Helping people is a hard thing to do. On a small scale, it might not seem like it–a hand out of the gutter here, a couple of bucks there–it’s easy to make yourself feel as though you’re doing something worthwhile. Those small things, though, while helpful, quite often make no real, long-lasting impact. When it comes to helping an entire community, it’s damn near impossible for the everyday person to do. Unless, of course, you’re involved with The Latitude Project. Which you can be. Which you should be. Hell, this coming winter, you could find yourself on a trip with them.
In short, Latitude does something that many other non-profits do, and it’s simple: ask, listen, help. Instead of going somewhere and simply installing or building one thing, they ask the people living there what they need most. “We offer people the opportunity to be the agents of their own change by initiating health, education, and sanitation projects that are locally supported and sustained, because we have a deep-seated belief that grassroots organizations – when founded on the right principles – can create a ripple effect of compassion, change, and freedom,” wrote the founders, Jenn and Alanna Tynan. After the community has spoken, Latitude makes it possible and gets the whole community involved.
Here’s what a whole community of smiling, happy people looks like.
It’s a unique take on an old model–and it’s one that strips away all the unnecessary red tape that so often end up surrounding a well-meaning project. “Unlike bloated, traditional organizations that often have multiple layers obscuring the actual initiative and results,” said Thomas Foley, “The Latitude Project excels at identifying a need at a granular level and collaborating with locals, government and donors to ensure the right resources get to the right place without unnecessary waste.”
They’ve already done a handful of incredible projects: they built a pre-school in Collado, they put roofs over 500 people’s heads in San Juan Del Sur, they restocked schools in Rivas, and they’re working on a bunch of other projects that are just as good, if not better.
This year, they’re doing a few to-be-determined trips this winter. In short, each person on the trip gets involved in fundraising, then joins the Latitude Project for a week of good ol’ fashioned hard work, surfing, and getting to know the community they’re helping.
To learn more, head to TheLatitudeProject.com, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram. See more from the filmmakers, DRFTWD, on Vimeo.
