http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom2012-06-04T01:38:04.683ZPosts of UpdatesGoogle Sites1http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/85204955794922133672011-10-08T04:58:16.438Z2011-10-08T05:00:08.175Z2011-10-08T05:00:08.173ZThe New AdvanceHumanity.com
** This is my last update from travishellstrom.com, all future posts will come from AdvanceHumanity.com! **

I've been dreaming of this day for a long time, when I would finally be able to launch AdvanceHumanity.com. Before I had several separate websites, a blog and everything was scattered. Now everything is combined into one place. I want it to be a place where people can find inspiration, great resources to help them do amazing things and also get updates on awesome projects. Here is how I introduced AdvanceHumanity.com two weeks ago...

What's the big idea?
Right from the beginning, I thought it would be good to share what I hope to accomplish here. A goal is good, a measurable goal is better, and a publicly measurable goal is best of all.

I want to write… a lot. I’ll be writing about personal development, staying inspired, living simply, doing more of what you love, and working with others to do amazing things. The theme that links all these things together is the belief that the best way to change the world is to change yourself first. With each of us doing that, together we will create a small army of everyday humanitarians at Advance Humanity that will be unstoppable.

Looking ahead from the beginning of this project, here’s what I’d like to see one year from now (and here's our progress so far):
  • 100 awesome articles that are high-quality, simple, quick-to-read and practical for everyday life
  • 25 profiles which feature awesome everyday humanitarians with incredible stories
  • Over 2,000 committed people who are part of our community through updates and Facebook
  • 100+ Big Ideas which I will distill from reading 50 incredible books and
  • 2 PDF Guides for everyday humanitarians that explain these Big Ideas and help you do amazing things

Going forward, my focus is on helping you achieve your own awesome goals and sharing resources, projects and inspirations to help you get there. After three years in the Peace Corps, losing 60 pounds, creating some awesome projects, launching a TEDx event, raising tens of thousands of dollars and getting married, I have a feeling we can do it.

While I’m writing, I’ll also be pursuing other important goals.
I also work with several nonprofit organizations, collaborate with social entrepreneurs, consult on international development, try to meditate, stay in shape and do other fun stuff. From time to time, I’ll write about these activities whenever it seems like it will be helpful. But mostly, Advance Humanity will be less about me and more about you and helping you change the world.

I hope you enjoy it and I'm really happy you're here.


P.S. Here is a short welcome video I made when I finally got to ride a motorcycle after three years of waiting (Peace Corps Volunteers can't ride motorcycles) and it even has a special guest!

Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comnewadvancehumanity3http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/99033992835480342010-12-22T18:37:32.201Z2010-12-22T18:51:03.895Z2010-12-22T18:51:03.889ZHappy Holidays!
Happy Holidays Everyone!

What a busy time we've had this past month! With Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years this time of the season really flies by!

Tunga and I traveled to America in late November and we have already experienced Thanksgiving, Disney World, Tunga's first time to the ocean and much more with wonderful family and friends (here are some notes on weeks one, two and three and well as some pictures). We've got a couple more weeks before we go back to Mongolia and we're excited to spend them with people we love.

In the past month, I've also had a chance to talk about the Peace Corps in magazines, radio interviews and a local middle school and high schools. It's been very rewarding and inspiring and I look forward to upcoming opportunities to do it even more. I love Peace Corps and feel very grateful to be part of this amazing organization.

I hope you each have a wonderful holiday and enjoy being with people that you love!

Always,
Travis


Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comhappyholidays1http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/6104403912551430282010-11-04T08:17:54.844Z2010-11-05T16:14:43.719Z2010-11-05T16:14:43.717ZPreparing for America
Hello everyone!

It has been an exciting few weeks! The Unofficial Handbook has continued to get inspiring reviews and mentions, an exciting new ebook came out that I couldn't put down, some incredible Mongolian friends have joined the Advance Humanity project and lots of fun things are planned this month at the Peace Corps and World Health Organization. Not only that, but Tunga got her visa too! So our travel plans have finally concluded: we will be coming back to America for the holidays in just two weeks. It should be a wonderful vacation and we are really looking forward to it. Thanksgiving and Christmas are both great holidays to see family and also learn a thing or two about America. It will be Tunga's first time in an airplane, seeing the ocean, seeing America and much more. It should really be something for us both!

