JVA’s own, Emily Winslow, has spent this holiday season volunteering in India working with Tibetan refugees in exile.  Having been inspired by social enterprise and social innovation in her work in Colorado, Emily has been volunteering in Dharamsala with a start up organization called Tibet World. Tibet World’s mission is to preserve and cultivate the Tibetan culture and empower Tibetans to improve their lives by organizing intercultural exchange programs and providing education and training in a variety of fields including: language, environment and career development.  Every morning she tours and meets with community leaders and NGOs to understand the position of Tibetans in India and in exile around the world. She even got to meet the Tibetan Prime Minister! Then in the afternoon she works for Tibet World doing business planning and marketing. Emily has used her JVA consulting experience to assist this start up organization with a variety of services from grant writing to completing their first annual report.  In all aspects of her day from 9am – 7pm, her work is to help to preserve a national identity and attempt to make the world pay attention to a plight it has turned a blind eye to.  In Emily’s words, “it is unreal to be on the front line of a human rights struggle and seeing modern day colonization in practice.  The amount of compassion and empathy I feel, in addition to the sense of responsibility is hard to put into words.”  Emily is thoroughly enjoying her experience in Dharamsala and the foothills of the Himalayas, but is looking forward to getting back to the Rockies and continuing her work in JVA’s Innovation Lab.