THE COLOMB!A R!S!NG PROJECT

Dave Kramer is obsessed with Colombia after spending the late 90's living and working as a schoolteacher, living there with his family in Cali for several extended periods since, and maintaining connections and friendships for the past twenty years, and traveling extensively. His wife, from Cali, calls him a Gringo Aplatanado, although his dancing skills leave much to be desired. Dave has been a champion of Colombia, perking up at just about any mention of the country. He wrote about ethnoeducation (intercultural education by and for indigenous Colombian communities) in his grad school application essay; crafted a hypothetical (alas!) business plan in a social enterprise incubator course to establish a nonprofit based in Colombia that would work with former military personnel, demobilized paramilitary & guerrilla fighters, and campesinos & indigenous youth to strengthen the workforce of conservation-focused projects in and around Farallones National Park and the Pacific region west of Cali; and is now focused on The Colomb¡a R¡s¡ng Project! whose exclamation marks reflect his excitement for building bridges between Colombia and the rest of the world.

 

He is a natural connector and sponge for information, with unique capacity for connecting people, projects, and ideas with energy! Dave aims to apply his energy to consulting for a variety of teams and organizations as well as (a) designing trips and itineraries for others to experience Colombia's magical realism, warts and all, firsthand; and (b) formulating a careful and mildly audacious plan to knit together Colombia's first ever cross-country trail, extending the length of the country and across its wildly varying terrain - and connecting its diverse cultures and communities both rural and urban.   With Colombia at a turning point in its history, and the global community more ready than ever to explore once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the time truly is NOW!  Learn a bit more about Dave via LinkedIn and reach out at colombiarising [at] gmail [dot] com.