globalinitiatives.org

Who We Are

Global Initiatives, Inc. is a not-for-profit educational organization established in 1996. So far, we have touched the lives of more than 2 million young people around the world..

We develop and distribute educational materials internationally, manage international educational programs and provide management consulting services to non-profits.

Global Initiatives has developed financial literacy, travel & tourism, and business education programs that have been translated into Chinese, Russian, Hungarian, Spanish, French and Portuguese

The students who use our materials live in many different countries and come from diverse social, economic and cultural backgrounds.

Our job is to help them develop some of the skills they will need to start building satisfying and productive careers in big corporations or small businesses.

A particular focus of our work has been opportunities offered by the Travel and Tourism Industry. The industry has a presence in most countries on our planet. Before the COVID pandemic, the industry was responsible for creating about 10 percent of jobs worldwide. As the pandemic comes under control, the industry once again needs well-trained employees and potential employees

An important part of our success has been not only involving employers in both local businesses and global corporations in our work but also partnering with other non-profits.

Global Initiatives, Inc. is based in Greenville, Delaware.

Three Big Ideas

We Believe in Three Big Ideas

First, that most young people are filled with positive curiosity and energy, respond to challenges that interest them and find satisfaction in doing things well.

Second, that schools and school systems around the world can learn from each other.

Third, that many young people respond best when learning-by-doing.

What We Do to Support Those Ideas

We design practical, hands-on education programs for use in secondary and tertiary schools by students and their teachers. Some countries have integrated our programs into their national curricula. Some have adapted them to suit their needs. Some are used as supplementary after-school programs.

The programs are designed to first train teachers in how to use our materials so they in turn can help their students develop the skills they will need in their careers. These include practice in researching topics unfamiliar to them; practice in the communications skills essential in today’s economy; practice in working in teams.

For 25 years, Global Initiatives administered a global education program, The Global Travel & Tourism Partnership (GTTP), which serves some 700,000 students. In 2020 GI relocated the program’s headquartes from the USA to London to a new charity devoted solely to GTTP. GI’s president, Dr. Nancy Needham, now serves as an advisor to the GTTP Board of Directors. Courses developed by GI continue to be used by GTTP member schools in fifteen countries.

Current Activities

GI is currently working with organizations focused on sustainability and regenerative agriculture, with a focus on the Amazon. GI provides research and administrative assistance.

Members of the GI team are mentoring former students who participated in earlier GI projects, like the GTTP, to help them develop satisfying career paths.

An Example Project

One popular on-line course developed by GI is “Introduction to Travel & Tourism: Passport to the World,” which was available on the FutureLearn.com platform. In 2022 the course was moved to a proprietary GTTP platform for participating schools.

Who is this course for?

The course is for students who want to have an overview of the Travel & Tourism business, either for choosing a career or to use it as a supplement to their current professional studies. Passport is geographically neutral but it strongly builds on the local experiences of learners. It is particularly useful for those students who are keen to share their own views and experiences and are open to discussions with other fellow participants.

What subjects are covered on the course?

Passport has four modules that are covered in 16 on-line sessions, supplemented by activities:

Global Industry Structure
Customers and Customer Communication
Destinations and Cultures
Technology in Travel & Tourism

Each module includes insights into the many different careers you can have in an industry that is both global and local.

The course is developed from the perspective of the customer taking a journey: collecting information, choosing a destination, using means of transport, staying in accommodations, having meals, participating in activities and programs, returning home and sharing their experiences.

What are the learning outcomes for this course?

The approach we use focuses on competencies. Competencies consist of three areas:

Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes

The outcomes of this course for the students are:

Knowledge of the basic concepts of the travel and tourism industry
A clear view of the career options offered in the sector
Analytical skills developed by examining real life examples
Creation of an inventory of skills needed in travel and tourism jobs and a plan to develop them if you do not have all of them yet
The identification and acquisition of attitudes required in the industry by looking at positive and negative examples

GI People

Dr. Nancy Needham

President

A graduate of Wellesley College (Phi Beta Kappa) and Harvard Business School (MBA with Distinction and Doctorate of Business Administration), she has been a faculty member at Harvard Business School, Boston University and New York University/Polytechnic. She has been a consultant to global corporations and governments in financial services, travel and tourism, telecommunications and non-profit management. She led projects to develop curricula in management, travel & tourism, and financial literacy, and is President of a for-profit consulting firm specializing in corporate strategy.

