Ahead of the Curve: 2016 Olympics awarded to Rio de Janeiro

“If it’s not WOW, it’s not worth doing.”  This simple statement rings true at the heart of everything we do with Global LEAD.  Choosing locations for life changing trips is easy task.  It is our vision to expose students to unique cities around the world that share both incredible wealth and eye-opening poverty juxtaposed right next to one another.  Rio de Janeiro does just that.  While it may be a cultural capital of the world, the city has often been overlooked for international events and bringing the world stage to their front doorstep.  Global L.E.A.D. thought we could play a small role in doing that, so Co-Founder Robbie Reese and a team of on-the-ground experts began developing the Rio de Janeiro model for 2010.

We felt this city deserved the international spotlight and we wanted to be ahead of the curve.  Apparently other people around the world had taken note as well.  This sizzling South American city was not only awarded the World Cup for 2014, but during the time Mr. Reese was working hard on the beaches and across the city collaborating with non-profit partners, the announcement was made that Rio de Janeiro would become home of the 2016 Olympic Games as well.  When the announcement was made, close to 100,000 people celebrated on the historic beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. One of those people includes our very own Robbie Reese, who can be seen in all Olympic Tourism videos for the Rio announcement if you look closely—very very closely.  Congrats!