2021 GoAbroad Innovation Award Winners Announced! | GoAbroad Corporate Blog
We’re are excited to announce the winners of the 11th annual GoAbroad Innovation Awards!
The GoAbroad Innovation Awards celebrate institutions, organizations, and individuals moving the field forward. The winners are chosen by the Innovation Awards Academy, a group of leaders in the field of international education. Thank you to everyone that volunteered their time and expertise in this year’s academy—we appreciate you all!
We’d also like to thank our Silver Sponsor, StudentUniverse. We sincerely appreciate your shared interest in recognizing innovation in the field of international education and are very excited to have you as part of this initiative.
Now, let’s announce the celebrated 2021 GoAbroad Innovation Award winners!
Innovation in Crisis Response
Innovation in Crisis Response is sponsored by Travolucion.
This award honors an individual, institution, or organization that has displayed innovation, agility, and responsiveness to the global coronavirus crisis. The finalists for Innovation in Crisis Response are…
WINNER: African Education Program (AEP), COVID-19 Emergency Relief Family Fund
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit Zambia, the African Education Program (AEP) team pivoted on its mission from providing life-changing support to life-saving support. This included a mass food distribution to the families of the program beneficiaries in order to keep them alive as many cannot afford to stay home nor do they have the luxury of quarantining without support. The first food distribution on April 8, 2020 provided enough food for 278 families (approximately 2,000 people) to stay at home for three weeks.
In addition, hand sanitizer and two reusable masks were distributed to each family with information about sanitizing the masks. Only 18% of AEP’s students have access to phones with Internet, so the AEP team created a remote tutoring program via printed educational packets and phone calls to help boys and girls continue learning. Important health and safety information continues to be disseminated via social media channels.
Perhaps most importantly, the AEP team makes weekly health check-in calls with 200 families that have a phone since the pandemic was declared in the country to sensitize families on safety measures and track illnesses and deaths. AEP’s health work continues in order to respond to the needs of their students. When they learned girls could not afford menstrual supplies, AEP addressed their period poverty by providing each girl with menstrual health training, five reusable pads and a menstrual cup.
In November 2020, AEP was recognized for their COVID-19 response by the African Development Bank (AfDB). After receiving more than 400 proposals from civil society organizations across Africa and conducting an inventory over months, the AfDB Civil Society and Community Engagement Division selected AEP as one of seven organizations to present during their annual forum “Civil Society vs COVID-19,” recognizing AEP for their readiness innovativeness during the pandemic.
Congratulations, African Education Program (AEP)!
Innovation in Online Programming
This award recognizes an innovative individual, institution, or organization that has provided an exemplary and intuitive online experience in the field of international and experiential education. The finalists for Innovation in Online Programming are…
WINNER: Camps International, Real World Studies
Camps International’s Real World Studies is an educational programme linking students in their classrooms to real world projects in rural communities around the world. Their aim is to help teachers inspire and empower the next generation of global citizens.
Through 2020 and 2021, Real World Studies has connected more than 2000 students in 52 schools to our permanent staff in Kenya, Tanzania, Borneo, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. Using over 150 learning resources, we have worked with schools in the USA, the UK, Australia, the UAE, South Africa and Mexico.
Real World Studies was developed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an opportunity to sustain links between students, teachers and partner communities through digital experiential learning. Using Design Thinking methodology, the students are engaged with, learning about and advancing project goals that are aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals. The free educational resources can be used either as a coherent programme of learning in themselves, or as a means of developing knowledge before future travel.
Real World Studies:
‘Connect with Camps’ meetings are the heart of the programme. The regional teams are made up of local people who have a wealth of experience of globally significant issues: they have lived the challenges and enjoyed the successes, and they bring to the live seminars the benefit of their years of community focused and conversation action.
Congratulations to Camps International!
Innovation in Diversity
This award recognizes strategic efforts to expand international educational opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups. The finalists for Innovation in Diversity are…
WINNER: Virginia Higher Education Institutions, Black + Abroad VA (Virginia Commonwealth University, Hollins University, Randolph-Macon College, Bridgwater College, Shenandoah University)
Black+Abroad first launched at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as an annual event organized by study abroad alumni students of color as a way to share Black student experiences. Black+Abroad has evolved into a black-focused series in collaboration with Virginia higher education institutions with the mission of denouncing the notions that “Black folk don’t travel.” The virtual series aims to curate a space for Black students to share their thoughts, questions, and reservations about travel (and study abroad) by engaging in conversation and storytelling with experienced travelers and study abroad alumni of color and education abroad advisers.
