear which Virtual Reality applications may have a positive impact on the tourism sector. However, its potential will have an impact in the structure and managmement of the area.
A PERSONAL JOURNEY
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"Virtual Reality (VR) appeared in my life eight years ago. A boom of migration, from Eastern Europe to countries such as Spain and Germany, divided families. The economic circumstances did not allow people to easily travel back and see their families." Oana
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It's within the migration context that Oana (born in Romania, grown up in Catalunia - generation 2015-17) wanted to provide people a way of feeling closer to places they wished to be. As she grew up she wondered: "How can I give people with restrictions the opportunity to travel without physical movement?"
The Netherlands - Oana pitching her VRExplorer idea at the 'health innovation campus'
MOVING FORWARD DURING EMTM
During EMTM Oana took the opportunity to get profoundly engaged with VR by participating in conferences, competitions and co-creating ideas together with inspiring classmates.
Today, she discovered her true passion: helping people with a disability to experience travelling despite physical restrictions. In the third semester of EMTM she contacted Gerrit Slooter, a surgeon who aims to enhance the well-being of patients by adopting Virtual Reality. Sharing the same vision, she decided to collaborate with dr. Slooter in an explorative research project that looks at tourism, healthcare and innovation. |
"Everyone has the right to feel like a tourist even if their circumstances do not allow them. VR is just a channel to provide that feeling."
During her fourth semester, Oana researched the needs of dialysis patients as well as the meaning they give to tourism. As the patients need to be present in the hospital three times per week, four hours per day the concept of 'travelling' means to them: complexity, fear and worry. Those emotional issues, in addition to their physical limitations make the journey of tourims extremely challenging. Oana envisions VR to play a role in providing novel stimuli and breaking their daily routine. Read also her article on 'virtual reality in tourism'. |
Travel for Justice
- The indigenous people of Western Sahara -
"You might be wondering, really, can tourism change things? Can it bring down walls. Yes. Tourism is the best sustainable way to bring down those walls and to create a sustainable way of connecting with each other and creating friendships". Aziz Abu Sarah
"TOURISM FOR GOOD"?
Although we should be critical and not take 'tourism for good' as a mantra, EMTM students are just one of those species that believes in tourism's power to create a better, more just, tolerant, equal, peaceful and sustainable world. Today, the University of Girona develops an awareness-raising travel project in Western Sahara, and has given several of our EMTM classmates, across generations, the possibility to participate within that framework of their beliefs. Western Sahara is considered as Africa's last colony and one of the remaining non-self governing territories in the world.
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Ted Talk: Aziz Abu Sarah
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WESTERN SAHARA CONFLICT IN A NUTSHELL:
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THE PROJECT
Creating connections between people and places is one of the most political acts. It alllows to break down walls, build understanding, and spread awareness of the many injustices that are present in today's world.
The Western Sahara Project's aim is to spread awareness on one of those injustices, namely the Sahrawi's lonely fight for their right of self-determination. After forty years living under extremely harsh conditions, a third generation of Sahrawi is about to be born in exile, yet a handful people on Earth know about these marginalized people. Within the framework of solidarity travel, the University of Girona collaborates with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's Ministry of Youth and Sport to initiate awareness-raising visits to Western Sahara (the refugee camps in southern Algeria and the liberated territory under control of Polisario). In 2016, ten EMTM students were involved in creating the foundations of this awareness-raissing experience, and engaged in a fieldtrip to understand whether this experience was feasible in reality. In 2017, four more students went to Western Sahara to document all those visits and activities envisioned in the previous year, and bind them in a guidebook for visitors and organizers. In a next phase, the University of Girona will set up an organizational structure responsible for organizing the visits, create a training programme and start marketing to its target groups. Hopefully, a new group of EMTM students will have the opportunity to engage with those milestones.
The mission is to bring people into a dialogue with the exiled Sahrawi people. Throughout a ten-day visit they learn about: the place, Sahrawi & foreign mobilities, urban structure and facilities, heritage, every-day life, economy, and the Sahrawi Sate. As the participation fee is set at a bare minimum, the visitors are asked in return to contribute to the Sahrawi people in other than monetary ways, by for example organizing an exhibition in their own community. This experience based on the principle of giving back to the community gives a new face to tourism, a tourism that is perhaps able "to change things".
