Wandering Educators Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

 

Kids today face challenges that their parents and grandparents could never imagine.  There are no clear career paths for them, because the way we work and live is constantly changing and evolving.  This has also created opportunities, and a lifestyle, that didn't exist a decade ago.  Now, more than ever, kids can truly live their dreams.  They can create the life they want.  We want to help kids see these opportunities - and provide them with the skills, knowledge, and support to fully take advantage of them.

 

Introducing the Wandering Educators Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program.  For kids who have a natural curiosity about the world, and a passion for expressing themselves through words, photos, videos, and conversations.

 

We love exploring and learning about the world and sharing travel experiences. We also love to teach – to plant and nurture seeds and help people discover and learn their passion.

 

The Wandering Educators Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program is an on-going, free, multi-term online class and mentoring program for students ages 14-18. Membership is conferred upon successful application.

 

As a member of this program, you will build your travel blogging skills by writing and taking photos and videos on assignment. You will publish a minimum of two articles a month on your own blog within WanderingEducators.com.

 

The first term will start in late March/early April, 2012. Classes will consist of a twice-monthly webinar, followed by G+ hangouts and participation on our private forum.

 

 

Objective - to help students: 

•    Explore the world (even right out the front door)
•    Learn the art of travel writing, photography, and videography
•    The basics of travel blogging &  monetization
•    Create change in the world
•    Build a loyal readership and grow their following
•    Participate in a community of like-minded young adults

 

Term One – Who you are in the world, and content creation:

 

• Travel Blogging Basics
• Travel Writing 101
• Weird is Writeable - The Importance of observing the unusual and putting it on paper
• The Art of the Travel Review
• Photography 101
• The Business of Travel Photography: Ways to Make Your Work Sell
• Videography 101
• Social Media 101
• SEO 101

 

Term Two – Editing, refining your craft:

 

•  Travel Writing 201
•  Photography 201
•  Videography 201
•  SEO 201
•  Social Media 201
•  Monetization

 

Term Three – Apply what you’ve learned to help others, dig more deeply into your own interests:

 

• Members will serve as peer advisors for students in Term One
• Travel Blog site creation and monetization
• One –on-one deep mentoring in the students’ chosen niches

 

Terms Four+ -

Independent Study as needed, Peer Mentorship

 

 

Students will:

 

• Build a portfolio of online travel writing, photography, and video
• Be part of a community of supportive, like-minded individuals – forming lifetime connections and friendships, sharing strengths and abilities
• Awaken to their creative potential
• Work together as a group to explore all aspects of travel blogging, hone their craft, support each other, and learn both reflective and critical thinking skills
• Build strong writing, photography, and videography skills
• Learn how to build a travel blog
• Earn a certificate of completion after three terms, and access personal reference letters as needed
• Inspire other young adult travel writers!

 

Explore questions such as:

 

• What part of the greater world am I interested in exploring?
• What is travel writing?
• How can I participate in the ever-evolving content economy?
• Why do I do what I do, and how can I learn to do it better?
• What am I stoked about the most, and how can I pursue this passion?

 

 

Learning Arenas/schedule:

 

Each term will last 10 weeks. This course will take place in several online and offline arenas, including:

• Twice-Monthly webinars
• Weekly G+ hangouts
• Bi-weekly phone calls with faculty
• Participation in a private forum for the Mentoring Program on WanderingEducators.com

 

Expectations:

Faculty will teach the art and craft of travel writing, travel blogging, photography, social media, monetization, earning a living online in the content economy, and mentor students in achieving their full potential in these arenas. Faculty will be available online for questions and support.

Students will work together cooperatively together as a group, attend webinars and hangouts, explore all facets of travel blogging, write and take photos and video on assignment, publish at least two articles a month on their travel blog on WanderingEducators.com, and serve as peer advisors, starting in the third term, as needed.

