New Lens Travel

04/20/2019

We're so excited to share details of our upcoming trip to Kenya. This June, you can spend 9 days traveling across the country and connecting with creatives along the way.

Join us as Africa's best storytellers take us behind the scenes and show us how they rewrite narratives about the continent.

Part road trip.
Part creative workshop.
Part social impact trip.
Guaranteed to make you see the world in a New Lens.

More info in the comments below. 😊

07/12/2016

***CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT***

We're so excited to share this contest with you all. A wonderful donor has offered to cover the program fees of one lucky participant to join us on our trip to Ghana this August.

When you travel with us, you won't get the typical volunteer abroad experience. That's because instead of jumping in to 'help' people (which sometimes does more harm than good), we focus on learning from locals.

We'll arrange a custom placement for you with a storyteller in Ghana and you'll spend your time engaging with communities and hearing narratives that are different from what we typically see in media or pop culture.

The local storytellers we'll pair you with are reporters, documentary filmmakers, bloggers, satirists and cartoonists. They cover virtually every topic from politics to poverty and technology to travel- and they're helping us shift the pity-focused narrative we often hear about Africa.

Ditch your assumptions and join New Lens Travel this August as we look at social issues and development with a critical lens.

While our donor is covering the winner's program fees (this includes in-country expenses like food, accommodation, daily transportation etc), the winner will have to cover their own flight to Ghana.

Details and application here:
http://www.newlenstravel.com/ghana-contest

The contest closes at midnight this WED JULY 13.

Feel free to share this post, and let us know if you have any questions. Good luck! ✈

07/12/2016

Love this video- A Letter From Your Future Self.

This is "A Letter From Your Future Self" by on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

07/08/2016

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

-Pastor Martin Niemoller

06/29/2016

Hey, it's Jacky, the founder of New Lens Travel. Here's a photo of the first (and only) fashion show I've ever been to, which was in Ghana. That's where I met Ameyaw Debrah, one of Africa's top entertainment journalists and a celebrity gossip blogger. Lots of people are surprised when I tell them Ameyaw makes a living as a blogger, because it challenges the ideas we have of people in Africa.

Ameyaw is one of the storytellers that we pair our program participants with. If you're interested in an alternative experience to voluntourism, consider participating in our Ghana program to spend time with people like Ameyaw, whose creativity and entrepreneurial skills will challenge your assumptions. Spots in our August program are open: http://www.newlenstravel.com/how-it-works/

06/28/2016

Sometimes volunteering abroad unintentionally does more harm than good. When you're an outsider to a community and want to get involved, we believe the best thing to do is listen and learn from locals.

That's why we pair our program participants from around the world with media experts in Ghana. These experts are storytellers like reporters and photographers whose job it is to capture what's happening in their communities. Imagine learning about what issues impact a community by hearing about them directly from community members... This is what these storytellers do everyday and here's an opportunity to be part of that.

We're going to Ghana this August and have a few spots open for people who want to participate in this unconventional trip that turns voluntourism upsidedown. If you're interested in joining us, details are here: www.newlenstravel.com/how-it-works

06/27/2016

Join us in changing the story when it comes to volunteering abroad. Instead of traveling to 'help' or 'save' people in the developing world— which sometimes does more harm than good— we travel to learn from locals.

We're going to Ghana to spend time with local storytellers like reporters and documentary filmmakers who will give us the privilege of accompanying them to listen to and capture people's stories. There's still a few spots open for our August trip. For more info: http://www.newlenstravel.com/how-it-works/ ✈ 📷

06/27/2016

This little guy lives in the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana's Volta region. If you're at the town to see the monkeys, you'll be woken up at 6am by the friendly sanctuary staff. They'll have bananas in hand and will show you how to gather the monkeys from the forest.

06/23/2016

While there are hundreds of newspapers and TV stations in Ghana, radio dominates. There are more than 300 active radio stations and over 70% of the country's population says its their primary source of news.

We know the importance of media in setting the agenda for what people talk about, keeping the public entertained and of course, keeping powerful people accountable.

As journalists, we're biased, but we think getting involved in media is one of the best ways you can learn about a place that's new to you. If you're curious about how to get started, get in touch.

06/22/2016

06/20/2016

At New Lens Travel, we put a spin on voluntourism by sending people to learn from locals rather than 'help' or 'save' them. We pair participants with storytellers in Ghana like reporters and photographers, who are the ground capturing and telling the stories that don't make it to mainstream media.

Participants spend their time on the ground listening and capturing alternative narratives. As a participant, you'll return home with countless stories, photos and other media to help you share your experience with others. If you're interested in joining us in Accra, Ghana for this alternative experience, get in touch! http://www.newlenstravel.com/contact/