ThinkImpact

I had a great experience! The staff was great and the community members were incredibly warm and welcoming. There was never a time when I felt uncomfortable or unsafe. Despite being a little apprehensive about the program at first, by the end I really enjoyed my time in Panama. I believe the experience really helped to shape my view of the world for the better.

I stayed in a rural community in Panama as part of a ThinkImpact Social Innovation program in January 2015. It was a wonderful experience to stay with the community members and experience life as they would. They were very friendly and we experienced a very different life from what we are used to. The concept of the program is wonderful - using local assets to bring about social change. I learnt a lot-importance of non verbal communication, interacting with community members to discover details about their lives and integrating ourselves in the community to help being sustainable change. It was a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend this program!

I participated in this program in January 2015. I think I made a very good choice. It was so exciting to be exposed to a fundamentally different culture than mine. I learned a lot from this program, such as team work, communication skills, etc. People there were very very friendly, cooperative, and supportive. To be honest I was a little bit surprised at their sincerity and friendliness. I made a lot of friends with the locals, mostly children. At the end of the program, I set up a poster board with the help of the locals and our program interpreter, Mr.Carlos. I was extremely happy with my work and I hope this could help the community better deliver information and become more unified.

If you want to have a different and meaningful vacation, especially the winter one, Panama is strongly recommended.

The Think Impact program has drastically altered my perspective on social entrepreneurship. The curriculum and program its self is honestly revolutionary in the process, there is a back bone to guide but lots of room for creativity. The process is innovative, creative, and passionate. Each of the associates within the program are more than qualified and truly inspire the process of the institute in each student. I personally enjoyed the ability to let my design team work out a project. This is the reason Think Impact is making sustainable change because it is based on what assets the community possess, rather than the "needs".

The excursions were well planned and thoughtfully selected. I enjoyed our hike as well as our drum lesson. Our team of scholars became so close during our excursions. As far as improvements, it would have been helpful for a packing list which was customized for the country specifically. I found myself buying a few small things which I could have brought from home once I arrived.

This program has both inspired me and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I would recommend it for everyone and anyone. I am proud to be an alumni of this program.

ThinkImpact gave me the resources to create positive change in my host community. Through immersion, collaboration, and coaching from my advisor, I lived a high-impact summer of social change.

The first portion of the program is dedicated to immersion. By living with a host family and participating in their daily activities, I felt welcomed and integrated into the local culture. I cooked, cultivated, fetched water, went to church, washed clothes, and fed the cow, among other activities.

I loved living with my host family, but be prepared to live in rustic conditions (no running water, latrines, etc.). You'll be surprised how easy this is to get used to! There was little variety in our food options, I generally liked what we were served. Our meals consisted of plantains, beans, rice, and some greens and fruit. We also drank milk tea every morning. It is very easy to be a vegetarian in the communities, if that's your thing!

I felt very safe in my community. My host family and team members were always looking out for my safety. However, we were advised not to go out at night.

ThinkImpact's in-country team exceeded my expectations. The country coordinator and advisor were attentive to our needs and went above and beyond to make our experience meaningful and impactful.

Starting a business in rural Rwanda is definitely a challenging experience. Trying to explain the idea of a business plan, budgeting, and other basics was quite difficult. Working with the interpreters was also difficult at times. Additionally, we had to consistently try to overcome the community's stereotypes of "Westerners in Africa" (especially with regard to money). ThinkImpact's staff was very helpful in addressing all of my concerns and working with me to come of with creative solutions to these issues.

I definitely recommend this program to anyone looking for a high-impact summer of social change, entrepreneurship, and asset-based community development.