Evolve Abroad Education Incubators

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose"  Dr Suess. 

This is one of my favourite quotes, it quite simply tells you how to take control of your destiny! My passion for the environment and people is traced back to my university days where I convinced my dean to allow me to include psychology as an additional major to my science degree. This was an unusual request but I was persistent and now hold a Bsc with an honours in psychology. I am Co Founder of Evolve Abroad an education incubator focussing on collaboration and sustainability. I have over 10 years, mentoring and coaching students and professionals and have developed conservation and community programs across the globe. Collaborating with a diverse community of stakeholders in think tanks, impact monitoring, and curriculum design has profoundly shaped my outlook. 

Our concern is that international education is a privilege reserved for select students with resources. The result is international education inequality between poorer developing countries and developed countries, as well as between families who do or who do not have the financial means to support international education experiences, which inspired us to design this program.

We are facing global challenges daily resulting in students searching for careers with purpose and organizations looking to integrate sustainability into their corporate culture and long-term strategy. 

We propose bringing these two groups together to collaborate and learn. 

Organizations get a unique program for employees which focuses on effective mentoring skills and implementing sustainable best practice. Students from developing countries are subsidized to join the cohort, each team works on a sustainable development project in local communities focusing on addressing  the UNSDG’s.

Incubator = Increased leadership + capacity building + increased impact

How inclusive and diverse is international education? Is there enough global exchange in mobility of students both inbound and outbound from developing countries? 

Currently only 15% of students from developing countries are participating in international education compared to 85% from middle to upper income countries. Of the over 4 million students who participated in international education experiences in 2017 only 63800 were from developing countries.The primary limiting factor being listed as cost.

The marketplace is very quickly becoming a global space where exposure to different cultures and international experience and a global outlook is becoming critical. Our world leaders are striving towards creating a collaborative landscape, collectively working towards sustainable development across the globe. 

Traditional study abroad experiences are costly making it extremely difficult for the vast majority of students from developing countries to pursue similar opportunities and experiences, with most African students feeling that they need to travel to the USA, UK or Europe for high quality tertiary education opportunities, but not having the funds available to do so.

In order to close the gap in educational inequality at higher education level we need to support over 3 million students from developing countries with access to international education experiences. 

We facilitate and manage international education incubators, bridging gaps in inequality, by facilitating collaboration between various stakeholders through hybrid and virtual engagement. Our programs provide education on sustainable development, improve key global competencies & leadership skills and drive sustainable impact.

Our objectives:

·      Provide a Sustainable Development Leadership program to organizations looking to integrate a philosophy of sustainability into their corporate culture and strategy.

·      Provide subsidized international education opportunities to students who risk being left behind

·      Support grassroots organizations working on solving problems in local communities that address global issues

Our aim is to bridge inequality gaps by facilitating the development of inspirational leaders who drive impact through collaboration, awareness and education.

Professionals receive a certified virtual course in sustainable development, coaching on effective mentorship skills, practical skills development through collaboration with a community on a project solving a local problem.   

Students receive an academic course for credit, intercultural engagement, mentorship from a professional, a competency skills audit & career development plan, practical skills development through an international internship and collaboration on a project solving a local problem.

Students, professionals and communities come together in a collaborative interactive learning environment, which facilitates change and drives impact.

This project serves students looking for an international education experience and who want to develop their professional skills but do not have the funds available to support such an experience. 

It serves communities, and grassroots organizations looking to improve conditions in their community or protect the environment but who need additional skills, resources and support. 

Students are supported with scholarships to cover the majority of the cost of the program fee and are consulted when deciding which project, mentor and niche courses best fit their career interests. 

Communities and grassroots organization direct, define and set all project goals and outcomes and are part of the decision making process on selecting which students and professionals best suit their project needs.

Each corporate entity is consulted and matched to a community, project and student cohort that best fits their particular industry and corporate strategy.

Students and professionals will provide additional resources, skills and support to grassroots organizations and communities. Each community will present a problem that needs solving and provide their perspective on possible solutions. 

Projects and international internship offer students the opportunity to improve practical skills and gain international experience, professionals the opportunity to effectively mentor students and assist local communities.

Our mission, is to address education inequality by providing an inclusive platform for  international education. An innovative incubator fostering diverse collaboration with multiple stakeholders. The first step to leaving no one behind is providing inclusive education and economic opportunities.

All, projects providing practical skills development opportunities, are aligned with the UNSDG’s and have sustainability at their core, building awareness and driving action to solve problems for local communities.

