01 / Community · Environment
Wake Forest, USA
Care can begin close to home.
A school, a food pantry, a secondhand store: everyday places reveal how neighbours look after one another.
Small needs, real lives
Heritage Elementary School’s Purposity page offers a school-community connection. Purposity is a platform for practical needs shared by schools and nonprofits; check the page for available requests.
Neighbours feeding neighbours
Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry supports people facing food insecurity in the Wake Forest area. Food and volunteer time become something tangible: support for the next meal.
A second life for everyday things
Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina’s Wake Forest store is a place to donate and shop secondhand. It connects the simple act of passing things on with a wider community mission.
A youth-service idea to explore
Leo Clubs, a Lions International program, give young people opportunities to serve and develop leadership skills. This is an international program resource to explore from home; the link does not identify a Wake Forest club.
02 / Conservation · Environment · Wildlife · Community · Research
Philippines
Islands are more than a view.
Children’s spaces, local craft and living reefs tell different stories about what it means to care for a place.
Room to grow
Les Oursins de Lépine, also presented as Les Oursins Enfants des Trottoirs, supports children through spaces to play and learn. It puts childhood and everyday care at the centre of community life.
Made here, with a purpose
Liwayway is a Filipino lifestyle and craft brand whose story connects locally made objects with fundraising for children’s programs. A reminder that an object can carry a community story, too.
Life beneath the surface
Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation works on ecosystem restoration in Palawan, including coral reefs. Its work connects marine habitats, research and the communities that depend on healthy waters.
A small animal, a whole habitat
The Philippine Tarsier Foundation works to conserve tarsiers and their habitat in Bohol. Learning about this tiny primate also means looking at the forest it needs to survive.
Growing up with the ocean
Alon and Araw connects sport, education and environmental care for children in Zambales. Its work brings learning and play into the same conversation as caring for the coast.
03 / Community
Singapore
Helping is part of learning.
A school community offers one way for young people to look beyond their own daily lives.
Compassion becomes something you do
The International French School’s Groupe Humanitaire brings its school community together around projects supporting children. It is a Singapore-based starting point for learning about solidarity, including support beyond Singapore.
04 / Environment · Community · Research
Hawaiʻi, USA
What the tide leaves behind.
Ocean debris and recovery after wildfires reveal another side of island life: the people finding ways to care, create and rebuild.
Plastic with a different future
A 2021 Ke Ola Magazine story profiles Kat Crabill of Nurdle in the Rough and Mattie Mae Larson of Upcycle Hawaiʻi. Their work turns discarded materials, including ocean plastic, into jewellery and useful objects.
Looking beyond the holiday shoreline
Hawaiʻi Sea Grant connects coastal research with community knowledge. Its resource list compiled after the 2023 Maui wildfires points to recovery organizations and support networks; consult those organizations for current information.
05 / Conservation · Environment · History · Community
Puerto Rico, USA
Caring for what makes an island home.
Nature, historic places, animal welfare and reliable energy all shape everyday life beyond the visitor’s view.
Land with a story
Para la Naturaleza connects conservation with community participation and the care of historic places. It is a way into both the island’s ecosystems and the stories people have left within them.
Care for the animals next door
Vieques Humane Society and Animal Rescue provides shelter, adoption and veterinary services. Its work focuses on domestic animals and the community that cares for them.
Power in community hands
Resilient Power Puerto Rico works with communities to expand access to solar energy and strengthen local resilience. Reliable power is part of how a place keeps going through disruption.
06 / Conservation · Environment · Wildlife · Community · Research
Mexico
Look below the surface.
In the Yucatán Peninsula, water, wildlife and Maya communities connect the places travellers see with the systems that keep them alive.
Space for nature to thrive
Pronatura Península de Yucatán works to conserve the region’s biodiversity. Its projects offer a closer look at the habitats and species behind the peninsula’s landscapes.
The water beneath your feet
Centinelas del Agua protects the Yucatán Peninsula’s aquifer through research, conservation and education. A cenote is more than a swimming spot: it is part of a connected water system.
Culture is lived every day
Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya works with Maya communities on social and economic development. Its approach connects local skills and livelihoods with the region’s natural and cultural richness.
Beyond the postcard coast
Amigos de Sian Ka’an works on conservation and sustainable development in the Mexican Caribbean. Its projects connect the protection of ecosystems with the future of the people living alongside them.
07 / Community
France
A place is also its people.
Looking behind a destination means noticing everyday needs as well as landmarks.
More than a meal
Les Restos du Cœur provides food assistance and support for people experiencing hardship. Its work brings attention to solidarity and social inclusion in the communities travellers pass through.
08 / Conservation · Environment · Wildlife · Community · Research
Portugal
Listen to the coast. Look inland, too.
Marine science in the Algarve, support for firefighters and care for older neighbours show different sides of community life.
Listening to a living ocean
SOMAR — Associação de Conservação Marinha e Bioacústica studies and protects marine life, including dolphins and whales in the Algarve. It brings together ocean science, sound and environmental education.
Standing behind the firefighters
Alerta — Associação para Alerta de Incêndio Florestal supports firefighters across the Algarve and shares fire-related information. It shows the community effort behind caring for a fire-prone landscape.
Care across generations
ARCA — Associação de Solidariedade Social supports older people around Santa Cruz da Trapa, São Pedro do Sul, through day-centre and home-care services. This is an inland community story, beyond the Algarve coast.
09 / Conservation · Wildlife · Community
Thailand
See the elephant’s side of the story.
Behind a wildlife encounter is an animal with its own needs, history and place in the world.
A life beyond performing
Save Elephant Foundation rescues and rehabilitates elephants and promotes their welfare through education and community work. Its approach invites travellers to learn what care looks like from the animal’s perspective.
10 / Environment · Community
Vietnam
Rethink what gets thrown away.
Plastic connects everyday choices with the streets, waterways and coastlines of a destination.
Changing the plastic habit
ReThink Plastic Vietnam brings people and businesses into efforts to reduce plastic pollution. Its awareness and community work starts with a practical question: what could we use less of, or use again?
A wider view
Beyond Borders
A small selection of global causes to explore alongside the destination stories: heritage, children’s rights, health and locally led technology.
UNESCO
Education, science and culture, including the protection of natural and cultural heritage.
UNICEF
Children’s rights, education, health and protection around the world.
World Heart Federation
Global collaboration and advocacy for heart health.
Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
Bringing organizations together to advance cancer control and equitable access to care.
WeRobotics / Flying Labs
Locally led use of drones, data and robotics to address social and environmental challenges.