Beginnings in Sebastopol

After returning from 8 month adventures through South America, Lucas and Jasper Oshun founded Global Student Embassy (GSE) in Sebastopol, CA, in August, 2008. Lucas brought experience working with youth in New York City's Global Kids Program and his experiences traveling across 5 continents. Jasper benefitted from volunteer exchange programs and knew the power of contributing to local communities. Together they developed a mission that seeks to forge and cultivate socially constructive relationships amongst the world's youth through a workshop based preparation international travel, and community development projects. GSE is dedicated to incorporating communities across the world in grassroots international relations. Why should students in rich nations benefit from globalization while students in less developed nations be left out of the loop? GSE supports the costs of international student travel to the United States. Lucas and Jasper selected two partner locations, Zurite, Peru, and Santa Fe, Argentina, based on their personal contacts with dedicated teachers, and later added Morogoro Tanzania. 

 

Fall 2008

• Jasper and Lucas teach an international relations class to 30 students

• GSE raised money through fundraisers to support the travel of 5 students and one teacher from South America

• Foreign students arrive in January, and live with host families for one month

• They teach classes, paint a mural, organize in the community to gain support for an organic community garden

• Students built garden with the help of local farming experts and volunteers

Spring 2009

• Lucas, Yasha, and Jasper travel to Morogoro, Tanzania to establish a new branch of GSE

• After a week meeting with officials in the Ministry of Education, and local teachers and students, a new branch is founded, with Rogers Sabugo and Godfrey Degratius as directors

Summer 2009

• Lucas leads a group of 5 students and two adults to Santa Fe, Argentina

• They paint and restore an elementary school, buy and install heaters in five classrooms and plant trees in a dilapidated plaza

• The group facilitated four workshops with high school and university students

• Jasper and Yasha lead a group of 4 students and one adult to Zurite, Peru

• They worked with the local coordinator, Tomás Ruiz López to convince three community groups to share the costs of a 1.5km canal project totaling $25,000. GSE contributes $6,700

• The GSE group works 3 weeks alongside Zuriteños to construct the canal

Fall 2009

• Lucas and Yasha design and implement GSE curriculum

• Yasha and Lucas are currently directing GSE in Sonoma County and teaching at Windsor HIgh School as part of the Art Cores Curriculum. They also facilitate once a week after school workshops with students from El Molino   and Analy High Schools.  GSE has a growing student base in Sonoma County, and as many as 30 students may travel in the Summer of 2010