All cohorts are multicultural driving discussion around challenges through different lenses to increase understanding of and between people through acceptance of different perspectives which will open up opportunities for changing behaviour.

For the last 15 years, I have hosted international students travelling abroad with the primary aim of gaining international experience, improving their global outlook and their resume, increasing possibilities for future job opportunities. I noticed the majority of students were predominantly from the United States, Europe and United Kingdom, few came from African countries.

This lead me to two realizations:

1.     Student cohorts were missing a significant piece, many students were visiting developing countries but only interacting with other students from developed countries. A more diverse cohort and interaction with students from developing countries would have greatly enhanced the experience and improved desired outcomes.

2.     We were doing the world a great injustice by creating a platform which potentially increased education inequalities.

Think about how many great young leaders and innovators are out there who we might have missed,  just because it cost too much or they did not have the resources to participate!

I had to do something, so I left my secure role with a bigger organization where I was unable to implement the changes of diversity and inclusion I wanted to see and created my own platform to see if I could achieve my goals this way.

I am South African and although I am far more privileged than many other people from my country, I did not have the opportunity to travel internationally until after I had been working in my first job for a few years and managed to save enough money. As a student I was also completely unaware that study abroad programs even existed! If I had been aware and had the resources I would have jumped at the opportunity! When I finally managed to travel abroad it changed my life and the path of my career. I was lucky!

I am certain an international education experience would have shaped my career and given me the opportunities and experiences that I now draw on, far sooner in life. It is for this reason that I am inspired and committed to making sure that students who do not have the money to travel abroad are made aware that there are great opportunities and benefits to international education experiences and that there are ways to make this possible even if you feel you don’t necessarily have the resources available, through virtual or hybrid experiences and effective collaboration.

My personal and professional experience, leave me uniquely prepared to take on this project. I began my career in the corporate world working in different roles including sales and marketing in large pharmaceutical firms but also in Human resources department as part of the recruitment team in telecommunications. This gives me the necessary experience to understand the dynamics of the corporate world and the importance of corporate culture, as well as the challenges faced by HR teams with regards to finding and keeping talent within an organization.

I eventually moved into the travel industry and finally the international education sector and have held senior management positions which have required me to design curriculum for study abroad experiences but also to mentor, train, develop and manage professional staff as well as study abroad students and host international interns over the years. 

I have Collaborated with communities, organizations and government departments setting up community and conservation programs focussed on achieving the UNSDG’s targets in countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. All projects were driven by local communities and host organizations and required that I work in multicultural teams. The goal of all projects was to become sustainable in the long term ensuring the ability to operate independently, responsibly and ethically. 

This project draws on all facets of my skills and previous professional experience and brings it together into one holistic, rigorous program achieving desired outcomes for key stakeholders who are invested in making a difference to their lives and others.

My frustration at being unsuccessful in instigating change within my previous organization eventually lead to two of us leaving the organization and starting Evolve Abroad together. Sara, shared my,  sentiments, energy and passion for this project, we inspired each other. Starting a company with limited resources is challenging. But with perseverance, in 6 months we had set up and were hosting our first students. Tragically in June 2019 Sara passed away in an accident at sea. This was heartbreaking, I lost a friend and business partner. With an immediate emergency, I had safety challenges I needed to resolve, but also, I was overwhelmed with sadness, wondering how to run this project on my own. I dealt with the immediate emergency, time helped with the sadness of losing a friend, perseverance and Sara’s passion for this project made me determined to continue and succeed. We are currently collaborating with Dr Nel from Birmingham University on a research paper using data collected by our first students, which is dedicated to Sara, despite the tragedy and challenges, we have, grown offering scholarships to 7 students this year ensuring 47% placements are African students and managed to achieve the short term goals we set.

Years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Moses, who worked in our gardens, he was charismatic, loved people and his dream was to own business one day, however felt he did not have the necessary skills. After some investigation I discovered Moses could drive. I offered him the position of driver on our projects. He accepted and continued to show a keen interest wanting to learn more so I arranged for access to a computer and began teaching him basic computer skills and increased his responsibilities to include administration and logistics, eventually promoting him to the role of Logistics Manager. Moses was thriving, so I began encouraging him to put together small itineraries for site seeing trips. Over time this expanded and with a growing interest and a small market share we were able to arrange finance for a vehicle for Moses empowering him and helping him with resources to set up his own small business, offering airport transfers and local tours. I believe all of this was down to Moses, but I had the great privilege and pleasure of supporting and guiding him along the way. The gap was bridged and a dream became a reality!

