Guest Article Written By: Jessie Voigts

The youth of today face an entirely different world than that of their parents and grandparents. And, traditional educational methods can’t always keep up with this rapidly changing global economic environment. Teens need more than school and college to get a job – they need to learn flexibility, adaptability, and writing and business skills to succeed in today’s global economy. This new global economy has also created opportunities, and a lifestyle, that didn’t exist a decade ago.  Our neighbors and coworkers are no longer next door – but around the world. Now, more than ever, teens can truly live their dreams and create the life they want, by working and learning online.  We want to help teens see these opportunities – and provide them with the skills, knowledge, and support to fully take advantage of them.

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 12-18. Membership is conferred upon successful application. The program is for teens with a natural curiosity about the world, and a passion for expressing themselves through words, photos, videos, and conversations.

We’ve partnered with highly successful faculty members – in travel writing, travel blogging, writing, social media, photography, videography, online reputation management, SEO, business, and more – to teach foundational skills that can help students get established in the online realm of social media and content creation. We aim to help students explore the world (even in their own backyard); learn the art of travel writing, photography, and videography; learn the basics of travel blogging and monetization; create change in the world; increase intercultural awareness; build a loyal readership and following; and participate in a community of like-minded international teen leaders.

Students attend weekly webinars with faculty, and then build their travel blogging skills by writing and taking photos and videos on assignment. They publish these assignments on Wandering Educators, thus building their online portfolio. But the class is much more than the lectures – we have weekly g+ hangouts, where students (who are located all around the world) come together to share intercultural experiences, laugh and create together, and partner with each other on collaborative projects. The students are building their own community of like-minded, international teens that we just KNOW will change the world.

We offer this program as a way to give back – and, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. We’ve seen the need for a sea-change in the way that people prepare themselves for their future and work lives. In this class, we teach students how to take their passion for writing, their curiosity about the world, and the foundational business tools of using the internet, to build an online portfolio and move forward in the direction of their dreams.

Jessie Voigts 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 is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel library for people curious about the world. She founded the Family Travel Bloggers Association, and the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program. She’s published two books about travel and intercultural learning, with more on the way. You can usually find her family by water – anywhere in the world.