iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service (www.ileap.org) is a 501c3, tax-exempt nonprofit organization with a mission to cultivate a new generation of social entrepreneurs and changemakers who have the practical skills, critical thinking, and global community of support to create positive social change in the world. Our Vision is a worldwide community of interlinked individuals, communities and innovative organizations who are committed to taking risks and engaging life with a humble passion and abiding sense of humor as they work with, and in the service of others. This worldwide community is nurtured and sustained through iLEAP's global programs which offer both transformative life experiences and a commitment to an ongoing relationship with its participants. Through this commitment to community, iLEAP envisions the emergence of creative partnerships that will fundamentally shift the practice and purpose around international travel, volunteerism and service, and business and development.

A vital piece of iLEAP programs is what we call Bringing it Home, or the process through which people who have been abroad can 'bring back' their transformative experiences and integrate them into their present and future lives. For all of the push and widespread popularity of international travel and work abroad, there is a stunning lack of attention given to the piece of returning home. After the 'nice to have you back' comments and those interested in viewing your travel photos fades, the unfortunate tendency can be to bracket off the overseas experience and, like a photo album, shelve it as a nice memory. For some this is just fine. But for many, the urge to 'do something more' or amplify their experience into something larger--a life with more intention and purpose--can be haunting and difficult to pursue alone. iLEAP has designed Bringing it Home for these very people.

iLEAP believes that the period immediately after returning home presents a critical (and fleeting) window of opportunity where the potential for creative action is at its highest; Especially for those who have experiences abroad that have given rise to questions about such things as community development, social justice, and sustainability.  This window is the time when great intentions and inspired clarity can be harnessed--before the inevitable tide of day-to-day responsibilities sweeps away the possibility for such changes. For this reason, we have developed a curriculum that is intended to help people to process their international experience so that they can integrate their transformative learning into their practice and purpose in their home communities and everyday lives. This is done through a structured curriculum that emphasizes reflective practice, experiential learning, and a critical engagement with subjects such as power, political economy, and development.  At the same time, iLEAP feels that this Bringing it Home piece must not merely rest in the realm of the personal (how have I been transformed?), therefore this piece of our programs pushes participants to connect their awareness in collaborations with others (how will we transform things together?).  What this means is that an essential piece of the Bringing it Home program is the participants indentifying and working with a community or organization of their choice.

The Bringing it Home curriculum is currently a part of iLEAP's various programs that take our participants through a number of different countries and cultural contexts. However it is very possible to customize Bringing it Home to be a stand-alone program.  iLEAP is interested in working with Crooked Trails alumni and we are very open to designing something that can meet the unique needs of your travel experience. For more information on Bringing it Home or iLEAP, please email Dr. Britt Yamamoto, iLEAP Exeuctive Director at britt@ileap.org.