The mission is to close the gap between being black and going abroad. Black students will hear from their peers, engage in candid conversations and learn about how to overcome challenges to studying abroad, whether those are financial, practical, or racial. By engaging in discussions around “Blackness” and “Black perceptions” abroad, the intention is for students to feel inspired, motivated, and gain insight from experienced travelers who had to take the leap to travel for the first time at some point. Advisors will see the perspectives of Black students in order to better understand their needs and serve them in a more effective and equitable way.
Black+Abroad was organized by the Education Abroad staff at the following Virginia universities: Virginia Commonwealth University; Shenandoah University; Bridgewater College; Randolph-Macon College; and Hollins University. Black+Abroad is a free event with a record number of attendees from various countries in the first iteration of all 6 sessions including 724 international education professionals and 258 students. The Black + Abroad website now serves as a tangible resource to students of color by providing recordings of the sessions and additional resources for support and guidance.
Congratulations, Virginia Higher Education Institutions!
Innovation in Marketing & Digital Media
This award, also sponsored by Travolucion, recognizes a creative and groundbreaking marketing, advertising, or digital media campaign. The finalists for Innovation in Marketing & Digital Media are…
WINNER: Appalachian State University, Connected Cultures
In the Spring of 2020, AppTV (the university student-sponsored television channel) approached the OIED to begin preparations for a regular program called Connected Cultures. The goal of the program is to highlight different cultures around the world that App State is connected to through international students, as well as study abroad programs. In this way, the program seeks to internationalize the App State campus, to provide an outlet for international students to share with the campus community about their culture, and to market study abroad destinations / programs that may be of interest to local students.
The Connected Cultures pilot program aired during International Education Week of 2020 in collaboration with INTAPP (International Appalachian). INTAPP is a department affiliated organization run by students that works to promote study abroad, positive experiences for international students, leadership, and internationalization of App State’s campus. At the close of IEW, INTAPP typically organizes a Culture Crawl that brings the campus community together to celebrate cultures that are represented on campus. For the 2020 iteration, the Culture Crawl had to move to a virtual format. INTAPP and AppTV partnered up for the event and thus created the pilot episode (and perhaps the most famous!) of Connected Cultures. The episode featured former international students from Australia (who gave a walking tour of their home campus and highlighted some favorite backyard bbq delicacies), Pakistan (who provided a demonstration of a local dance), Brazil (who gave a virtual cooking class of a popular Brazilian dessert), and Thailand (who led us on an epic stroll through Bangkok and a quest for delicious “authentic” street food down a dark alley!).
The program has been going strong ever since, highlighting international students and study abroad programs in Costa Rica, Australia, and Egypt, with the next episode traveling to Venezuela.
Congratulations to Appalachian State University!
Innovative New Program, Intern Abroad
This award honors an inventive and unique internship abroad, focusing on successful program development and execution, as well as overall creativity. In order to be eligible for this award, the program must have been initially launched and successfully executed between January 1, 2019 and now. And this year, we also considered virtual or hybrid programming for this category. The finalists for Innovative New Program, Intern Abroad are…
WINNER: Amizade, Virtual Internships
The disruption COVID-19 created within Amizade’s network allowed them to develop an intensive virtual internship that benefits partners and gives participants internship credits, while also being more equitable and environmental.
Ranging from 4 to 11 weeks long, college students can work on various robust projects with host organizations in Amizade’s sites. The model looks like a rotating 3 hours of group reflection and 3 hours of cultural content per week, along with synchronous and asynchronous project time. To give one example, they currently have first-year engineering students working with partners in Trinidad to design an ATV/rake combination that will help remove excess seaweed from beaches, which has been negatively affecting leatherback turtle populations.