The Western Sahara Project's aim is to spread awareness on one of those injustices, namely the Sahrawi's lonely fight for their right of self-determination. After forty years living under extremely harsh conditions, a third generation of Sahrawi is about to be born in exile, yet a handful people on Earth know about these marginalized people. Within the framework of solidarity travel, the University of Girona collaborates with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's Ministry of Youth and Sport to initiate awareness-raising visits to Western Sahara (the refugee camps in southern Algeria and the liberated territory under control of Polisario). In 2016, ten EMTM students were involved in creating the foundations of this awareness-raissing experience, and engaged in a fieldtrip to understand whether this experience was feasible in reality. In 2017, four more students went to Western Sahara to document all those visits and activities envisioned in the previous year, and bind them in a guidebook for visitors and organizers. In a next phase, the University of Girona will set up an organizational structure responsible for organizing the visits, create a training programme and start marketing to its target groups. Hopefully, a new group of EMTM students will have the opportunity to engage with those milestones.
The mission is to bring people into a dialogue with the exiled Sahrawi people. Throughout a ten-day visit they learn about: the place, Sahrawi & foreign mobilities, urban structure and facilities, heritage, every-day life, economy, and the Sahrawi Sate. As the participation fee is set at a bare minimum, the visitors are asked in return to contribute to the Sahrawi people in other than monetary ways, by for example organizing an exhibition in their own community. This experience based on the principle of giving back to the community gives a new face to tourism, a tourism that is perhaps able "to change things".
STUDENT INITIATIVES
EMTM students have, besides their role in the project, engaged in several ways to spread awareness and create knowledge about the Sahrawi society.
Exhibitions, Presentations, Media
Shima (Iran - generation 2014-16) is her free time an amateur photographer.
After her second fieldtrip with the University of Girona, she decided to create an exhibition dedicated the Sahrawi people. In addition to this, she gave several presentation to interested groups, among which a group of Spanish representatives of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Now, she is working on the idea of publishing a book, imaging the life of the Sahrawi people in the refugee camps and liberated territory of Western Sahara. |
Girona (2017) - Exhibition by Shima Ahmadi "People left Behind".
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Sil (Belgium -generation 2014-16) was given the possibility to share his story through text and image on a platform hosted by the Belgian national television. In the past he has also given presentations to university students in Russia and Malaysia.
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Belgium (2017) - Sil on Belgian social media "Vranckx en de Nomaden".
Bojana (Macedonia, generation 2014-16) is an artists/photographer in her free time. After an emotional meeting with a man in Bir Tgsit, a border town in Western Sahara, she decided to spread awareness about the Sahrawi people.
"He was holding my hand so strong and was looking me in the eyes ‘I hope you can see how we live and who we are, and this are the conditions in which we live. We are like every other person in the world. We don’t want more conflicts; we just want to go back home." Bojana
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Skopje (2016) - Exhibition by Bojana "The Voice of the Sahrawi".
Taiwan (2016) - Yining presenting on the travel experience in Western Sahara
Master Theses
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Research papers
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Preliminary brochure
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
Granted, EMTM is an incredible experience, and as life itself: EMTM is far from perfect. One of the main things we find that lacks is learning how to develop ourselves professionally, beyond academics. That's one of the reasones why Andreas, Ale, Lauren and Konstantinos have taken matter in own hands and initiated 'professional development workshops'. In those workshops classmates our teaching each other what is important.
"Our different backgrounds, cultures, experiences and opinions create a rich environment for the exchange of ideas and thoughts." Valeska (Norway)
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The beauty of EMTM is that it is a uniquely diverse group of people. Our different backgrounds, cultures, experiences and opinions create a rich environment for the exchange of ideas and thoughts. Thought-provoking conversations and discussions between EMTMers take place everywhere and all the time, both in and outside the classroom.
Some topics, however, fall outside what one would discuss over lunch, and don’t really belong in the classroom either. In order not to lose out on the opportunity to learn about each other’s viewpoints, a group from generation 2015-2017 organized a discussion forum to exchange ideas and thoughts. Modeled after an initiative from one of the students’ high school, the EMTM “Global Issues Forum” came into existence. This became a place where one or two EMTMers would present a topic they were very knowledgeable or passionate about, and then discuss it with the rest of the group. The topics that were discussed included privilege, feminism, abortion, and hunger, as well as screenings of small films and presentation of personal accounts of a country’s situation. |