 

To apply:

Please send a letter of interest to Jessie@wanderingeducators.com. In this letter of interest, please include your travel background and interests, examples of writing, photography, and video (if available), profiles on social media (facebook, g+, twitter, youtube, etc., if available), and why you feel you are a good fit for this mentorship program.

 

 

Term One Faculty and Classes:

Term One – Who you are in the world, and content creation:

 

• Travel Blogging Basics – What is a travel blog? How do YOU want to see and experience the world? Finding your niche. Dr. Jessie Voigts, Publisher, Wandering Educators
• Travel Writing 101 – Dr. Gary Buslik, Professor, University of Illinois Chicago
• Weird is Writeable - The importance of observing the unusual and putting it on paper  - James Gough, author of the YA novel Cloak
• The Art of the Travel Review - Wil Klass, guidbook author, founder of Spot Cool Stuff
• Social Media 101: Guide to Self-Promotion for Travel Writers – Alisha Miranda, certified travel geek.
•  Advanced Social Media: How To Turn Tweets & Status Updates Into Paying Work & Collaboration - Leigh Shulman, writer, traveler and mom currently living in Salta, Argentina where she runs the Cloudhead Art organization
• Travel Photography 101 – Travel photography is more than taking a picture when you're away from home.  Jordan Oram, Photography Editor, Wandering Educators
• The Business of Travel Photography: Ways to Make Your Work Sell – Alison Cornford-Matheson, Canadian travel writer, photographer and founder of the Belgian travel resource CheesWeb.eu.
• The importance of International experiences – Anastasia Lopez, Career Education Advisor, Western Michigan University
• Videography 101  - Jeff Harper, Visual Journalist
• SEO 101 – Having a successful website takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Learn about SEO – Search Engine Optimization. Ed Forteau, Publisher, Wandering Educators

 

 

 

Term Two – Editing, refining your craft:

•    Travel Writing 201
•    Maintaining Inspiration & Creativity
•    Photography 201
•    Videography 201
•    SEO 201
•    Social Media 201
•    Other ways to publish your work

 

 

FACULTY:

Gary Buslik is an American novelist, short story writer, travel writer, and essayist. His work has appeared in many literary and commercial magazines and anthologies, including Travelers' Tales' Best Travel Writing collections for 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and (forthcoming) 2012.

His novel The Missionary's Position is a favorite of the Caribbean tourist crowd. In 2009 his book A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean won Benjamin Franklin and ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards for travel writing. His novel Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls is scheduled for publication in spring, 2012.

He earned his Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he now teaches literature, creative writing, and travel writing.  You can find him online at http://www.arottenperson.com/

 

 

Alison Cornford-Matheson is a Canadian garden and travel lifestyle photographer, freelance travel writer and copy-editor, based in Brussels, Belgium. She is the founder of CheeseWeb.eu, an English language resource for living in Belgium. Alison has a combined honours degree in Journalism and International Development Studies from the University of King's College as well as honours in photography and digital imaging. Alison's writing and photography has appeared around the web on sites such as Islands Magazine, Jetsetter and Almost Fearless. Her photography has appeared in magazines, books, a postage stamp and in personal collections on 3 continents. You can find her online at http://cheeseweb.eu and http://www.acmphotography.com

 

 

Ed Forteau, a former engineer and marketing consultant, has been making a living full time online since before 2000. He has written books and taught courses on traffic strategies, search engine optimization (SEO), and monetization methods of a successful website. He will focus on how to apply these strategies to the unique field of travel blogging, to build a sustainable business. Ed is the Publisher of http://www.WanderingEducators.com

 

 

James Gough creates. That's his passion and drive. Creativity is what inspired him to author the young adult novel, Cloak, and it's what helps him craft the advertising that has earned him numerous international awards.  His pursuit of the path less traveled has led him to live abroad and across the U.S.--from the Dakotas to the Big Apple. His belief that everyone can be creative is what he shares when he speaks to youth, and is the reason he loves to teach.  You can find him online at http://www.jamesrgough.com

 

 

Jeff Harper is an experienced photojournalist and videographer with over 10 years experience in the industry. He became enthralled with photography after a backpacking trip to Ireland, and has been hooked on visual journalism ever since. He formalized his skills at NSCC received honors in both photography and digital imaging. He dove right into commercial and wedding photography, but eventually settled as a photojournalist, and has worked for all the major daily papers in Nova Scotia, as well as a freelance photographer for The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and Reuters.

