MARBLEHEAD — Today’s young adults generally get painted with the same brush: They’re self-absorbed and spoiled, more interested in selfies than selflessness.
That’s not the case with the 37 teens who are active participants in the internship program run by Stone & Compass, an all-volunteer Marblehead-based non-profit that’s working on 27 community projects in 17 countries.
Stone & Compass was started in 2012 by town residents Robert Goodwin and Julie Kiernan, a husband and wife who had just $9 in their bank account but dreamed of bringing people from around the world together to learn about each other through community-engaged international travel and by building sustainable projects.
The Stone & Compass internship program provides a launch pad for youth to make connections across the globe in meaningful ways. Consisting of high school and college students, the eight-year program provides opportunities for students to travel abroad, work with youth and leaders around the world, and create and build sustainable projects in those communities.
On March 4, Stone & Compass will hold its first Intern Gala fundraiser, run by the interns to benefit myriad sustainable projects. It will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The Landing restaurant, and the entire $75 ticket price will go to the internship program.
Goodwin said Robert Simonelli, The Landing’s general manager and a longtime supporter of the non-profit, will close the restaurant that night and is not charging Stone & Compass a penny, meaning that 100 percent of ticket sales will go toward funding the interns’ projects. Interns will be there that night to talk about their projects, and there will be hors d’oeuvres, silent auction items, and a cash bar.
“Stone & Compass gives the interns untethered independence and gives them the opportunity to thrive,” said Goodwin. “We offer opportunities for youth to go abroad, to make a connection and hopefully make a difference. We don’t tell them what to do. Our Azores project, for example, was created and planned 100 percent by student interns.” Interns don’t get paid, but their internship is fully funded by donations. There are 14 adults on the board who are seriously active volunteers, and about 20 others who help out as their schedules allow.
“We don’t ask for more than we need,” said Goodwin. It will cost $40,000 to fund intern programs this year. With growth has come the need to raise more money to pay for the projects.
“We’ve created an epidemic of good.”
Franco Zuccoli, director of outreach, said, “It’s pretty amazing to witness a young high school student come in so excited and passionate to start helping and doing a project in another country. If you could only see the magic that Robert and I and other volunteers see, to see how impressive these young people are. It’s another kind of scholarly education.”
Projects include a 2,200 acre complex in Bulgaria that has united that community. A new building will house a health care clinic, and there is a free summer camp for disadvantaged neighborhood kids. High school interns from Marblehead and Swampscott serve as counselors and work side-by-side with their Bulgarian counterparts.
A project in the Azores was created and planned entirely by interns Hana Feingold and Carter Murray, Marblehead High seniors. They work in the fields, standing up to their knees in mud with dairy farmers committed to regenerative farming practices and a solar energy project.
Kiernan, a professor of Theatre & Speech Communications at Salem State University, runs the youth programming and runs eco-tours and trips staffed by Stone & Compass personnel. All tour profits are reinvested into youth programs and its global projects. All volunteers have full-time jobs and none get salaries from Stone & Compass. A landscape company and building management firm were formed to also generate funds.
“I’d guess we’re the largest mom and pop global organization in what we do,” said Goodwin. “We did everything right the wrong way. We create programs and then start raising money to make them happen. Many non-profits make sure they have the money first.”
Goodwin and Stone & Compass interns have visited and made presentations at the United Nations. Interns Murray and Feingold discussed their Azores projects; Eila Sullivan talked about her work in setting up the Stone & Compass Global Artisan Market, an online store selling traditional crafts from across the globe with revenue reinvested back to artists; and Rei Newman outlined her work in Dominica with the local government and private landowners to create an eco-village that will help generate revenue for local education and youth initiatives.
Goodwin was recently appointed executive director for global outreach for the Foundation for the Support of the UN at the United Nations. Stone and Compass has partnered with the UN to advance projects in poverty-stricken countries and grow its impact on the world, supporting the organization’s 17 sustainable development goals.
In June, Goodwin will be a featured guest speaker at the StratCommWorld conference in Washington, D.C. Other speakers include Retired Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, a former commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and high-ranking executives from MGM Resorts International, the Motion Picture Association of America, and LinkedIn. Impressive company, indeed.
To think this all started when Goodwin threw a dart at a map nine years ago, and it landed on Bulgaria. They’ve since raised about $3 million, and about $300,000 since acquiring 501(c)(3) non-profit status two years ago.
“We’re unique in that 100 percent of what comes in goes back out. And a donor can follow their donation and how it’s spent from start to finish.
“We have something very special going on here.”
For more information about the organization or to buy tickets to the March 4 Intern Gala, go to www.stoneandcompass.com.
