Teens of Color Abroad, Learning Languages from Refugees, and the Power of Hip Hop with Lamar Shambley (Ep 135)

Hear how studying abroad transformed his path and why cultural immersion can expand opportunity for students of color. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Lamar Shambley takes us on his journey growing up in the housing projects of Bed-Stuy Brooklyn and reflects on the impact hip hop music had on him growing up. He shares the origins of his interest in languages and cultures, and how he was able to overcome financial barriers to take his first international trip to the Dominican Republic. Lamar reflects on the many layers of impact that trip had, and then talks about his experience studying abroad in Spain and being fully immersed in foreign culture for 6 months. He then takes us on some of his world travels through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, and how all of that inspired him to teach young people and empower them to learn languages through travel and immersion. Lamar explains how underrepresented Black students are in study abroad programs today and how his former students inspired him to found “Teens of Color Abroad” (TOCA). He then shares how his pivot during the pandemic to virtual language learning with native speakers enabled his students to learn languages directly from refugees and to develop cultural empathy for their lived experiences at the same time. Matt and Lamar reflect on the global impact of hip hop music and how Lamar arranges international DJ sets and cooking classes as part of the (virtual) global cultural immersion in the TOCA program. Lamar reflects on the impact TOCA has had on his students thus far, and shares how listeners can support TOCA. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU See my Top 10 Travel Apps See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!