Positive Footprints - Documentary Series

Positive Footprints - India

positive_footprints — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:14:00 GMT

I was lucky enough to be a volunteer on this World Expeditions community project - repairing a school in Jambha Village, Rajasthan.

Having never travelled to India before and being a relatively new Mum, it was a surreal and very rewarding experience to be travelling on my own, and camping in the desert in Rajasthan!

Our team worked on a neglected yet vital school in Jambha village in scorching temperatures(although when I inquired why there were no snakes around, I was told it was only Winter and they come out when it heats up in Summer!) to help send a message on the importance of education, particularly in rural India.

The project was funded by many people via micro donations through the Footprints Network.

I hope you enjoy our story.

Positive Footprints - Cambodia

positive_footprints — Fri, 6 Feb 2009 04:05:00 GMT

Having watched every other amazing episode of Positive Footprints being shot, edited and pushed out to the world, I couldn't help but feel the need to be more involved.

After some budget bashing, unnecessary auditioning ( I so should've been in that unseen 'So you think you can beg for Cambodia trip' pilot) I packed up my bags to join a World Expeditions Community trip in Cambodia with 10 other committed travellers from around the globe.

Our goal - Restore the village school in Balang in 3 days
Our adversary - Stifling heat, monsoon rains, landmines 200 metres away, a nasty bout of gastro!

The project was driven with great passion and commitment on the ground from Human Translation, The Cambodian Orphan Fund and the amazing team of travellers who came aboard this project, from Canada, Australia and the UK. They sweated, toiled, and worked their butts off to get the job done. A truly magnificent bunch of people.

It was an amazing experience for me and I'm very proud to have been involved, representing WorldNomads.com and the 1,735 World Nomads who donated through our Footprints Program to help supply project materials.

Enjoy !

Positive Footprints - Nepal

positive_footprints — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:47:00 GMT

In April 2006, we packed up our documentary producer extraordinaire Trent O'Donnell and shipped him off to Nepal to shoot the first of our 'Positive Footprints' documentary series. Armed with a camera, bags of batteries, some warm clothing and his wits, we sent him to capture the essence of a World Expeditions community project travel trip. We also asked customs to not let him back in unless he had a good story.

He was to join 13 travellers as they trek into one of the most remote parts of Nepal to help refurbish the Saramthali school and repair a retaining wall constantly threatened by the harsh climate of the Himalayas.

This is the story of what happens when a group of travellers choose to make a difference, the effect it has on them, as well as the local community. Grab a drink, something to nibble on, maybe a couple of tissues and enjoy, Positive Footprints - Nepal.

Positive Footprints - Kenya

positive_footprints — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

" Kenya, 35 million people, half of which are still in school uniform..15 million under the age of 12...if you aint got any qualifications, you aint got a hope in hell of getting a job"
Clive Dougherty, World Expeditions Leader, Kenya

When you consider statistics like that, it hits home not only the true importance that education plays in the sustainability of a country, but also the need to assist where you can to ensure education can occur.

It's off again for our documentary producer extraordinaire, Trent O'Donnell. This time he's heading into the heart of Kenya with 16 other World Expeditions community project travellers to give their time to build desks, refurbish classrooms and assist in installing a new water tank.

Project material funding was raised via our Footprints program through the kind donations from 679 World Nomads.

Trent was also accompanied by the 2007 Documentary Scholarship winner, Cesar Salmeron.

We hope you enjoy, Positive Footprints - Kenya.

Positive Footprints - Peru

positive_footprints — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT

So after the success of Positive Footprints - Nepal, we decided it's time to make a series, next stop Qelqanqa Village, Peru!

We dragged Trent O'Donnell, our documentary producer extraordinaire , not so kicking and screaming, out of his editing suite and punted him onto a plane. Bound for the Urubamba mountains of Peru to work against time and altitude with 16 other World Expeditions community project travellers to complete a vital footbridge and water project.

Project material funding was raised via our Footprints program through the kind donations from over 1,339 World Nomads.

Trent was also joined by one of our World Nomad bloggers , Christina Rivera, otherwise known as Solbeam, to get a taste of travel with meaning and share their adventures with us jealous folk back home.

Enjoy, Positive Footprints - Peru !

Positive Footprints - Vietnam

positive_footprints — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ok, it's time for Trent O'Donnell, our documentary producer extraordinaire, to hit the road on his next assignment. He'll need to travel to Xo village, high in the remote Mai Chau Highlands of Vietnam with 11 other World Expeditions community project travellers.

Goal - Help build a new classroom and deliver much needed school supplies for the students at Xo village.

What the team won't know is that they'll be confronted by both a tragedy within the village as well as feel the sting of late season monsoon rains which delay project materials. How will they cope with the pressure?

We hope you enjoy, Positive Footprints - Vietnam.

Project material funding was raised via our Footprints program through the kind donations from 679 World Nomads.

News - Positive Footprints - Vietnam has been picked up by Nat Geo Adventure channel, so check your local stations for screening times ( we're pretty stoked about that one!!)

Positive Footprints Documentaries - Where it all began

positive_footprints — Sun, 7 Sep 2008 23:43:00 GMT

"You're a travel insurance company that shot a documentary series? How does that work?", is generally the response.

As much as we think of ourselves as more than just a travel insurance company, it probably does seem a little left of field that we'd decide to run off and shoot a documentary.

So what made us decide to take a gamble and do it?

In February 2006 I was walking back with our Managing Director, Simon Monk, from a meeting with World Expeditions, an adventure travel company.

We'd been discussing how we could use Footprints to help fund community projects being run as part of World Expeditions own community project travel program.

What is Footprints? Footprints is an online philanthropy project that harnesses the collective power of many individuals making micro-donations to fund community based poverty alleviation projects globally .

Anyone that buys a policy through World Nomads can donate between $1-$5 to a community development program around the world. We felt the projects World Expeditions were involved in were ideal candidates for Footprints funding. But a funny thing happened on the way back to the office.

You've got 16 travellers going to Nepal to work on a community development project, instead of choosing to sit on a beach.

What makes someone want to do that on their holiday?

What effect does it have on someone who chooses to make a difference when they travel?

Is it over-rated and does the community they visit want them there, or care they've travelled across the world to help?

"What's your point!?" I could remember Simon saying as I rambled on.

To me it sounded like something I wouldn't mind watching as a documentary. And that's when my mind just took off on it's own tangent...

We could send a friend of mine, Trent O'Donnell, who happened to be an excellent cameraman, director, editor and keen traveller to follow these people and see what community project travel or 'voluntourism' is all about.

World Expeditions, god lov'em!, jumped on board to support the idea.

I felt confident we could capture some amazing stories and get a real insight into this type of travel. I also knew that if they were good, we'd find an audience outside of just our community.

Maybe I could get the documentary onto airlines, so other travellers could be inspired. Perhaps even dream a little as a very independent first time documentary series producer and get it onto television.

Well, both have happened.

We shot a pilot Positive Footprints - Nepal and managed to get it onto over 15 International Airlines such as Qantas, American , Virgin, Thai.

We then had the good fortune of meeting a distributor who'd seen the documentary and wanted to pitch it. So like a scene from a Guy Ritchie film, plane takes off, lands in Cannes, quick handshake, back to Australia.... and

Nat Geo Adventure want a series !

What???!!! holy $%#&

So from a decision made in the space of two city blocks, we've created the Positive Footprints documentary series.

Enough rambling from me, here are the first 4 episodes of Positive Footprints

India and Cambodia will be shot in October & November, so stay tuned !