Time required at Dorji School: preferably 4 weeks in duration, at least 4 hours/week and preferably 10 or more.

The amount of time spent is variable. In some of the locations the kids are only available for a few hours a week, in others the kids are so interested that they meet with the Mentor after school daily and/or on weekends.

Cost to volunteer:

$250 for the Seattle workshop. (tax deductible and possibly partially-subsidised by the SherpaFund)

Mentors are volunteers who donate their time and pay any expenses incurred in traveling to or staying at the BRIDGES sites, so the volunteer is responsible for all their own travel and living expenses. However Dorji school will help by providing meals. Accomodation at the school may be possible based on availability at the time. The SherpaFund can help with finding accomodation options in Kathmandu.

How does the program work?

BRIDGES to Understanding is an online classroom program connecting indigenous and urban children worldwide through digital storytelling. Central to the program is interactive photographic storytelling mentored by professionals and created by students.

What does a BRIDGES Mentor do?

Mentors are generally professional photographers or educators with a strong interest in cross-cultural understanding who work directly with the students in the BRIDGES program. Mentors provide the expertise in photography, storytelling, technology, and problem solving; they teach the skills that the students need to create their own digital stories. The mentoring works the best with people who have other projects, interests that they are pursuing. The most enthusiastic Mentors are those who are working on their own photographic projects and find that the time they spend with the kids gives them a whole new perspective/introduction on their own work. In this case, we hope for a Mentor who would also have the time to get things going, making relationships, setting up technology, and more.

Do I need to speak the language spoken at the foreign sites?

No. Of course it will be an added benefit for both you and the students if you do speak their language, but either Site Coordinators or the students or both will speak some English and can translate.

Do I need to have experience working with children to be a BRIDGES Mentor?

We do not require that the Mentor have teaching experience, but it is essential that you like being with children and feel comfortable working with them. A working knowledge of computers is necessary.

The Role of Mentors

Mentors are the heart of the BRIDGES program. Mentors are usually photographers, educators and people interested in cross-cultural understanding who volunteer their time and expertise to work with children in BRIDGES sites around the world. In return the Mentors come home with stories of how they were welcomed into remote communities, forged strong connections with the children they mentored and shared their expertise to help give a voice to cultures seldom heard.

It is very common for BRIDGES Mentors to volunteer again and again. They keep in contact with their new friends, often becoming effective advocates for improving conditions in the communities they visit. Mentors are valued ambassadors for the BRIDGES program - the enthusiasm of returning Mentors inspires others to join and support us.

About the Seattle Workshops - Information from BRIDGES

"Intensive, challenging, lots of fun"

Phil Borges will lead a three day workshop where you can learn the key components of digital storytelling:

1. create a multimedia production for publication on the web; 2. explore digital photography and image editing; and, 3. capture and edit sound and narrations.

These three day workshops take you on an overview of the BRIDGES program and curriculum - they are designed so that the participants complete three projects that make up the core of the BRIDGES program; portraits, online homepages and a multimedia movie. These workshops are typically offered once a month, except for those months when BRIDGES is offering foreign workshops.

The focus of these workshops is digital photography. It is an effective tool for immediate feedback as we push the creative boundaries of our work, move outside of our comfort zone and use photography in new and exciting ways. These workshops will explore both "the well-crafted image" and the "experimental image". Phil will share his experience in creating culturally sensitive portraits, from gaining access and establishing rapport with the subject to issues of composition and working with on-location lighting.

We will work alongside students as we explore the craft and technology involved in visual storytelling; they, in turn, will offer a unique, first hand introduction to the communities. We will be using digital photography and web publishing tools to create multimedia projects and a photographic essay. Each participant will create and publish an online photographic journal that will be updated daily.

Workshops are lead by Phil Borges, an award winining photographer known internationally for his books Enduring Spirit and Tibet - A Portrait of Compassion and for his work as an advocate for endangered cultures. The Seattle workshops are co-taught by Susan Olivier-Hirasawa, web master, multimedia story teller and designer of childrens software.

BRIDGES charge a fee for the workshops to help cover costs and keep their organization going.

Thank you and best wishes,

Alison and the Board of the Sherpa Education Fund

And our friends at BRIDGES to Understanding

For more information please email Alison@SherpaFund.org