Turning creativity into opportunity.
Every creator we train strengthens a whole community.
Digital skills. Creative tools. Entrepreneurial mindsets.
What is the School of Elevation?
The School of Elevation is our learning hub where creators from Indigenous, tribal, and marginalised communities gain digital skills, creative tools, and the confidence to turn culture into income.
It is free, accessible, and designed for real-world results.
Everything we teach is applied instantly through hands-on projects that produce digital products, travel experiences, and community-led enterprises.
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Building a global bridge of opportunity
1. Learn by doing
Creators build skills through real projects like digital postcards, recipe books, travel content, and community campaigns.
2. Create products that make money
Everything they produce is designed for the shop, social media, or travel offerings.
3. Earn through our 90/10 model
They keep 90 percent of profits from what they create.
10 percent fuels the Elevation Fund to support the next generation.
4. Some become Growth Partners
From all learners, eight communities at a time are selected for deeper collaboration, mentorship and business development.
Courses
Curso del Libro de Recetas (ES)
Un viaje creativo paso a paso para co-crear nuestro libro de recetas ancestrales.
Aprende narración, fotografía, diseño en Canva y publicación digital mientras celebras la comida y la sabiduría de tu comunidad.
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How it works
The School of Elevation connects global mentors with tribes, indigenous and marginalised communities to co-create digital skills, products, and sustainable income.
Each learning journey is part of a circular model, learn, create, earn, and reinvest. By investing in those who guard culture and the Earth, we’re building a future where creativity funds sustainability.
Why we created the School of Elevation.
People don’t need saving.
They need skills, tools, opportunity, and belief.
The School of Elevation is our answer to a broken system.
We invest in people who invest in themselves because when creators rise, communities elevate.
The School of Elevation is open access because opportunity should never be gatekept.
Any community can apply, and one representative joins on behalf of the whole community.They learn digital skills, storytelling, e commerce, content creation, travel development and entrepreneurship.
Training is free, accessible and project led.This is where we learn who is committed, consistent and ready.
What we look for to become our eight
• good communication
• willingness to learn
• reliability and respect
• commitment to their community
• motivation to complete tasks
• alignment with our values
Talent is optional.
Character is essential.
Why is this so important to us? Because we are not taking money from the community, so the commitment and energy needs to come from the ones who will benefit.
From inside the School of Elevation, we carefully select eight communities to enter a deeper growth partnership.
This is not a reward.
It is a commitment to go further together.Eight is the number that allows us to offer real support, mentorship and co creation without diluting impact.
A growth partnership is where we build real micro businesses together.
This can include:
• travel experiences
• digital products
• e commerce shops
• cultural products
• content creation pathways
• storytelling projects
• services the community can be hired for
Everything is bespoke because every community is different.
Palenque is not the Amazon.
The Maasai are not the Andes.
We build with what is already strong, authentic and alive.They lead the creation.
We support behind the scenes with digital tools, mentorship and global visibility.They do the work, so they earn the majority.
• 90 percent of income goes directly to the community project
• 10 percent goes into the Elevation Fund to support the next generationIncome supports whatever the community chooses:
clean water, food programmes, conservation, tools, cultural preservation, youth initiatives, micro businesses.This is Trade Over Aid in action.
Once trained and earning, communities:
• become part of our global collective
• can be hired for projects
• can mentor the next group
• can grow new micro businesses
• stay connected through the School of Elevation
We never replace a community.
We grow the ecosystem.We are always exploring, travelling and connecting with new projects.
Some are preparing to join.
Some are still learning.
Some are not ready yet.Some don't understant the vision, and on their own path.
Sharing their stories builds visibility and income because social media is one of our revenue pathways.
How communities join Elev-Eight.
A simple, powerful process
Our Creative Team.
World class talent. Global perspective. Ethical to the core.
Welcome to Elev-Eight’s creative collective, a hub of world class creators across continents, cultures, and disciplines.
These are designers, filmmakers, strategists, educators, storytellers and innovators who bring global expertise and human depth to every project.
They are not just creators.
They are also the mentors guiding new talent across Indigenous, tribal and marginalised communities through the School of Elevation.
Their work elevates brands.
Their leadership elevates people.
When you hire from our collective, you access top tier creative expertise while backing a model of ethical business that actually means something.
