MARBLEHEAD — Stone & Compass is a non-profit organization that aims to bring people, especially young people, from around the world together to learn about each other through community-engaged international travel or by building sustainable projects.
Founded in 2012 by Robert Goodwin, a 14th generation Marbleheader, and his wife, Julie Kiernan, Stone & Compass is booming during the coronavirus pandemic.
“At the beginning of COVID, there were a lot of unknowns. But we’ve weathered the storm very well,” said Goodwin. “We’re an all-volunteer organization. We reinvest all profits back into the organization. That helped us initially, and our global stakeholders are committed.
“Diversification has been a benefit; it’s helped us not only stay afloat but thrive during the pandemic. We are in better shape today than we were eight weeks ago. We feel really, really blessed.”
There are several “businesses” that fall under the Stone & Compass umbrella. Profits from each support the projects across the globe and the innovative Youth Intern Program.
There’s a travel company, which provides service trips for students and interns, and cultural tours for vacationers. All have been pushed to 2021; but very few people have canceled their 2020 reservations said Goodwin.
There’s a successful landscaping and design company. “We’ve gone back to our roots, pun intended,” said Goodwin. “We’re very, very busy.” Many interns, mostly Marblehead High School students, have embraced the opportunity to learn and design residential landscapes. The family that runs a hazelnut farm in Serbia supported by Stone & Compass has moved to Marblehead, and they are helping Goodwin and interns grow the landscaping business.
There’s a plan to get Stone & Compass health clinics up and running in different parts of the world, giving marginalized people access to free health care. The first is scheduled to open in February in Dominica, and clinics in Uganda, Bulgaria and the Azores will likely follow.
Franco Zuccoli, Stone & Compass’ director of outreach, has spent 30 years in the fitness and health and wellness field. He will share his expertise with interns and promote the importance of mental and physical health. Goodwin said Stone & Compass has partnered with the United Nations Global Health Initiative.
There’s a new startup: Stone & Compass cafes in Europe that will offer food and drink. The first will open in March in Bulgaria; many more are planned.
And there’s the internship program, which provides a launch pad for youth to make connections across the globe in meaningful and impactful ways in order to create lasting solutions to many of the world’s problems. Consisting of high school and college students, it provides opportunities for students to travel abroad, connect with youth and leaders around the world, and create and build sustainable projects for local communities. Internship projects include working on a solar project for low-income residents in Mexico, promoting agriculture work with youth in Dominica, finding solutions to food insecurity and renewable energy in the Azores, and running the first-ever study-abroad program with the Maasai in Kenya.
The pandemic halted 2020 overseas trips, but Goodwin said some 70 interns have already committed to spending two weeks working on Stone & Compass projects throughout the world next summer, leaving only spots for 20 more.
Bulgaria is Stone & Compass’ home away from home. In the small, central village of Stolat it owns 2,200 acres of land that it calls The Center, complete with a restored barn and 18 bedrooms, that is used for service learning trips, educational programs, international forums, and more. Stone & Compass purchased a communist era theater in Stolat that is being restored. It hopes to provide storefronts for local businesses, allow children to celebrate arts and culture, and establish a school, library, and museum to promote education and cultural preservation.
“Stone & Compass is really about the youth, and giving our student interns a chance to be really involved and learn skills,” said Goodwin, adding that organization’s mantra is to connect, educate, and inspire.
“This has been a hard period for so many people. What all of us have been able to accomplish shows that many great things can happen when times are tough. We’re on a path with a trajectory that shows anything is possible.” Goodwin added that selflessness by volunteers and compassionate youth can indeed take place now, when global connections are more important than ever.
To learn more, go to www.stoneandcompass.com.