I hope you all enjoyed your Halloween! All those autumn leaves are giving way to snowflakes and icy sidewalks, at least here in Mongolia. Have a wonderful end to your fall season!

Travis
Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.compreparingforamerica1http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/70591081974410670912010-09-13T10:46:19.740Z2010-10-09T16:57:13.196Z2010-10-09T16:57:13.193ZArriving
Hello everyone!

Time can really fly, it's astonishing! Tunga and I have been in our new place for a few weeks and it is really starting to feel like home. It's a wonderfully large apartment with room for many people to sit, talk, rest, eat and see a wonderful view of the capital city.

My job as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader has been full of trainings so far including summer training for our first year Volunteers, mid-service training for our second year Volunteers and a retreat for headquarters staff including our new Country Director Ellen. I am blown away by how busy things stay in the city. It's definitely much different than the countryside I am used to, but that's not a bad thing. There's a lot of wonderful work to be done and I'm having a lot of fun.

In fact, in the last two months a lot of wonderful projects have been taken to a new level including the Sukhbaatar Community Fund which is finishing construction now, the Unofficial Handbook which is receiving wonderful reviews from friends around the world (and just this week launched on Amazon.com!), and the Fulbright scholarship application that I will be finishing up this weekend. I am humbled by the encouragement and support I have received for these projects and thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Now that we have internet in our new place, please connect on Skype so we can chat (my Skype name is TravisHellstrom)! I hope you are having a wonderful autumn and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Thanks!
Trav


Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comarriving3http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/52677411715187089722010-08-09T09:16:18.404Z2010-08-09T09:19:47.787Z2010-08-09T09:19:47.785ZShipping Out

Hey everyone!

Two very exciting things are shipping out this week: the first orders of the Unofficial Peace Corps Volunteer Handbook and... me. We just launched the online ordering system for my first published book and several copies are already shipping around the country and even around world - one new Volunteer named April just left for her Peace Corps assignment on Saturday and had her handbook shipped all the way to Africa to meet her when she arrives. So cool!!

I myself will be shipping out on Thursday, leaving my comfy apartment here in the eastern steppe for a deluxe apartment in the blue Ulaanbaatar sky. In the capital I will be serving as Peace Corps Volunteer Leader (PCVL) this upcoming year as well as working closely with the World Health Organization. I'm very excited and I will be sure to share more information soon. It will take me a week or two to set up internet in my new place, but once I'm all settled in I'll be sure to post some pictures, answer my emails and Skype like a madman!

Oh, also, if you order the Unofficial Handbook, please let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Thanks!
Trav

Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comshippingout1http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/41017454224444006492010-06-13T07:30:17.941Z2010-06-13T07:49:05.836Z2010-06-13T07:49:05.835ZA Month for Children



Hello Everyone!


May really flew by and now we are well into June! Our Close of Service conference went great last month. It was awesome to see so many friends in one place, including a lot of Volunteers who will be staying for a third year here in Mongolia. My meeting with the World Health Organization went well, we will hopefully be meeting again in July to finalize my work plan for next year. Also the community fund is moving along great which is very exciting for all of us!

This month is definitely a month for the children. We have spent months preparing for Children's Camp this summer as leaders, teachers and organizers. We leave next week for camp, which is located in the south of our province on the edge of the Gobi Desert, and I won't be back until the first week in July. I'm sure there will be tons of wonderful pictures and stories to share, like there were last year. It's an amazing experience and the kids are incredible. I know many of us have been looking forward to it all year. Many Volunteers, including my wonderful fellow Volunteers Alex and Elaine, will be leaving Mongolia right after summer camp. It will be hard to see them go, but it's nice to have this last experience together. As schools wrap up and summer breaks begin, I hope you are all enjoying the wonderful warm weather. I look forward to talking to you soon!

 




Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comamonthforchildren2http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/36911503050919376992010-04-04T12:31:02.258Z2010-05-05T04:12:35.553Z2010-05-05T04:12:35.484ZA Wonderful Start



Hello everyone!

A lot of fun things have happened this past month including my sister's birthday, my dad's wedding, doctor's day, visiting our fellow PCV Elaine in the countryside and the development of several awesome projects like the Sukhbaatar Social Business Community Fund. I am especially excited about the enthusiasm surrounding this project! It will be a wonderful fund that will help dozens of families in our community for years to come. We have already received a lot of donations and we are excited to receive more!