Amizade found that this virtual semester-long internship actually had better outcomes than in-person. This program seemed to almost eliminate the “white savior” attitude or the false idea that the participant knows what’s best for a community. Without physically being there, students more easily accepted that their role was to first learn and then to serve. This model also dedicates a lot of time towards structured reflections. This, of course, is crucial in travel programs too, but journaling before a bus arrives is not the same as a two hour lecture and activity on identity, power, and privilege. It has allowed for much deeper understandings of concepts such as cultural humility as well as allowed for a more nuanced understanding of the region in which interns are engaging. Even when travel programs can resume, virtual internships and their successes will still be here to stay.
Congratulations, Amizade!
Innovative New Program, Study Abroad
This award honors an inventive and unique study abroad program, focusing on successful development and execution, as well as overall creativity. In order to be eligible for this award, the program must have been initially launched and successfully executed between January 1, 2019 and now. And this year, we also considered virtual or hybrid programming for this category. The finalists for Innovative New Program, Study Abroad are…
WINNER: Future Food Institute, Food and Climate Shapers Bootcamp – Digital Editions
The Digital Food and Climate Shapers Boot Camp is a one-month, virtual, part-time, very diverse and dynamic program, involving participants in “open conversations” with international experts, self-paced masterclasses, mentoring sessions, project work, design challenges and a final hackathon. It is a modern, unique and sustainable way to activate climate and food shapers and make our world more sustainable. All participants have the opportunity to use their knowledge and to train more and more people. Participants are not only students, but become activists and operative food and climate shapers, all around the world!
The advanced learning program designed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO] and the Future Food Institute [FFI], includes hands-on experiences supported by a series of e-learning courses, made to transfer knowledge, skills, and competencies to strengthen the capacities of the food system professionals of today and tomorrow.
The initial in-person experience shifted to a digital format amidst the ongoing pandemic. In addition to the main learning journey, based on ecosystemic and prosperity thinking, the participants can follow four tracks: Climate-Smart Cities, Farms, Kitchens, and Oceans. The four-week part-time ‘hybrid’ learning program is filled with critical thinking exercises and live conversations with industry experts, in which continents, time zones, and age are not barriers and digital tools are the enablers of global community activation.
The boot camps involve multidisciplinary curated groups of “thinkers” and “doers,” young experts from all over the globe, inspired and motivated to take action in the real world to combat climate change, and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Congratulations, Future Food Institute!
Innovative New Program, Volunteer Abroad
This award honors an inventive and unique volunteer placement abroad, focusing on successful program development and execution, as well as overall creativity. In order to be eligible for this award, the program must have been initially launched and successfully executed between January 1, 2019 and now. And this year, we also considered virtual or hybrid programming for this category. The finalists for Innovative New Program, Volunteer Abroad are…
WINNER: Projects Abroad, Ethical Consumerism Trips Abroad
In late 2019, Projects Abroad launched a new type of program called Ethical Consumerism Trips. The program aims to teach a more ethical approach to purchase decisions, like buying a cup of coffee on the way to work or a mass-produced t-shirt or a chocolate bar, and show how these decisions impact people’s lives around the world. The program teaches volunteers how to use their purchase power to build a better, more equal society. The idea is that through learning about where our products come from, we can better influence big businesses to improve the environment, human rights and societies worldwide.
Projects Abroad launched four Ethical Consumerism Trips:
• Fast Fashion Awareness in Cambodia
• Ethical Coffee and Chocolate Production in Costa Rica
• Ethical Wine and Culture in South Africa
• Plastic Education and Recycling in Sri Lanka
On these trips, volunteers meet with the people directly involved in creating these goods, and see the difference that ethical production can make. They aim to answer questions like:
• What does fair trade actually mean?
• Does buying organic make a difference to the environment?
• How can I shop more sustainably?
• How can I use my purchases to create a better world?
On the trips, volunteers meet the farmers, producers, and workers whose livelihoods are dependent on popular products we buy every day and hear their stories directly. These new programs give the participant a culturally immersive experience while helping them to become a more conscious and ethical consumer.
Congratulations, Projects Abroad!
