Group Leader: Ryan Plourde
Why do I want to be a part in the “Be The Change” project: I want to be a part of the “Be The Change” because Ethiopia is a beautiful and unique country that deserves to have its voice heard. It’s home to some of the most wonderful and welcoming people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and this project will give the rest of the world a chance to see what I see on a daily basis. They say that a picture is a poem without words and Ethiopia has a beautiful poem they’d like to share!
About me: I was originally born in Kennebunkport, Maine but have had the distinct pleasure of moving around quite a bit in my short life and have called many a place home. California has my heart though, so if asked that’s where I’d tell you I’m from. I’m currently living in Ethiopia as a Conservation and Natural Resource Management volunteer with the Peace Corps and working on such issues as deforestation, soil erosion, water conservation small scale gardening and agro-forestry. I got my undergraduate degree from the University of Redlands in Southern California and after years of working in the baseball industry, I decided it was time for a change and moved on to do some work with the Boys and Girls Club of America and part timing it at a wonderful organic farm in Phoenix, AZ.
Here in Ethiopia, we’ve started using art as an education tool through painting murals and through collaborative art projects such as like the Inside Out Project. We are all citizens of the world and the “Be The Change” project is an opportunity to not only educate Ethiopians on other cultures but to educate others about Ethiopia. It’s an opportunity we are very excited about over here and we look forward to being a part of!