WHO IS GLOBAL SOJOURNS GIVING CIRCLE?

Why We Exist - (Our North Star)

Global Sojourns Giving Circle exists to fuel the passion of community-rooted social entrepreneurs who are transforming the lives of youth through mentorship in their communities.

We believe that change is transformative when it is locally led with community buy-in at the core.

We believe passion is the spark that drives trust, mentorship, dignity, and lasting change. Mentorship builds confidence, agency, direction and instils a give back mentality. Future leaders rise up and their communities are strengthened.

By empowering these leaders, future leaders rise up and their communities are strengthened from within. When passionate leaders are empowered, youth thrive — and the ripple becomes a wave.

We connect donors and partners to this passion, building bridges of understanding and shared purpose.

We are especially committed to supporting girls and economically challenged youth, recognizing both the barriers they face and the far-reaching impact when they are given opportunity and support.

Shortened version:

We exist to fuel the passion of community-rooted social entrepreneurs who are inspired to empower youth through mentorship.

When passionate leaders are empowered, youth thrive — and the ripple becomes a wave

Vision

A future where youth rise with confidence, break systemic barriers and create lasting wellbeing for themselves, their communities, and the natural world.

We also see this work extending beyond the communities we directly support—through the influence of mentors, the growth of youth, and the sharing of what we continue to learn.

Our Core Areas of Focus

Strong Non-Profit Operations
Fundraising, vetting and granting
Mentor Network Support
Vision & Future Growth

Guardrails - What We Prioritize

Supporting passionate, trusted leaders rooted in their communities who have a social entrepreneurship drive
Deep, long-term mentorship of youth — especially girls and economically challenged youth
Listening first and strengthening local vision
Sustainable, locally owned change
Partnerships built on dignity, respect, and cultural understanding
Accountability among donors, administration, partners, mentors, and youth
Innovation and environmental stewardship
Community – within the GS Giving Circle and beyond

What We Do Not Do

Chase scale over depth or integrity
Create dependency or short-lived programs
Impose external, top-down solutions
Partner without proven trust and passion
Prioritize short-term wins over long-term change
Treat communities as beneficiaries instead of co-creators

Guiding Principles:

Social justice lens — gender equity + poverty alleviation + local leadership
Ground-up approach — listen, come alongside, always learning
Respect for everyone in the circle — mentors, youth, admin, donors
Youth leadership + give-back culture
Invest in and nurture a spirit of social entrepreneurship
Gratitude
Environmental respect + stewardship
Depth → ripple effect → shared model (not mass scale)

Our Shared Values

The following values serve as guidelines for all of our interactions - with each other and the communities in which we serve. These should be considered active standards of behaviour, and a resource when challenges arise. Since the beginning of GSGC, these values have led our actions, increased our impact and supported our success.

Possibility

Every one of us has the possibility of achieving great things, of making our dreams come true. Our job is to let our young people know that possibilities exist for them and that they can and should pursue them. We help them believe in their dreams and give them the confidence to follow them. And we do the same for each other.

Dignity

Every one of us is a wonderful, unique creation of God who deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This is how we treat everyone – young, old, wealthy, poor. Similarly, we expect to be treated with dignity and respect.

Relationships

Healthy relationships are the foundation of what we are trying to accomplish with the young people we serve. Our role is to model healthy relationships so that girls and boys know what healthy relationships look like and that healthy relationships are much better than unhealthy ones. We strive to establish and maintain positive relationships with everyone in the GSGC community, including between:

You and your girls or boys
The children themselves
You and the children’s’ families
You, your club, and the community
You and the schools your children attend
You and other Mentors
You and the dedicated people who run GSGC

When we work to achieve good, strong and supportive relationships, we all do better and are more effective at helping our young people.

Authenticity

It is easy for people to say what they think someone wants to hear. This is particularly true in communications between people of different cultures, ages, economic standing or positions of power, both real and perceived. Being authentic means being honest and real. We bring good will to our interactions, with a shared goal of not wasting time guessing what may or may not be true or intended. By being authentic, we build trust with each other, our youth and our communities. Most importantly, we model healthy communication for the girls and boys in our clubs, and that will have far reaching impact. Authenticity a willingness to be vulnerable, and shared common values and principles are the foundations of trust.

Confidentiality

We respect the confidences shared by our young people and within our GSGC community. Confidentiality is essential to our ability to fully support our young people and each other. Mentors may share challenges within the GSGC Network to receive guidance and support, but sensitive issues are not shared beyond our network without permission from the person or people directly involved. Our young people know that they can confide their most sensitive issues.

Accountability

We want GSGC to be known as completely trustworthy and reliable. Thus we will do what we say we’re going to do, when we say we’re going to do it. We keep accurate records, so we know what we’ve done and how effective it has been. Most important: we keep each other informed.

Creativity

We provide opportunities for young people to express their creativity as a way to achieve confidence and self-expression. We want our young people to know that their thoughts, words, art and technical capabilities have value – as much value as anyone else’s in the world – and that they deserve to be seen, heard and believed in. We also respect and support the creative expressions of our Mentors and others in the GSGC community.

Collaboration

Everything wonderful happens through collaboration. We encourage collaboration between Mentors and people beyond the GSGC community. We provide our young people with opportunities to meet and interact with people who can share valuable life lessons and information. The more our young people understand what and who is “out there” in the world, the bigger they can dream and the more prepared they will be to make their dreams come true.

Relevance

Empowering and transforming the lives of youth requires our efforts to be relevant. We don’t do something just because it’s been done before. If we find that something we’re doing doesn’t work – we change it. The information, materials and support that we provide is fresh and appropriate for the times and the audience. We continually step back and look at what we are doing and evaluate it. We ask ourselves, are the lessons I am sharing relevant to the times, to the youth and their environment? Or am I stuck in old thinking? We embrace that being relevant is essential, and directly linked to our impact.

Environmental Awareness

Because we understand the deep connection between our future potential and the future of the planet, we are committed to protecting the bio-diversity of our environment. We teach our youth the importance of nature, for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives. We inspire a community spirit committed to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. We contribute to a world where the diversity of life – all life – thrives.

Community Driven

We are an important part of the communities where we work, and we earn community support in order to succeed. The more the community knows about what we’re doing and the success we’re having, the more they will support us and the greater our successes will be. We strive to instill a strong sense of community in our young people. As they grow and succeed, they understand and embrace the expectation to give back to their communities.

Learning

The most successful and fulfilling lives are those filled with learning. We instill a love of learning in our young people so they continue their education and growth long after they graduate from our programs. We help each other learn and grow professionally, for personal benefit and the benefit of the young people with whom we work. And as a community, we learn from each other and our world to increase our impact.

Grace

To live in grace is to have our burdens lifted from time to time, our passage becoming easier, even when conditions seem hard to bear. By having faith in ourselves, each other, our work and the young people we serve, we teach our girls and boys the beauty of living in grace. Each of our young people is a beautiful shining light, and every day we do our very best to help them believe they deserve grace.