Simon Barker-Benfield

Vice President

A journalism graduate of the University of Texas, Simon Barker-Benfield began his career as a newspaper reporter, moved into corporate communications and media relations for Fortune 500 companies for 20 years then returned to newspaper reporting for seven years before joining Global Initiatives in 2001 as an editor. Research and writing projects at Global Initiatives include co-authoring a financial literacy program and a tourism education program with Nancy Needham and Rex du Pont.

Dr. Rex du Pont

Senior Researcher

Rex du Pont has a doctorate in Finance from the University of Maryland, an M.S. degree in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. degree in Physics from Harvard. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. After 10 years on Wall Street and 5 years with the Federal government, he went on to provide consulting services to energy, health care, telecommunications, financial and aerospace companies. He has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level at Polytechnic University (now New York University), University of Maryland and Boston University.

Dr. Attila Horváth

Senior Consultant

Dr. Horvath is a graduate of ELTE University Faculty of Arts, Budapest, Hungary. He earned a PhD from Dalhousie University, N.S., Canada. After serving as deputy general director of the Hungarian National Institute for Public Education, Dr. Horvath established his consulting firm, Horvath & Dubecz Kft., in Budapest. The firm works on projects across the globe. In addition he has established the Foundation for School Development, a non-profit that hosts GTTP Hungary to support travel and tourism education, which is an accredited academic subject in Hungarian high schools. Dr. Horvath has published more than 100 articles and books, which have been published in five languages.

Jeffrey Miller

Senior Consultant

Jeffrey Miller is a creative consultant to Global Initiatives. For the past 20 years he has worked in the world of fashion, design, travel and luxury, as an editor, writer, stylist, creative director, consultant, speaker and teacher. His work at leading New York-based publications led him to consulting with major international brands on advertising, communications and product development.
He continues to speak at luxury and design conferences, most recently as a cause marketer and liaison to the non-profit sector, acting and serving as a bridge between the creative industries and the international sustainability movement.

Mariana Aldrigui

Senior Consultant

Mariana Aldrigui is a graduate of the University of Sao Paulo (USP) School of Arts and Communications in Brazil. She earned a PhD in Human Geography from the Department of Philosophy, Languages and Human Sciences at USP. She has more than twenty years of business and academic experience in Tourism and Hospitality. Currently she is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, working on urban tourism and tourism education policies. She also works as a consultant to governments and companies, and is an expert in sustainable tourism development. Mariana is the country director for the Global Travel & Tourism Partnership (GTTP) in Brazil.

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Cameron C. Dubes

Senior Consultant

Cameron has more than 40 years of nonprofit management experience and has provided fund-raising, campaign management, communications, and branding services to human rights, health, education, religious, youth, environmental, advocacy, cultural, civic, and human service organizations as well as associations. Cameron has managed small and large organizational development and communications operations. He has also conducted numerous feasibility studies and led many campaigns raising cumulatively more than $500 million. Cameron is the Co-Creator of All1.eco Consulting and has a deep passion for human rights and social justice. He has now dedicated the rest of his life to preserving the planet and honoring ancestral wisdom of indigenous peoples for the natural world.

Our technology partner: Dr. Teresa Piliouras — and her company, Technical Consulting & Research, Inc. — provides our technical support as needed. TCR’s expertise in data mining, data analysis and systems development complements our expertise in content development.

Global Initiatives maintains long term relationships with translators, graphic designers, web designers and IT specialists who work on GI projects as appropriate.

In addition, Global Initiatives works with a global network of experienced academics, consultants and professionals who have retired from their first career and are now putting their expertise to work in the educational and non-profit areas.

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