Rooted in the World, Growing from Guam
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
By Whitney Dueñas Richardson
I became a mom.
That small (or should I say LARGE) shift, opened my eyes to how we teach our children about the world. And how often, we don’t. I was born and raised on Guam, a place rich in culture but often too small to find on maps. My heritage is CHamoru and Dutch. My husband is a beach boy from Virginia. And our daughter? She’s just a girl in a world that still teaches in silos.
We searched for a way to parent with purpose and reclaim a story that’s too often simplified or skipped altogether. While I understand that the only way she will really experience the liveliness of a fiesta, in the front yard of your auntie's house on a Friday night, is to move back to Guam, the reality is - it's not an option. That's when I began to create a character, Globee, that turns playtime into a passport around the world via a subscription box, Global Sprouts.
To me, being a mom means being intentional with how we raise our kids, what stories we tell, and what footprints we leave behind. I’ve learned that people crave connection more than ever....especially families. They don’t just want pretty souvenirs from the places they have traveled. They want meaningful experiences that will carry on with them through the rest of their lives lives. They want to teach their kids empathy, identity, and pride. Global Sprouts achieves this by the way of crafts, recipes, and stories that ultimately creates sustainability thorough experiences.
Travel used to mean luxury. Now, luxury has a new meaning: listening. We want the unfiltered truths because we realize not everything is picture perfect. We want real culture because we know that's what it takes to create a future traveler who doesn’t just want to visit a place, but they want to understand and care for it.
But we didn’t want to stop at education for those who could afford it. For every 50 boxes we sell, we donate one back to a family, classroom, or community that may not have access to global learning resources. We believe cultural education should be a right, not a privilege, and we’re committed to keeping access part of our mission as we grow.
Global Sprouts is small. But it’s proof that the future of travel doesn’t have to start with a boarding pass. Sometimes it starts with a child, a story, and a box filled with the world.
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