What do you do when you run a program that has hundreds of young adults spread across the world for an intentional gap year, and a global pandemic strikes? The only thing you can do: stage an emergency evacuation to bring every kid that’s abroad back home, ASAP.
And that’s exactly what Abby Falik, Founder and CEO of Global Citizen Year, did back in March. And then she swiftly shifted how this organization—dedicated to re-imagining the transition into adulthood by facilitating a yearlong immersion experience abroad for high school graduates—could still make a significant impact, despite their main program being on pause for the next school year.
What emerged was a new virtual program, the Global Citizen Year Academy, a leadership experience that “equips determined young people worldwide with powerful skills for a lifetime of social impact.”
And the incredible silver lining to all the chaos that ensued this year is that Abby and her team were able to dramatically scale their reach and impact at a lower cost and more sustainably. This episode is an absolute must-listen for any leader that wants to develop and grow their impact with their teams, their communities, and the world.
