Fellows Part 1

The past month has been a whirlwind of activity. I returned from Nepal and Thailand, and was thrown into a week of prepping for my first batch of NFS fellows. Most of you know that, although I loved the work that I was doing with NFS, I was disappointed by the lack of infrastructure in the fellowship program. Although it turned out to be a blessing - in that I was hired to lead the program and revamp it, the first few months as a fellow with NFS were definitely trying.
Since July 1st, I have been trying to "revamp" the program. In my mind, I would like to see it take on a more educational focus - with fellowship dues being seen as tuition payments, structured reading materials, and even a "course syllabus" so to speak.
Here is the first month - at a glance.
The beginning of week one was a time to get to know each individual - their expectations of the program, life goals, skills, passions, etc. Mark Wexler and I took them hiking in Muir Woods and then we spent the afternoon at Stinson Beach.
The latter part of week 1 and all of week 2 was an immersion into NFS. Mark Wexler taught several days on the 10,000 ft. perspective of NFS and the movement: an overview of the organization, emphasizing NFS's mission, goals, and values. Our goals is to end slavery in this lifetime. How do we do that? What is Not for Sale's role within the larger movement? Why do we do some things, and not others? How are we going to accomplish our goal?
After the 10,000 ft mountaintop view is hammered home, we can delve into the daily tasks, programs and platforms, and the the overarching mission becomes the guiding point for all that we do. This is key - as  some days and weeks the daily tasks can be quite trying-  sitting at a computer all day, answering emails, doing what can seem to be mundane tasks. But when the mundane tasks are set into the larger perspective and foundation of the mission: To end slavery in this lifetime - then every task is important.

Week 3 and 4 were spent in San Francisco at the Investigator Academy. The first week was led by Dennis Mark, our Chief Investigator - with a focus on sex trafficking. The second week was led by Kilian Moote with a focus on forced labor violations.  As the fellows are car less, I drove them everyday to and from the city. Although this was trying at times, it was wonderful to be a part of their conversations on the way home - listening to what they learned, what they thought, how they felt, etc. Some days they were so overwhelmed that we turned the Beatles on and sang the whole way home. Some days we had great conversations regarding how to raise consumer awareness.
All in all, this has been an exceptional month. I am overjoyed to be working with such a great group of people. They bring enthusiasm and energy to the campaign - and are constantly surprising me with their fervor and dedication. I could not have asked for a better group of fellows!

hiking the Annapurna Circuit

We flew from Katmandu to Pokhara, Nepal for a 5 day trek in the Annapurna Circuit. Our trip was arranged through Three Sisters, a female owned, operated, and managed trekking company. We had 6 porters and one guide with us.
I don't think that my words will accurately convey the beauty - so I will let my pictures do the talking.
The following shots are from the third day -we began at 3:00am in order to ascend Poon Hill in time to watch the sunrise. It was an absolutely magical moment as the sun set the peaks on fire, breathing life, color, and possbility into hearts and minds.

Tini and I at sunrise on Poon Hill (left).
Below: A map of our trek.