We did not select other.

Our financial models allows this project to subsidized students who have traditionally been left behind, to participate in an international education experience which is now far more cost effective, making the experience more diverse and inclusive. 

Our virtual hybrid model brings together multiple stakeholders, from around the globe in a virtual space to collaborate on finding solutions and then drives action locally. Which increases capacity allowing us to solve global issues locally.

Our incubators bring together a mix of young professionals already working but looking to develop and expand their leadership skills with students and graduates looking to bridge the gap between theory, practice and the professional world. They also assist individuals find a career with purpose and gain confidence navigating their way around working in a professional virtual work space.

Together everyone learns about sustainability in a virtual environment where professionals become effective mentors to new talent and build relationships, and students learn together with professionals already working in careers that interest them creating a neutral space to engage, interact and expand professional networks with like minded individuals.

Projects allows students and professionals to collaborate with communities and work together on practical skills and apply sustainable practices to solve real world problems.

This project serves 3 communities:

·      Students and graduates who have limited resources.

·      Corporate organizations looking to develop staff and embed sustainability into their organization

·      Grass roots organizations striving to solve problems in local communities

According to ICEF report 2018/2019 Nearly three in four African student respondents expressed that education abroad played an important role in increasing their education to a higher level.

The other notable aspect of student mobility from the region is the prominent role played by third-party funders, particularly in the form of government or corporate scholarships. Indicating a desire from students from Africa to participate in international education but resources are limited.

At UN Global Compact Board Meeting in June 2020, UN Secretary-General called on business leaders to set more ambitious goals to achieve the SDGs and an article published by Professor Knut Haanaes  states 62% of executives consider a sustainability strategy necessary to be competitive today, and another 22% think it will be in the future.

A recent UN report indicates that local involvement with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) remains nascent at best in many countries. Grassroots organisations have a critical role in advancing progress towards the goals, especially at a subnational level. Nonetheless, these groups remain a largely untapped resource. (ref https://www-bmj-com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/content/365/bmj.l2269)

This incubator serves to bring all stakeholders together to participate in the following activities:

·      Courses in sustainable development

·      Diverse, Intercultural engagement and collaboration

·      Coaching and mentorship

·      Practical skills development

Outcomes from these activities, include improved global competencies, direct impact in addressing the UNSDG's through collaboration in solving problems at a community level. Increased capacity in leadership and sustainable best practice, a growing global network, of individuals who share similar values, looking for careers with purpose and to drive change. 

The results are an ever increasing pool of leaders, skilled in sustainable best practice, global collaboration and effective mentoring skills, increased opportunities for students and recent graduates who had previously been left behind and direct input in addressing global issues at a community and grassroots level.

According to data at http://data.uis.unesco.org/Index.aspx?queryid=172 over 3 and half million Students from middle, upper middle and high income countries participated in outbound international education programs in 2017. Only 638070 from low and lower middle income countries participated in outbound programs. 

We should be striving to match the number of 3 and half million students from middle to higher income countries with the same number of students from developing countries to close the inequality gap. Which means we should be providing international education opportunities to approximately 3 million students from developing countries or who have traditionally been left behind.We have a very long way to go!

We are a small startup which is less the 2 years old even so we have ensured 47% of our placements have been awarded to students who were traditionally left behind to try and ensure international education equality. So far this equates to 7 students of the 16 students we have hosted so far.

By adjusting our model as discussed to incorporate corporate partnerships to assist us with awarding scholarships this will help us accelerate expansion to support 100 students in one year and 1600 in 5 years.

Our goal is to have an international education incubator in every country. We will achieve this by increasing our corporate and institutional partnerships.

We have set a target to secure 5 new corporate partnerships in 2021 and a further 10 in 2022 resulting in 80 partnerships by 2025. Our first partnerships will increase our resources to enable us to increase our marketing and outreach efforts which will assist in securing further partnerships. We have seen that the more case studies, stories, referrals and reviews we have greatly assist with growth in future partnerships, which greatly assist with organic growth.

80 Corporate partnerships translates into 3200 students and 1600 projects and communities supported per year. 

Once we have one incubator in each country this will mean 1050 partnerships, 21000 students previously left behind supported each year and 10500 solutions and support for 10500 communities around the world every year. And there is no stopping us having more than one incubator in each country. 

To completely close the inequality gap and support 3 million students every year we would require 150000 partnerships around the globe.

