How does a social movement start?

Does it start with a simple idea that grows into something bigger or does it start with passionate people looking for a way to change the world?

There is not one main story that can encompass the history of Global Brigades. Instead, its history is comprised of a myriad of people with different passions who came together to combat the health and development problems that plague the majority of the world.

Imagine a group of idealistic students, passionate doctors, and suitcases full of medicine.

In 2004, Global Brigades began with pre-med students who simply wanted to improve the quality of healthcare in the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Instead, this group would find themselves as the initiators of a social movement led by students. Two of the pre-med students joined with their group organizer who was raised as an orphan in Honduras, a recent business school graduate from USC, and a patent lawyer in California. The worlds of these five idealistic leaders collided to form the legal entity of what would become Global Brigades, the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization.

Global Brigades, a U.S. 501(c)3, creates a mutually beneficial short-term exchange program that improves the quality of life for disadvantaged people in the developing world, while empowering the volunteers who initiate them. GB offers beneficiaries two holistic programs: health (medical, dental, water sanitation, and public health brigades) and development (business, law, architecture and environmental brigades).

Health brigades are implemented in Honduras, in villages that would not otherwise have access to medicine. Volunteers are encouraged to bring down a multi-disciplinary team to not only conduct medical/dental relief work, but to improve the water, sanitation, and over public health infrastructure. The volunteers have access to an electronic patient records system to monitor health trends and pull patient history.

Development brigades are implemented in Panama via several partner nonprofit organizations, such as the Peace Corps, that help identify projects and oversee them when the volunteers aren’t “brigading.” Volunteers from the four development disciplines work together to assist the microenterprises in the communities by providing business consultations, capital investments, legal guidance, and architectural designs while teaching the importance of environmental preservation and conducting reforestation projects.

So what does it take to start a social movement towards decreasing global poverty and improving our environment? It begins with basic ideas led by the passion of those who aren’t willing to surrender to the difficulties of how to accomplish these daunting tasks.

As Paul Hawkens recently said during his commencement address to the 2009 graduates of the University of Portland,

There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn't bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring. The earth couldn't afford to send recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint. And here's the deal: Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don't be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.

For daily updates on our recent projects in Honduras, follow @vanessaclopez on Twitter.