Innovative Program, TEFL / Teach Abroad
This award honors an innovative TEFL or Teach Abroad Program that provides a unique opportunity for learning and cultural engagement. The finalists for Innovative Program, TEFL / Teach Abroad are…
WINNER: TravelBud, TEFL & Paid Teaching Program in Thailand
TravelBud has always been dedicated to creating holistically supportive and culturally immersive paid Teach Abroad programs, including in-person TESOL certification courses held in Thailand before teachers begin at one’s school. While the era of COVID has put a damper on things, TravelBud has defined innovation by finding ways to provide the same level of training, immersion, and support for teachers heading to Thailand during these unusual times. In doing so, they have created the TESOL Extra option, allowing teachers to complete a portion of their TESOL course online pre-departure and finish it once in-country, post-quarantine.
In this learning format, teachers complete their online portion first, and receive placements before arriving in-country. Upon arrival, there is a mandatory quarantine, during which teachers participate in a number of virtual orientation and networking activities. Virtual trivia nights, one on one check-ins, language lessons, culture and history talks, and guided meditation are all on the agenda to beat the quarantine blues. Once quarantine is complete, teachers are then taken to their in-person TESOL and Orientation component. Further TESOL instruction, as well as a 2-day in-class practicum, allow teachers to complete a 160-hour certification rather than the usual 120-hour. They also get to complete a number of other cultural orientation activities that wouldn’t be the same virtually.
By innovating and adapting to the ever-changing COVID travelscape, TravelBud has found ways to continue offering their award-winning programs safely and responsibly despite the pandemic. With world class training, visa guidance, guaranteed job placement, 24/7 in-country support, and a wholly immersive cultural orientation, TravelBud ensures that teachers successfully immerse themselves into Thai culture and are fully prepared to provide the highest quality English language education to their students.
Congratulations, TravelBud!
Innovative Technology
This award, sponsored by FundMyTravel, recognizes the creation and/or use of an innovative technology or tool specific to international education. The finalists for Innovative Technology are…
WINNER: LunaFairs, Virtual Fair Software for International Education
LunaFairs is a virtual study abroad fair platform that grew out of collaborative brainstorming by several international education professionals who were looking for a solution to how to run international fairs in the pandemic. With minimal time for creation and promotion given the pandemic’s sudden onset, the impact was significant. Nearly 300 international education institutions and 5,000 students have been engaged in LunaFairs since its inception in August of 2020, generating 30,000 sessions & 110,000 pageviews.
LunaFairs is a simple, yet powerful, solution that connects universities, their students, and personally matches them with study abroad programs. One of the key components of the system is the automated matching. The LunaFairs algorithm automatically connects students and Program Partners based on the information each provides. The platform integrates Video Chats, appointment scheduling, and application linking. Additionally, LunaFairs innovation allows fairs to run beyond set hours, and instead stay open for the entire semester, maximizing connections and recruitment all term long.
Congratulations, LunaFairs!
Innovation in Sustainability
This award honors commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development projects through an organization’s programs and day-to-day operations. The finalists for Innovation in Sustainability are…
WINNER: Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI), Regenerative Agriculture For Food Security And Climate Change In Galapagos
IOI designed a new and innovative program that addresses the pressing global issue of our time—Climate Change. They created a carbon-negative volunteer program in Regenerative Agriculture in the Galapagos Islands.
Volunteers in this program learn techniques for sustainable agriculture, control invasive species, help to create food sovereignty, lower the carbon footprint of island life, lower waste from shipping materials, increase the nutritional content of the food available, and assist in the conservation of endemic biodiversity.
Agriculture must not be seen as an enemy of conservation, but its first line of defense. IOI’s regenerative farming approach is the antidote to extraction based industrial farming, which strips top soil of its nutrients, releasing carbon in the process, and then replenishing them with chemical fertilizers—which also have a huge carbon footprint. In addition, many islands are highly dependent on food shipments from offshore, and transportation creates emissions. In the Galapagos Islands, the additional footprint of every kilogram of cargo is ~51g of carbon.
As part of the program, IOI is providing greenhouses to local farms to promote year-round, environmentally friendly production. Per year, each of the greenhouses saves approximately 0.875 tons of CO2 emissions from forgone shipping alone. Progressively replacing the use of agrochemicals, implementation of sustainable water and soil management techniques, and incorporation of new direct marketing avenues for agricultural products are good practices for agro-biodiversity and promote socio-economic well being.
