Becoming a Champion of Human Rights & Intercultural Exchange

Kayla Mae Start Date: Sep 30, 2016 - End Date: May 2, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Dresden, Germany
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

My Travel Story

by: Kayla Mae Start Date: Sep 30, 2016 - End Date: May 2, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad
Empowerment is the key to change; thus to be able to empower communities you can slowly change the world. 

I am a graduate student pursuing joint-degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and International Affairs. My specialties within these programs are transportation and human rights. That being said I intend to empower communities that are often overlooked or underrepresented by using transportation and better infrastructure. 

In May I will arrive in Dresden, Germany and interact with a local university and its students to exchange culture and further my knowledge of the German language. After three weeks I am getting in contact with a local entity in France to interview and interact with refugees effected by the crisis in Syria and neighboring countries. During this time I will be blogging and documenting my experiences as best I can while striving to form lasting relationships and change perceptions of xenophobia. 

In July my formal studies will begin in Prague, Czech Republic; where I will take classes and debrief the information I received throughout the previous two months. In order to understand human rights and the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe and the broader West, it is imperative to hear the stories and the fears of the people fleeing such harsh conditions in their home countries. I intend on taking the information I discover and using it to assist in future planning endeavors to incorporate collaborative, bottom-up approaches in policy making, especially to underrepresented populations.

I have been increasingly distressed with the refugee 'Jungle' encampment and its fate in Calais, France; since its first stage of destruction and its iminent demise by the end of the year I have been striving to find ways to make a difference with this population in ways that are also beneficial to its host state. I finally have my chance to connect and bridge these differences.
  • Dresden, Germany
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Český Krumlov, Czech Republic