Our greatest barrier is exposure, we lack the necessary resources to fully invest in an effective outreach and marketing campaign. We have revenue coming in which has grown, surprisingly despite the pandemic, however this is not enough and we are using a portion of the revenue generated to award scholarships to students traditionally left behind.

The market place is dominated by larger organizations who charge significantly higher fees for similar programs and traditionally cater to students with more resources and so they have large marketing budgets. This makes it extremely difficult to penetrate this market with significantly lower program fees and a much smaller marketing budget. We do believe that our revised model including corporate partnerships and development opportunities is one of the benefits which could assist us in overcoming this barrier.

Access to technical skills to improve our virtual learning platforms and systems would greatly assist us with the ability to accelerate scaling up our impact. 

Our biggest barrier is awareness and exposure in an industry that is historically difficult to penetrate and could be argued is saturated. However we feel it is saturated by providers catering predominantly to students from  higher income groups, leaving others behind. In order to penetrate this market and gain exposure in the same way as other providers are currently operating, you would need years of relationship building with partner universities predominantly in the United States before they are willing to work with you and extremely large marketing department and budgets to compete with other providers at education conferences, in the digital market spaces and at education trade fairs. You would also need to charge significantly higher fees than we are currently charging for our program.

We believe by including and collaborating with corporate partners and building them into our model this will differentiate us from other programs and will assist us with financial resources to provide more cost effective programs which are more inclusive.

We are currently partnered with a UK Charity who support many communities, and over 65 different grassroots organizations and NPO organizations around the world collaborating on various projects which tackle sustainable development.

We are also partnered with 3 different organizations in student recruitment and are currently working with several academic institutions on virtual experience programs in sustainable development.

We are currently in initial conversations with 2 corporate entities about collaboration on our international education incubators in South Africa and Mexico.

Our business model benefits significantly from corporate collaboration and partnership.  

Instead of just approaching corporates for funding we wanted to build relationships and add value as well as tap into potential human resources and skills. Corporate organizations pay us for a service which is a unique training program in sustainable development for their staff members. The program can also assist with their recruitment processes as they will be building relationships with recent graduates looking for careers in relevant career fields. 

Students will have the opportunity to participate in a far more cost effective international education experience which is subsidized by ethical corporate organizations.

Communities and grassroots organizations will have access to additional skills, experience and resources to help them solve local problems.

We bring in funds through selling a service and building relationships with ethical organizations and recruiting students to participate in international education programs. Students still need to pay a portion of the program fee. If students are unable to pay the remainder of the required fee we will assist them with fundraising training and support so that they can raise the outstanding balance. It is important for students to demonstrate personal investment and commitment to the program.

We work with several fund raising organizations to assist communities and grassroots organizations raise funds for their projects.

Yes we are currently generating revenue through recruiting students who are currently paying for our program from developed countries. As well as through organization and institutions who provide scholarships and subsidize students who require additional funding to participate. 

We are seeking partnerships with corporate organizations who want to build sustainability into their strategy and academic institutions who would like to support students who have been left behind and promote diverse and inclusive international education experiences. 

We do have have budget and breakdown of expected expenses which are happy to submit upon request.

We are applying to The Elevate Prize as our greatest barrier is limited resources for marketing and therefore the media and marketing campaign to build recognition and a fan base would be significantly beneficial. 

Additional access to professional management and development services, mentorship and coaching, educational training, capacity building, and connection with influencers and industry leaders, is the perfect fit for our product and is perfectly aligned to the services we offer. 

Increased access to a network of partners is one of our primary strategic goals and of course and additional USD300000 would be greatly appreciated to assisting us in capacity building this would enable us to launch incubators in 2 new countries.

The key objective of building partnerships with corporate entities and institutions is to assist us in building capacity both financially and in skills development for students and recent graduates who have previously been unable to participate in international education experiences with the aim of creating more job opportunities and improving their chances for successful employment and improving economic conditions. In our experience in most cases when students from developing countries benefit from opportunities this will often transfer from to students benefits to include friends and family and local communities. 

Corporate organizations looking to incorporate sustainability into their corporate culture and develop inspirational and motivated leaders. By collaborating with them to provide a unique impact driven leadership and mentorship program which supports student participation.

Universities and tertiary institutions from developed countries who are looking to provide international education experiences to their students and who would like to improve on diversity and inclusion opportunities in these programs.

The Future is offline to assist us with offline access to some of our virtual material for students participating in rural areas with limited connectivity as well as any tech companies who can assist us with improving our virtual learning platform.