This program is also deeply interlinked with, and the basis for IOI’s 2022 Carbon Negative Strategy aiming at turning IOI into a NET NEGATIVE contributor to climate change. The strategy encompasses all of their staff and office emissions, as well as those of their faculty-led study abroad programs and volunteering opportunities, leading our industry to a more sustainable future.
Congratulations, Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI)!
Innovation in Philanthropy
This award recognizes philanthropic efforts that have impacted an individual, group, or local or global community. It is sponsored by the GoAbroad Foundation and honors both corporate responsibility and philanthropy. The finalists for Innovation in Philanthropy are…
WINNER: Project Speech, International Parent Coaching Program
This program is meant to empower parents of children with disabilities who do not have access to speech therapy in Belize and the Dominican Republic. It arose out of the COVID-19 pandemic, since in-country volunteering was no longer an option due to travel bans and children needed speech therapy.
The parent coaches are American Speech and Hearing Association certified Speech-Language Pathologists who volunteer their evenings and weekends to make a difference. The parent coaches act as a bridge, supporting parents and having them be the person who connects their child to communication. Parents are taught how to modify the child’s environment, deal with challenging behaviors brought about by frustration due to inability to communicate, and even how to make materials to help their child. They have been meeting with families either weekly or bi-weekly for a 6-month period via video chat to provide suggestions and support them in increasing their child’s communication. The children impacted by the program range from ages 2 to 14, and mostly have moderate to severe language delays. To date, Project Speech has had over 35 families enrolled and graduated from the parent coaching program. Many of the families have never had access to speech therapy or have been on a waitlist for years to receive help.
Congratulations, Project Speech!
Innovation in Alumni Engagement
This award recognizes leaders in productive reentry programming for past participants. The finalists for Innovation in Alumni Engagement are…
WINNER: Connect-123 Global Internship Programs, The Lifelong Internship: Connect-123’s Alumni Career Success Program
Since 2006, thousands of students have interned abroad through Connect-123 and learned valuable skills that they’ve used in their subsequent career development. As program graduates, they’ve participated in their Alumni Mentor Network Program, “paying it forward” with current Connect-123 interns in their field to help answer questions about career options, to discuss job search strategies and to increase their networks.
Aligned with Connect-123’s mission to offer internships as a platform for lifelong learning, last year, sparked by the global pandemic and shift to remote learning, they launched their Alumni Career Success Program, which consists of two parts: 1) an introductory workshop and 2) a series of focused mastermind group sessions.
Part 1: The introductory workshop, Enhance Your Career Success, is led by Connect-123’s Director of Student Development, performance psychologist Dr. Brett Steenbarger, and focuses on evidence-based methods for enhancing our productivity, teamwork, emotional well-being, and personal relationships, drawing from an explosion of research in recent years in the field of positive psychology. They present best practices in these areas with how-to illustrations, helping alumni leverage their personality, character, and cognitive strengths. They also share perspectives on emerging opportunities in the post-COVID environment to help alumni maximize their personal and work lives.
Part 2: Connect-123 Alumni Mastermind Sessions offer a combination of brainstorming, education, and peer accountability. Group members are challenged to create goals and accomplish them, with support and input from their peers, and successes are shared and problems are solved by creative, collective thinking. According to a recent participant, “The Mastermind Group was a true asset to me as I pivoted in my career. My original Connect-123 experience helped shape my professional life and once again they were there to support me. The group challenged me to expand my original goals and it was wonderful to have peers holding me accountable to my own growth and development.”
Connect-123’s Alumni Career Success Program is offered free of charge as part of the lifelong value participants receive when signing up for a Connect-123 program.
Congratulations, Connect-123!
Innovative Student Video
This award recognizes a student-created video that captures the true essence of an international education program. The winner is chosen through a popular vote, which closed on June 21 at midnight. We will watch the winning video following the announcement. The finalists for Innovative Student Video are…
WINNER: IES Abroad, “Paris: La Nouvelle Experience” by Matthew Hsieh
Congratulations, IES Abroad and Matthew Hsieh!
People’s Choice
This award honors the top international education organization as selected by study abroad professionals, alumni, and students. The winner is determined by a popular vote which closed June 21 at midnight. The finalists for People’s Choice are…
WINNER: International TEFL Academy
Congratulations, International TEFL Academy!
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!