You get:
• Brilliant work from specialists at the top of their craft
• Fresh perspectives shaped by culture, identity and lived experience
• A team that expands your brand’s impact, not just its output
• A partner whose values lift your CSR, your culture, and your reputation
Every collaboration creates growth
for your business,
for our creators,
and for the communities they mentor.
This is what creative excellence looks like when ethics and impact are built in.
This is Elev-Eight.
Edwin De Angel
Digital Learning Designer & Multimedia Instructional Specialist
Cindy Nguyenkha
Creative Assistant & Community Connector.
Valeria Trujillo
Consultant, Speaker & Facilitator
Felipe Soto
Founder, Digital Creator & Coach
Genevieve Jones
Spotlight: Mónica. Funamos, Colombia
Mónica is a youth leader, creator and the digital heart of Funamos, a community led football project supporting more than 200 children in Ovejas, Sucre.
Her creativity and dedication were already strong.
Inside the School of Elevation she simply gained access, access to better digital tools, new ideas, creative brainstorming, and a global network of mentors who believed in her vision.
The rest is her own drive.
With her new digital skills, she captures powerful moments, tells real stories, and amplifies the impact Funamos creates for children every day. Her content is honest, cultural and full of life, showing the world what community leadership looks like.
Mónica shows exactly what we believe.
When one person has access to the right tools, the whole community elevates.
5MIL
gallons of
clean water
400
daily
meals
800+
digital and
Creative training
Circular impact,
not charity.
We invest in those who invest in themselves.
Inside the School of Elevation, creators learn digital, creative, and entrepreneurial skills that open real income pathways.
We co create travel experiences, digital products, content, and e commerce with us. Every skill learned becomes a revenue stream.
When these creations generate income, the funds support the priorities each community chooses, including clean water, food security, conservation, cultural preservation, micro businesses, tools, and technology.
It is a regenerative ecosystem where learning becomes income and income becomes social impact.
As creators elevate, they reinvest so the opportunity continues and expands.
Creators learn. Communities earn.
This is circular impact.
FAQ
What is the School of Elevation?
The School of Elevation is a free, bilingual learning movement that helps creators, community leaders, and changemakers turn their stories into income. It’s not charity or theory — it’s real learning that leads to real results. Every cycle is project-led and rooted in collaboration, creativity, and purpose.
Who is it for?
For anyone with a story, skill, or dream to share. You might be a youth leader in a rural village, a digital nomad seeking purpose, or a small collective wanting to grow online. What matters is your commitment to learn, create, and give back.What does “Trade Over Aid” mean?
It means we build opportunity, not dependency. Instead of donations, we co-create digital products, services, and experiences that generate income for communities. Culture becomes the currency that sustains us all.How is the programme structured?
Each cycle runs for three months of guided collective learning with mentors, followed by one month of self-learning and implementation. The focus is always on output: a real project, product, or partnership launched by the end of each cycle. Then we repeat and grow together.
What will I learn?
You’ll learn to transform your ideas and culture into income through storytelling, content creation, e-commerce, and digital entrepreneurship. Along the way you’ll gain confidence, new skills, and connections across the Elev-Eight ecosystem.
Do I need any previous experience?
No. All you need is curiosity, commitment, and access to a smartphone or laptop. We meet you where you are, and help you grow from there.What happens after completing the School of Elevation?
Graduates can join paid collaborations, sell their digital products through the Elev-Eight shop, or partner with mentors and brands on future projects. Many continue into our agency or immersive travel experiences.
How does the 90/10 model work?
Every sale or project created through the School reinvests 90% directly into the community that made it. The remaining 10% goes into the Elevation Fund to train the next wave of creators and build more opportunities. 100% Social impact.
How can I join or support?
You can apply to join a future cohort, mentor a group, or support through our digital products and experiences. Every purchase, partnership, and shared story helps prove that #TradeOverAid works.
JOIN >>
When a creator earns, their whole community benefits.
Our 90/10 model keeps income local while sustaining the movement globally.✔ 90 percent goes to the creators
✔ 10 percent seeds new projects, tools, and training
Be part of elevating eight communities at a time.
Partner, mentor, learn or shop. Every action creates opportunity through trade, not aid.
The power of the collective starts here.
Social media becomes social elevation.
Every like, share and view generates income for creators and funds real community projects.
This is what the power of the collective looks like.
