“This is indeed both an honour and a humbling experience“,expressed Mr. Kennedy.
“Seeing the concentration of talent and energy within WYSTC gives me great confidence that WYSE as an organisation and WYSE members as individuals within their own countries and sectors are going to play a huge part in the regeneration and recovery of our vital youth travel industry. Knowing the sort of people who are involved makes this accolade and acknowledgement by my peers even more special to me. Thank you all.”
Before forming Kennedy Mears, an independent international consultancy that specialises in travel-based cultural exchange programmes for youth, Callum Kennedy was the Director of BUNAC Group from 1992 to 2012. His first experiences in international cultural exchange were working at summer camps in the USA. Subsequent to his studies, teacher certification and summer camp experiences, he joined the staff of BUNAC in 1973.
“He’s a mentor and cheerleader to many and always has encouraging words for everyone,” said Vicki Cunningham, CEO of BUNAC and long-time colleague of Callum.
Callum Kennedy has long been involved with WYSE Travel Confederation and its predecessor organisations, the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC) and the WYSE Work Abroad Association. He also served as Chairperson of the British Educational Travel Association (BETA). He was active in the development of the UK’s first Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) exchange programme for American students.
Listen to the latest Ask Us Anything podcast episode with Callum below.