In the News

I gained so much more on this trip than a resume-building experience or a do-good feeling. Talking with people my age about real-world issues like government corruption and climate change, learning how to communicate in Spanish or simply with body language, and experiencing the pure natural beauty of Panama’s mountain sides are all immeasurable reasons I have become a better global citizen because of my Panama brigade. And being a part of a sustainable, admirable organization like Global Brigades isn’t only about building up and supporting communities; it’s also about cultural exchange, about meeting in “spaces of Otherness.”

During spring break this year, eight Notre Dame students will travel to Honduras to hold discussions and workshops to educate and empower local residents. The trip is being sponsored by the Notre Dame chapter of the Global Legal Empowerment Brigades, a division of the international non-profit Global Brigades.

SUNY New Paltz Global Medical Brigades is a student group whose goal is to educate the campus and the wider New Paltz community on some of the most pressing health issues around the world. These students work with licensed medical practitioners to set up medical clinics in rural areas of the globe that may have inadequate access to health care. These brigades head out to the communities every three or four months to provide their services. In addition to medical services, the Global Medical Brigades aid in projects that promote sustainable living and clean water.

A group of University of British Columbia Okanagan campus students are preparing for the trip of a lifetime. This May, students involved in Global Brigades will travel to Honduras to work alongside local doctors and help set up a mobile medical clinic where community members can access free healthcare.

Maia Yoshida, of Madison, New Jersey, received her bachelor’s degree in 2018 in molecular and cell biology with a minor in fine arts. She is now a researcher in a bioengineering lab, engineering immune cells to better fight cancers. While at Penn, she researched the molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases and was a teaching assistant for a fine arts course on biological design. She also taught elementary school science at the Penn Alexander School in West Philadelphia. As the president of Global Brigades at Penn, she led fundraising efforts for sustainable development projects in Honduras.

A trip to Honduras through the Global Medical Brigades chapter at Marquette University inspired Joshua Knox to do more to meet the medical needs of people in his own backyard.

In Ghana werden dringend Ärzte benötigt. Dennoch verlässt inzwischen jeder zweite nach der Ausbildung das Land – vor allem aus Frust über die schlechten medizinischen Bedingungen. Was könnte den Brain Drain stoppen?

Global Brigades is one of the best experiences one could ever have, and this is not a bold statement. The programme gives its participants the opportunity to use their technical skills to create an impact, while simultaneously immersing themselves in the culture and language of the country. This is just an addition to the core of what the Legal Empowerment Brigade and the Engineering Brigade in Honduras aim to achieve.

One student who saw particular value in the training was Richard Brito, a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in public administration with intentions to earn his master’s degree in social work. In 2018, Brito, a student ambassador for FSU’s Student Resilience Project, brought Medical Brigades to FSU, a campus chapter of Global Brigades, the largest student nonprofit group dedicated to helping vulnerable communities worldwide.

“The work of Global Brigades is dynamic and important,” Brito said. “Teaching students about trauma and resilience through the Resilience Project and the professional certification helps us provide better services to the communities we serve on our trips abroad. It’s wonderful how the projects dovetail. They are like pieces of the same puzzle.”

Students in the Global Brigades program are trained throughout the academic year in preparation to travel abroad during the summer semester and help people with human necessities, such as access to water, building repairs, and health and small business education.

From traditional tacos from Mexico, to chicken and vegetables from China, to egg rolls from Vietnam, people tasted, and shared, food from all around the world at the festival.

At the Panama booth, people could try a breakfast medley of hot dogs, broccoli, rice and eggs. Students with the Global Medical Brigades said they ate that dish everyday when they were in Panama this year setting up clinics for people who needed healthcare.

“I think it’s important to talk about our differences, and coming together as a community. They say America’s a melting pot, but we don’t really know about other cultures when we’re sitting here,” said Hannah Langer, co-president of the Global Medical Brigades at Hastings College.