About Global PACT
Global PACT International, Inc. is a nonprofit incorporated in the State of New Jersey. Global PACT began in 2002 as a project of the Rutgers Citizenship and Service Education (CASE) Program under the direction of Dr. D. Michael Shafer. It moved to the Rutgers Center for Global Security and Democracy (CGSD) and affiliated with the Rutgers Study Abroad Program in 2004 when Dr. Shafer left CASE to become the director of CGSD. In 2006, Global PACT was incorporated as a separate organization, while maintaining its ties to Rutgers University.
How We Work
The key to creating change is organizing, and the Global PACT training program
uses a practical approach to teaching the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for effective
community organizing. Our trainers have personal experience as organizers or
activists and they lead participants through the steps of planning and implementing
effective community projects. From the beginning of a Global PACT training to
the end, participants focus on issues they care about and develop their own skills
to create solutions. By the time a participant earns Global PACT certification, he
or she is armed with research and networking skills, public speaking techniques,
and confidence and enthusiasm for organizing.
We conduct trainings both in the United States and abroad, and our program is flexible enough to be
adopted for multiple training possibilities. Our trainings vary in structure
and intensity, and we adopt our program for the needs and strengths of
different partners. Global PACT strives to spread enthusiasm and organizing
ability to as many young people as possible, and we always welcome new
partners, new trainings, and new ideas.
Global PACT professors are selected from the faculties of partner universities for their reputations as brilliant teachers and extensive international development experience. Global PACT trainers are young people with a passion for organizing and a strong belief in the ability of the ordinary person to lead change. They are all Global PACT alumni who have been trained by Global PACT. Senior trainers often have several years of additional experience, including with the Peace Corps or international NGOs.
In addition to providing stand-alone programming, Global PACT coordinates a consortium of partner NGOs and institutions of higher education at home and abroad. Partners develop new Global PACT program offerings and new program sites, share students, trainers and faculty, and co-develop teaching and training materials.
Our Future
The future of Global PACT rests on its partnerships with organizations all over the world. With new trainings come new possibilities for empowering students, and our partners allow us to reach more people in more places every year. In the works are plans for a Southeast Asian regional Global PACT training series as well as national Global PACT organizations in Cambodia and Thailand. Also in the immediate offing are programs in Chile and India. If your organization, university or high school would like to partner with Global PACT in the future, please contact us now.
Funders
Until 2006, Global PACT, like most nonprofits, depended on grant funding. Funders include the American Red Cross, East-East, the Ford Motor Company, the Open Society Institute, PSE&G, Prudential Foundation, the Democracy Commission of the United States Embassy, Zagreb, Croatia, and the United States Institute of Peace. Since 2006, however, Global PACT has been entirely self-funding, including providing the funds to support the participation of local students and to initiate the best projects developed during trainings.
