Atlassian Foundation Trek to India 2019

I feel grateful to be chosen as 1 of the 15 global participants who will go on a three-city stop of India with the aim of gaining more traction and engagement with Atlassian's Dollar a Day program and to showcase the good work Room to Read does across low-income communities around the world.

What is the objective of the Foundation Journey?

• Be an ambassador for our partnership with Room to Read - raising awareness that a small contribution can impact lives.
• Promote the unified goal of increasing workplace giving through giving back

I have traveled to India before, visiting our new Bengaluru office however, this will be a completely new adventure.

I am fortunate to be able to utilise Atlassian's awesome 5 day yearly Foundation Leave for the entire trek, however, all costs associated including (flights, accommodation, food, transportation etc) will be covered by each individual.

I am very passionate about diversity and given the Room to Read organisation is centered around educating young girls, I am really excited to showcase some of the impact on global literacy our donations have.

As a Senior Recruiter at Atlassian, part my role is to continuously story tell about giving back whether this is through donating via our Dollars a Day program, Pledge 1% or simply using our Foundation Leave.

This experience will truly link back to one of our core values, specifically "Be The Change You Seek".

What is Room to Read?

Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, they develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.

Room to Read is serving communities in ten countries in Asia and Africa: South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

What will we be doing?

• Visiting the historic cities of Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Jaipur in Rajasthan, India (11th-15th November).
• Working with Room to Read including the teachers and field staff at each school.
• Visiting three different schools meeting/interacting with primary and secondary school girls as well as alumni girls who are now employed post the program.
• Sharing our own experiences about how we believe education is so important and giving a glimpse into working at Atlassian.

I will hopefully be sharing some exciting content throughout our travels via social media platforms and on Confluence to all Atlassians.