As The Global Switchboard’s short video will point out, “In Pittsburgh, globally focused individuals and organizations are often too isolated; they lack a platform for collaboration, so we’re building one. The Global Switchboard will be a shared working space for members committed to international development, global education in Pittsburgh and abroad, and community empowerment.”

Brandon Blache-Cohen is the Executive Director of Amizade Global Service-Learning, a small non-profit responsible for The Global Switchboard initiative.  Since 1994, Amizade has been connecting individuals and communities through worldwide service and learning. Says Blache-Cohen:

“The Global Switchboard is honored to have Awesome Pittsburgh as a vital partner in building Pittsburgh’s home for global engagement. Thanks to Awesome Pittsburgh, the outdoor event and reflection space of the Switchboard will be better equipped to inspire a new era of global citizens.”

The physical office and event space will serve as a home for globally-engaged, social-profit organizations; currently, there are ten organizations slated to be housed at the corner of 34^th and Ligonier Street in Lawrenceville. Awesome Pittsburgh’s grant provided partial funding to clean up this empty lot. The interior build-out of the project was completed on May 1, and completion of the exterior is planned for June.

The Global Switchboard’s goals in creating a co-working and event space are threefold:

1. To increase global engagement and accessibility in the Pittsburgh area
2. To cultivate young Pittsburgh-based global organizations
3. To attract new resources to our city for internationally collaborative projects

Awesome Pittsburgh trustee Melanie Harrington adds,

“We are thrilled to support The Global Switchboard.  It is an exciting opportunity to bring together the region’s Pittsburghers and global communities in a shared space designed for social engagement and conversation.  The promise of this cross-cultural friendship building and learning is critical to promoting the numerous efforts underway to grow the diversity of the Pittsburgh region.”

You can follow the Switchboard’s progress and inquire about joining via Facebook and its website.