100. SkillCorps Journey, with Team Saudi Arabia: Part One

Discover what’s possible when caring is enough to make a difference.  We’ve made it to episode 100! To celebrate this huge milestone, we’ve put together this special episode taking you on a journey with our SkillCorps® Saudi Arabia team.  For almost 20 years, the Global Autism Project has been providing sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership training to autism centers around the world seeking guidance. Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates and professionals to travel to our international partner sites and collaborate with their local teachers and therapists.  If you follow our work closely, you may already know that we recently sent two of our SkillCorps® teams back into the field for the first time since the start of the pandemic. We were thrilled to see our partners again in Saudi Arabia and Kenya.  We usually send out teams of up to 10 people three times a year for two weeks at a time. The team members are complete strangers when they meet for orientation in NY, and by the end of their two-week trip, oftentimes they’ve become close friends. I still keep in touch with many of the teammates that I’ve traveled with. So far, over 500 volunteers have joined our SkillCorps® Alumni community, and many are repeat travelers.  Each SkillCorps® team has a trip leader, and sometimes a leader-in-training, or LIT for short. I led the team in Saudi Arabia and was accompanied by an LIT, Korey Taylor. I thought it would be really interesting to document moments throughout the two weeks, so that we could share the experience and give you a glimpse of what happens on a SkillCorps® trip.  After reviewing hours and hours of great content, we realized that trimming down too much would be a disservice to you. So, this episode will be a two-parter.  Today, you’ll hear excerpts from conversations about:  Learning and self-discovery First impressions of Saudi culture Openness and flexibility Cultural humility Building rapport with the staff at Namaee Center Collaboration and teamwork Community outreach Making an impact  We’re currently taking applications for trips in July and October to Saudi Arabia and other partner sites, including Ecuador, Dominican Republic, China, India, Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda.  Join us today at skillcorps.globalautismproject.org and use the coupon code “autismpodcast” to waive the application fee.  ----more---- Related episodes:  2. Global Autism Project: Our Mission, with Molly Ola Pinney  25. Functional Communication Training in Saudi Arabia, with Yaser Aljaaidi  56. Do With Not For, with Our CEO Molly Ola Pinney  ----more---- We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.  Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast  Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community  Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project  We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey