For students coming from low-income neighborhoods and under-resourced schools, a profound travel experience can literally change the trajectory of their lives. Photo: Where There Be Dragons

We are on a mission to raise $5,000 for inner-city students and we need your help!

Take a moment to reflect on your very first travel experience. How old were you? Where did you go? What did you experience? How did those experiences affect how you saw yourself and the world?

Now think about who supported you in making that travel experience possible? Who paid for your trip?

Each one of us at Matador has been profoundly affected by our first trips abroad. Like many travelers, our sense of ourselves and our responsibility to others has been shaped by experiences thousands of miles from where we were born and raised.

These experiences would never have been possible without the support of family, friends, teachers and caring community members. We are extremely grateful to those who provided that support.

Now, it’s our turn to give the gift of travel. The more we can raise for the Matador Scholarship Fund, the more opportunities we can provide students to see the world. We hope you’ll join us!

Matador Travel Scholarship Fund

We at Matador believe that travel can be one of the most powerful experiences in a young person’s life. The cultural exchange during travel has the potential to shatter paradigms and empower young people to look at themselves, their communities, and the world, differently.

Because many young people lack the opportunities to travel, MatadorTravel.com is raising $5,000+ to create a travel scholarship for low-income Bay Area high school students.

The recipients of the scholarship will be chosen from participants in the Coro Exploring Leadership Program, an innovative youth leadership program that trains courageous, compassionate, and committed high school juniors to become changemakers in their school and neighborhood communities.

The Opportunity

A $5,000 scholarship will pay for at least two students to go on life-changing summer trips with an incredible youth travel organization called Where There Be Dragons that provides experiential learning programs abroad, focused on cultural immersion and understanding, humility, teamwork, and positive risk taking.

The Impact

By donating to the Matador Travel Scholarship, you are providing students who come from low-income neighborhoods and under-resourced schools with an opportunity to step outside of their day-to-day world and discover new potential, self-confidence, and gain a new perspective on their lives and the communities they live in.

This experience is essential to breaking negative patterns and in many cases literally changes the trajectory of these young people’s lives.

Although this is a one-time donation, the impact of your donation continues long after these students return from their trips as they incorporate what they’ve experienced into their daily lives, positively affecting their family, friends and communities.

The Party

Our fundraising will culminate with the blow out party of the summer on Saturday, August 16th at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco, CA.

The event will feature SF’s best soul DJs, live painting, live funk band, local art & photography, 2 full bars, free food, raffle prizes, a photo booth, leg shakin’ & much more.

Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, Dancehall Reggae & House from DJ Pleasuremaker and Professor Belway will be bumpin’ in both rooms all night with a special live set from the Afrolicious band (from Thursday nights at the Elbo Room).

Local Art & Travel Photography will be on display from Oliver Black, Ian Ross, & Friends with live painting by Ian Ross. Also, a special exhibit will feature essays from young travelers from around the world.

Check out photos from our last party (500+ guests)…

When: Saturday, August 16th 9pm to 2am
Where: 111 Minna Gallery in SF

$15 Door Cover, 21+ (All proceeds go to the Matador Travel Scholarship)

Your Donation

Every dollar counts. If it’s $1 or $1000 we appreciate you taking the time to give. All donations are tax deductible. You will also receive updates next summer when the students embark on their trips so you can follow the impact of your giving.

How to Donate

Donating is as simple as purchasing something with a credit card. Once you click on the widget below you’ll be taken to a very simple and secure Paypal interface where you can either enter in a credit card or pay using a PayPal account if you already have one.

If you have any questions about this donation please contact Ben Polansky at ben[at]matadortravel[dot]com.

Thank you in advance for giving the gift of travel.

–
Ben Polansky

Youth Programs Manager, Coro Center for Civic Leadership
Co-Founder, MatadorTravel.com