Next week, former WA staff member Pete Rognli will head to San Francisco to work on an important global community service project – a chance to use technology to solve real social problems across the world.
“For me, this is really exciting,” says Pete, “In my mind, Silicon Valley represents the greatest hope for our generation to solve big problems. It’s great to be a part of that.”
GlobeIn is a webshop with a social mission: to help a billion working people across the world access the global economy. The idea is simple: right now, there are talented artisans all across the planet creating a diverse array of valuable, ethnic crafts; and right now, there is no way to buy those crafts directly from the artisans. GlobeIn creates a direct link between creators and consumers.
“It’s funny to think about selling something online as a new thing,” says Pete, “but for most of our artisans, who live in places like Kyrgyzstan and rural Mexico, the chance to sell their work on the internet is incredibly exciting. We’re serving people with limited access to technology. Most of our artisans would have no idea how to go about posting their work for sale to an American audience. We connect all the dots for them – taking pictures of their work, posting their items for sale and, most importantly, telling their stories to the world.”
Pete led the Pacific Coast Bike and Colorado Utah Mountain Bike adventures before joining the WA office team in 2007. In 2011, he moved to the mountainous country of Kyrgyzstan where he fell in love with Kyrgyz folk art, which, in this yurt-dwelling culture, is intimately linked to the outdoors. During his two years in Central Asia, Pete was lucky enough to link-up with GlobeIn and began building a network of artisans. Pete credits the skills that he learned and taught as a WA Leader and member of the office team with his success in both Silicon Valley and Kyrgyzstan.
“I’m incredibly grateful for everything that I’ve learned while leading and working for Wilderness Adventures,” says Pete, “Mike and WA taught me how to approach problems practically, to lead and, most importantly to always follow your dreams. Wilderness Adventures provides a tremendous service to the planet and to our students, and I hope I can help GlobeIn accomplish a similar mission.”
All across the world, Wilderness Adventures staff members are doing amazing things to make the world a better place. They are mentors, teachers, role models and leaders in their everyday lives. When you send your child on a WV adventure, you are introducing them to an exciting world where they are certain to develop into great leaders while becoming thoughtful global citizens while having the time of their lives.