Also last month I officially received word that I will be PCVL next year here in Peace Corps Mongolia. I feel very honored to have this opportunity and I will be meeting with the World Health Organization in the capital city later this month to discuss details about partnering with them part-time as well. Our PCVL team has already started improving our country for the better and we are very excited about next year!

This month I will be attending our Close of Service (COS) conference in the capital city with my fellow Volunteers, eating some chicken and making wind-powered vehicles and also completing a final review of the Unofficial Handbook with our team of editors. I really look forward to having a proof copy of that printed by the end of the month! A lot of fun things will be happening this summer including the launching of that resource to Volunteers around the world, new Volunteers arriving here in Mongolia in just a few weeks for summer training, summer camp activities here in our province and wrapping up lots of projects before I move to the capital in August. Things move fast, but it's still lots of fun to sit back and enjoy it.

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful start to May!


Talk to you soon!                    


P.S. The very cool new logo for the Advance Humanity Foundation was made by my fellow PCV Alex Yang, thanks Alex!




Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comawonderfulstart1http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/73797909786215542142010-04-03T12:03:59.241Z2010-04-04T05:34:56.308Z2010-04-04T05:34:56.183ZSpringing Forward



Hey Everyone!

March really flew by! The snow has melted in most places here in Mongolia and the winds have picked up with summer on its way. It's always windy here in the eastern steppe, but the other day we were walking along and literally got stopped in our tracks the wind was blowing so hard. It's funny to pause and turn around to keep having a conversation with someone until the wind dies down and you can keep walking again, but that's how we do it!

I just got back from an amazing conference where Tunga and I were teachers, and we've gotten a jump start on several projects for this summer. In addition to improving summer camps, I am also continuing to work with my Mongolian colleagues to develop several projects including the meditation center, sports complex and alcoholism reduction project. It's an exciting time. Also this month I am finishing up the final review of the Unofficial Peace Corps Volunteer Handbook, which is really exciting! I've received great feedback from Peace Corps Staff, Volunteers and friends and look forward to seeing it on Amazon.com soon! I hope you all have a wonderful Easter holiday, enjoy all those easter egg hunts and hidden baskets with toys and treasures!


Talk to you soon!          



Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comspringingforward1http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/9266406706665956502010-03-02T13:33:05.015Z2010-03-02T13:57:11.349Z2010-03-02T13:57:11.301ZQuarter Century
Hey Everyone,

Thank you for your kind birthday wishes this past weekend, I enjoyed a wonderful few days and it was great to talk with so many of you through email, Skype and in person too. Last month was very productive: full of projects, seminars, classes and great conversations. I even turned in my application for PCVL a month early! And it looks like this month is on track to be just as exciting!

Our Peace Corps Country Director will be coming for a visit next week and we will be talking about many things including the Unofficial Peace Corps Volunteer Handbook which we just launched an open preview of this week. It's gathered the attention of hundreds of people, including staff at Peace Corps headquarters who said "it is fantastic...you have a wonderful idea on your hands." We have been approached not only by Peace Corps but also the National Peace Corps Association about working together, so that will be a lot of fun.

Finally, to kick off the month, several of us met together to discuss the future of Advance Humanity which we hope might turn into a Foundation where people can work together to inspire and help one another. We are keeping it small right now, but we are hoping to create a community where everyone can share projects, inspirations, encouragement and resources. Please consider joining us!

Thank you again for your birthday wishes and kindness, it's exciting to turn 25 with so many great friends and supporters here with me. I hope this marks the first of four quarter centuries in my life. I've still got a lot I'd love to take part in with all of you. Have a wonderful week!






Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comquartercentury1http://sites.google.com/feeds/content/site/travishellstrom/68404583456712217282010-02-05T00:11:08.829Z2010-02-07T10:42:26.554Z2010-02-07T10:42:26.539ZNew Approach

Hi Everyone!

Here is the new approach to updates that I will be taking as we move away from Google Groups and integrate into something I am much more familiar with, Google Sites. I hope you like it! In addition to getting emails about once a month (as you have before) you can also view updates here on the website.

This way I can include photos, sidebars, formatting and things that are much more interactive and fun to see. Thanks for switching over and have a great week!

Thanks!                     





Travis Hellstromtravishellstrom@gmail.comnewapproach1