Storyteller, has put its name firmly on the map, having raised nearly £3,000 since January 2018, showing that balancing between profit and philanthropy is attainable for modern-minded businesses.
Storyteller is a purpose driven business with a direct social mission; focusing on using its travel accessory products to make a global impact. Each item sold directly funds educational programmes and workshops for children and adults in less fortunate countries all over the world. Not only this, but they also use the team’s skills and resources to do good by running fundraising events and campaigns all year round to make even more of an impact.
The products sold from the FlagMate range, are each designed to be keepsakes of these journeys, combining the simplicity of a souvenir and longevity of a journal. Made up of an ethically sourced faux-leather keyring and hand-painted world flags, travellers collect the flags of the countries they visit, personalising them with a travel memory that is engraved on the back.
FlagMate becomes the perfect travel companion and also an incredible visual storytelling tool which helps travellers share their stories of adventure with friends, family and fellow travellers along the way.
What’s more, 10% of each FlagMate sale will be added to the Storyteller Fund to support sustainable educational programmes for those less fortunate. Storyteller already partners with charities including the likes of Unicef, NextGen (UK), Global Citizen and The Barefoot College. From March through to April, the team spent time teaching children and adults in India at the Barefoot College various topics including gender integration and English skills, whilst also sharing the message of how important education is for our younger and future generations*.
Bhav Patel, Founder of Storyteller, commented on the venture’s ethos, saying: “Volunteering and supporting local projects and charities has always been close to my heart, and after practicing as a lawyer for almost seven years, I knew that I really wanted to create a platform that made an impact. I set up Storyteller to encourage people to travel more, and ultimately, do good. Travelling is one of the most incredible things you can do in your lifetime, and I really want those who do travel, or aspire to travel more, to make an impact on real-life issues that are happening right now”.
The six-strong Storyteller team works with the Storyteller Community; 14 volunteers from around the world who are based everywhere from Australia and Columbia, to India and the UK.
The first seven months have already seen the team’s reach span over many miles, and Storyteller has its sights set on big future plans already. It wants to become part of a wave of new start-ups who are proving that having a profit and philanthropy work in perfect harmony, but also have a long-term mission of impacting a million lives by providing knowledge and education to individuals in less privileged areas around the world. Storyteller already have future projects in place already, so it can impact many more adults and children in the near future.
Bhav continued to say: ‘’I want Storyteller to make a direct impact to the educational problem around the world, rather than a simple short-term band-aid. Our focus is on collaborative working with our charity partners to run, fund and volunteer for educational programmes and specialist skill workshops for both children and adults to help them create a better long-term future”.
To find out more about Storyteller, and the projects and charities they’re currently supporting, please visit: https://www.storytellertravel.co.uk/ or follow them on social media @StorytellerTrav.