Jeff now works mainly with video, using the medium to help businesses market themselves in the changing landscape of social media and Web 2.0. Aside from producing videos, Jeff also writes a twice monthly column entitled "Moving Pictures" for the Halifax Chronicle-Herald and is a frequent guest on CBC's Maritime Noon answering questions on all things tech in the ever changing photography/video industry. You can find him online at http://www.jeffharper.ca/

 

 

Wil Klass is the founder of Page 17 Media and the Executive Editor of its flagship website, Spot Cool Stuff. His travel writing career began with one part inspiration and two parts sake at a pub in Nagasaki. In the 20 years since then, Wil has lived in Japan, India, Nepal, Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, Fiji, Wales, Germany and on both coasts of the United States. He's worked as a travel writer for US News & World Report, as the Editorial Director for The Travel Channel, and as the co-author of the cult hit travel guidebook Asia Overland. He's currently preparing for the most frightening and exciting journey of his life—the trip into fatherhood.

 

 

Anastasia R.D. Lopez is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She is a Career Educator and Advisor at WMU for the College of Arts and Sciences. Anastasia received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Hospitality and Tourism Management degree from Robert Morris University in Moon Township, PA. She studied abroad in Rome, Italy and traveled to 14 countries so far. She is the Global Education Editor for Wandering Educators.

 

 

Alisha Miranda is a certified Travel Geek. Having worked alongside numerous travel communities in recent years, she's become a solo female traveler with a passion for sharing her experiences with others and inspiring young people to do the same. You can find her sharing tidbits on her websites, flavors.me/alishainthebiz and alishainthebiz.tumblr.com/travelgeek

 

 

Jordan Oram grew up in the west coast rain and the moss and bark that dwells there. Washed up on the shores of many a land imagined and real. Taught and learned and lived in canoes and forests and tents and trees. Was shaped by what was, and chooses now where he heads. He taught children and was taught by children for a bit over a decade: Outdoor Education. Did some travelling and worked for various peoples. Odd jobs. Crazy jobs. Boring jobs. Not too many of the latter. More lessons easy and hard. Now he wanders and wonders with camera in hand and keyboard or pen close by. Looking and seeing what is around the next corner, up the next creek, over the next cliff, what each day has in store, who he’ll meet, as we grow into who we become.  You can find him online at http://coastalforestdweller.blogspot.com/

 

 

Leigh Shulman moves around a lot. Born in South Africa, she's lived on 4 continents and traveled more than 30 countries  with her husband Noah and daughter Lila. Now, Leigh lives in Salta, Argentina where she founded and runs Cloudhead Art, LLC  (http://cloudhead.org), an art and education NGO that uses social media meet people, share resources and create collaborative art projects.

Her work is what she most loves to do. Writing, photography, teaching and travel. Her experiences are as many as the places she's traveled. Leigh has designed websites for MTV. She taught high school and university creative writing and literature courses, ran her own internet consulting company and was editor of Matador Network's Life section. These days , when not working on Cloudhead, she bikes with her daughter whenever she can and love digital photography and design.

 

 

Jessie Voigts is a mom who loves sharing the world with her daughter. She has a PhD in International Education, and is constantly looking for ways to increase intercultural understanding, especially with kids (it’s never too young to start!). She has lived and worked in Japan and London, and traveled around the world. Jessie and her family live on a lake in Michigan, enjoying the summers swimming, kayaking, and sailing, and planning travel for the winter months! Her book, Bringing Home the World: A Resource Guide to Raising Intercultural Kids, is available at Amazon.com.  Jessie is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel site for global educators.