GlobalResolve, an international service-learning program at Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, started in 2006 as a social entrepreneurship program designed to enhance the educational experience for students by involving them in real-world projects that positively impact communities with need around the world.
Today, our student project teams, led by ASU mentors in collaboration with community partners in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, develop projects that address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Projects are people-centered, utilizing human-centered design approach to ensure the community and its voice guide our work and identify our goals.
GlobalResolve has three main objectives:
As part of their project, Barrett students work with international universities, residents of rural villages, local governments, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to find solutions to the most pressing issues identified by key stakeholders in the partner community.
Outcomes and Impact:
While the project sites are multi-year efforts, GlobalResolve has produced tangible positive outcomes in its communities of focus. From assisting a community in Mexico with public health interventions to working with an NGO on deforestation and biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago, these projects have improved the quality of life in a way that the local residents can maintain and grow on their own moving forward. One of the most distinguishing aspects of GlobalResolve is their long-term, holistic approach to working with their target communities. Instead of choosing new projects and locations every year, GlobalResolve works to build up single communities step-by-step, taking care of the most pressing needs first. This allows the faculty and students to create a genuine connection with the people they are working to help and provides the opportunity to see the transformation their work has on a community over time. The impact goes well beyond the students and communities served.
Why we need your help:
GlobalResolve requires funding to support the individual project needs and send student project team members to our community sites. Student travel for project implementation is a core value of GlobalResolve. Traveling to project sites provides an intense cross-cultural experience for students and an improved sense of empathy, urgency, and global competency to better address complex problems throughout their post-collegiate careers. Being able to participate in the entire project management cycle allows students to experience the full spectrum of working on a project that delivers positive impact in our partner communities. During each phase, our overarching goal is to make a difference in the communities we serve with a human-centered design approach. Both the students and communities share knowledge and develop transferable skills that will allow all those involved to be changemakers in the world.
If you have any questions or interest in GlobalResolve, please contact Jason Briggs (Sr. Director-Global Initiatives) at: jason.briggs@asu.edu