Yearlong Family Road Trip Uncovers the Generosity of Kids
The Webb family of Pasadena, Calif., is spending a year traveling to all 50 states in a trailer, speaking to young people who are tackling problems in their communities. During this project, One Year Road Trip: Generation of Generosity, the family is creating a documentary film to highlight these young innovators. We asked Matt and Eva Webb why they took their kids – Evie, Solveig and Jack, ages 8, 9 and 11, respectively – on the road. Here’s what they told us.
The One Year Road Trip: Generation of Generosity project is a story of beauty from ashes. For us, 2010 was a challenging year. We struggled to keep a healthy work/life balance.
To rebuild, we spent most of 2011 in marriage counseling and by November were back on our feet. At the end of our last session our facilitator asked, “What is one dream you have for your family?” Finally able to dream again, Matt replied, “I’d like to travel the U.S. for a year and visit all 50 states as a family,” to which Eva responded, “What?!”
As kids we were transformed by experiences in Haiti and Mexico serving among the poor with our families, and we wanted to create a transformative experience for our three young children, too. Since Matt is a filmmaker we thought, “Let’s make a documentary about people who are doing lasting, transformational change,” and then, “What if we found kids making change?”
