About 360Plus

Our Mission:  The main focus of 360Plus is to provide leadership development and learning opportunities to students through inclusive educational travel, technology, and cross-cultural collaborations. Our programs bring together communities that would otherwise not connect, hence increasing international participation in global problem solving.

360Plus believes in learning through connecting with other cultures by traveling, working, and studying internationally online. Particularly travel, with its nature of unfamiliarity, has the power to reset social dynamics, allowing young people to work on personal growth, community-building, and global problem solving.

360Plus grew out of a network of international development professionals of US and Indian origin who wanted to leverage their skills and resources to provide life changing experiences to young people.

2023 Leadership Collective

The 2023 leadership collective was a reboot for the year 2020 – which could not happen because of the pandemic. We welcomed learners from five different countries — the United States, South Africa, Jordan, Cuba, and India. The students travelled to India and covered Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Mysore, and Hampi from July 7 through July 24. This year the cohort explored their place in the wider narrative of climate change and how they can lead the fight in their own communities on the ground.

The online course and physical travel program were centred around educating participants on the scientific and social fundamentals of climate change and the current crisis. Additionally, they equipped students with insights into India and facilitated the formation of a supportive learning community. During our trip to India, we engaged with individuals confronting climate-related difficulties as well as those actively devising solutions. Over the two weeks of traveling within India, the students engaged with more 10 organizations (for-profit & non-profit) to build a comprehensive understanding what the challenge entails. This was the sixth year of the Leadership Collective and the first one after covid-19 restrictions.

View our Learner Profiles and learn about their journey through the blog.

“The experience of the program has taught me to speak up. In class, I am more open and outspoken. I finally realized that when I share my voice, I encourage other to do the same. My interaction with others in my community is now stronger. People in my community know I will speak up and not be put down. The trip has helped me to have a voice, especially in times of injustice.”

“This is a travel opportunity, not a vacation; open-mindedness is essential… you will probably never receive another opportunity to go on a trip that will be as fun and as difficult as this one. You will be tested physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but you won’t want it to end. You will meet people from all over the United States, but they won’t seem so different from you.”

“I can be an effective, yet humble leader. My peers in the Leadership Collective also taught me how to be a quiet leader and speak in my own time. It also opened my eyes and led me to think outside the box about my future endeavors… that I might one day study abroad in India or [the] USA.”

“I definitely feel more urgency about the state of the world and my ability to interact with it…. I also definitely want to travel more now and whatever I do, I want to make sure that what I’m doing is helping the world and the people who live in it.”

“I began to look at sustainable technologies as something that would be included in my career path. I feel like this trip has really allowed me to see and learn the practices mostly. When we went to the Ladakhi host family, just the way they garden was incredibly sustainable.”

“I lived the life of an adventurer, a  student, a cartoon character, a  farmer, and a teacher. I climbed a  mountain with a friend, walked  dark roads with flashlights in a  group, went to classes with Rishi  Valley students, helped farmers  turn homemade fertilizer, milked  a cow, and taught others how to  dance. These experiences  changed the way I saw a lot of  things. I saw myself in a new  fun, outgoing kind of way which is  completely different from when I  first started this trip.”

“I think “Learning Through Travel” is the best way to learn because through travel we have a look at a thing instead of imagining it. This way of learning is different and unique from our daily school or college life. It is an interesting and an effective way to learn.”

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