Travel is one of the most impactful ways you can learn. It introduces you to new cultures, opens you up to the unfamiliar, challenges your thinking, and broadens your perspective like nothing else can.
But that kind of experience doesn’t come without a price. And sadly, many aren’t able to pay it.
That is, not until the FLYTE nonprofit.
The Foundation for Learning and Youth Travel Education is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth through transformative travel experiences. With their efforts, FLYTE gives those in underserved areas the same opportunities to learn as others.
I was fortunate to connect with co-founder Matt Kepnes (aka Nomadic Matt) to learn more about this amazing organization.
What first inspired you to create the FLYTE nonprofit?
As a former high school history teacher, I know the value of an education. I know I’m privileged enough to be able to travel the world and do what I want because of getting a good education. Not everyone gets that chance. Let’s face it, not everyone is able to travel. Whether it’s money, family obligations, or circumstance, travel is out of reach for a large percentage of the world’s population. Most people never even leave their own state let alone the country (only 42% of Americans even have a passport!)
This is especially true for students in underserved communities – from inner-city Chicago to middle-of-nowhere Idaho. These students from communities and families with limited resources don’t get a chance to expand their worldview, meet people from other cultures, or bring what they learn in the classroom to life!
That is why in 2015, I created FLYTE nonprofit. While many wealthy school districts send students on overseas educational trips, schools and teachers in underserved areas have little or no opportunity to offer their students these experiences. Their schools and communities lack the resources to make such a trip happen. I wanted to create an organization which was open to everyone around the country. I wanted an organization that helped people in forgotten parts of the United States. Because everyone deserves a chance to see and learn about the world!
At FLYTE, we empower youth living in underserved communities through transformative travel experiences. We provide teachers and students with the planning and funding they need to take what they learn in the classroom and put it to use in the real world.
Group of FLYTE students immersing themselves in Mexican history.
How many kids has FLYTE helped, and how many trips has the program funded?
Since we were founded, FLYTE has sent 54 students on 4 trips to Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, and Guatemala.
How are schools selected to be part of the program?
Our FLYTE nonprofit team selects our partner school after a long and rigorous application process. In the summer, we work with our school networks to launch our search. Teachers from all over the country are eligible to apply, but as we want this opportunity to benefit students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to travel. The schools we select have a high percentage of students that receive free or reduced-price lunch.
Once teachers apply, we narrow the pool down to a handful of final applicants and our selection committee has a phone interview with the teacher. Then the real tough part happens when we have to pick just one school. It’s always such a challenging choice since we get so many deserving and inspiring applications every year.
This is why we’re really boosting our fundraising efforts this year, so we can start sending multiple groups of students on trips in 2020! Once this partnership is established with the school and lead teacher, they are the ones that lead the student selection process. We provide input and advice on how best to do this, but ultimately leave the final decision to the teachers. They know their school community better than anyone else!
FLYTE youth discovering the vast landscape of Guatemala.
Since FLYTE is focused on education, what types of projects help prepare the students for their journey?
Again, we let the teachers take the lead on planning out the project and assignments – so it varies each year depending on the school, country selected, and subject area of the teacher.
For example, last year for Victor School’s trip to Guatemala, Ms. Egelston had the students write blog posts about a variety of topics related to their trip. They read “Esperanza,” by Carol Gaab, a novel based on a true story about a family emigrating from Guatemala to the United States. And they learned yoga in Spanish on “Yoga Lunes.” Plus, they raised funds to donate books to one of the local organizations they volunteered with in Guatemala.
Group of FLYTE students learning in Guatemala.
Who are some of the standout students that Flyte has helped?
Our theory of change is that these travel experiences will transform the lives of the students we serve. These trips allow our students to see the world and discover their power to change it for the better.
While we have a couple more years to assess our long term impact, the initial results are promising. Take Kaleb. He travelled on our first FLYTE nonprofit trip to Merida, Mexico in March 2016 with B.E.S.T. Academy, an all boys high school in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating high school, he is now a sophomore at Depauw University pursuing a double major in Political Science and Africana Studies. He recently travelled again, to South Africa and was recently accepted to a study abroad program in the Netherlands.
How did the experience change his life?
In his words, “Traveling internationally better informed me not only as a young adult, but as a global citizen. The experiences I have had traveling internationally during high school made me more competitive when applying for college and expanded my social consciousness. I can say that I now am more willing to interact with people of diverse backgrounds.”
You can read more about Kaleb on his FLYTE nonprofit alumni profile.
FLYTE alumni Kaleb.
Where is the next group of FLYTE students headed off to?
We’re so excited to partner with Envision Academy from Oakland, California! We’re sending them on a trip to Colombia in June 2019.
How has FLYTE grown since it began in 2015?
Our other co-founder, Courtney, and I started FLYTE with the support of a couple volunteers. With every trip we successfully complete we learn lessons on how to do it better and get ongoing feedback from our students and school communities. Now we have a full-time Executive Director, a Board of Directors, and a team of volunteers moving this work forward.
We have also been developing numerous partnerships with travel brands an other businesses. Now that we have a handful of trips under our belt, and some preliminary results to show, we’re excited to partner with more companies who want to strengthen our work.
FLYTE students on an educational adventure in Cuba.
How would you like to see FLYTE grow in the future?
At this point, we know how to run these trips and ensure they leave a lasting impact on our students. Like I mentioned before, the hardest part of running FLYTE is only selecting one school! We have to turn down so many deserving and inspiring schools every year, and our goal is to fund at least 5 schools a year.
In addition, we want to develop our support system for our FLYTE alumni so they can continue to travel and carve their own path in the world.
What can people do to help support the program?
It is our hope that this information inspired you to get involved by donating, following us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), or joining our team of FLYTE Advocates to spread our goals of empowerment through travel to people you know who’d connect with our mission.
At FLYTE, we’re bridging the gap between fear and understanding. We are empowering the next generation of changemakers by connection them to the world. We’d love for you to join our growing community of supporters and be part of this global movement.
Grateful students on a FLYTE trip to Cuba.
If you want to change the world, you first have to change minds. And giving youth the opportunity to learn and grow through international awareness is a great way to start.
For only $100, you can pay for one deserving student’s entire trip. Or for $10, you can cover the passport of a youth who’s never been outside the country. Even $5 will pay for a student’s transportation cost. Every little bit makes a big difference!
So get involved and help students take FLYTE! Like, follow, and donate today!
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