Leadership Lab is a series of pre-collegiate enrichment programs for students from 7th – 12th grade. It’s worth noting that they also own and operate facilities in some of their destinations, which is somewhat unique. Staff & Program Composition: Lastly, keep an eye on the size of the group, the student:staff ratio, and the caliber of the trip leaders. For summer 2014, Sustainable Summer will run programs in Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Amazon, and the Galapagos. rusticpathways.com Travel. They have a great reputation among educators, too. The Rustic Pathways program that I went on was the greatest 2 weeks of my life. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. However, I can attest to the reputation of these organizations as experienced operators in the high school summer abroad market. Service and adventure are the foundation of all Rustic Pathways programs, but your options aren’t limited to just those types of programs or a combination of the two. Note, this article was initially written in March 2013, but was updated in February 2014 with photos and some new content. We want to share our knowledge about some of the options you might consider (in no particular order). There are a lot of summer abroad programs for high school students. This includes bush tucker. If you’re interested in community service, do you really think a couple of days painting a school is going to dramatically alter the trajectory of a community where decades of assistance has failed. About. For travel programs to developing countries, small groups are best. With so many providers out there, my advice is to look into organizations that specialize in a certain type of experience and consider programs that emphasize a specific subject of inquiry or focus. Parents can help teens get involved in hands-on programs, like the Global Youth Climate Summit being held for 7th-12th graders by Stanford University and the Rustic Pathways Foundation in July. Make lifelong friends from around the world, work on sustainable community service projects, and discover new passions during a Rustic Pathways program. The program is run by Sustainable Learning, a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. I went to Costa Rica, and I instantly feel in love with the country. Travel and volunteer abroad with Rustic Pathways. Rustic Pathways has found ourselves in a unique situation of liaising between both schools and individual families to make adjustments to our intended programs. If you liked this article, you may enjoy these other posts on high school study abroad. Combining both service and adventure, a gap year will provide you with learning experiences impossible to obtain at school. Travel and volunteer abroad with Rustic Pathways. © Copyright 2021, Sustainable Learning Inc, summer abroad programs for high school students, If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true, Sustainable Learning Announces Partnership with 1% for the Planet, the amount and quality of community service. Uncover why Rustic Pathways is the best company for you. Oh, and they probably have the heaviest promotional materials. These aren’t necessarily reviews of summer abroad programs for high school students – a search on collegeconfidential.com will typically yield a thread or two about students’ experiences on these programs (take those with a grain of salt). As a Program Leader, your primary responsibility is the protection of our students while they travel. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Rustic Pathways! The Moroccan Wanderer program was truly the most enriching, adventurous, and fun experience of my trips through Rustic Pathways. Teens have never had as many options for a summer abroad experience. There is no “best” summer abroad program out there and I’m not going to pretend that I can speak knowledgeably about the hundreds of options available. She had insightful questions and clearly was interested in the topic of sustainability. And the quality of the trip leader team matters a lot. We offer summer travel for middle and high school students, customized teacher-led trips for school groups, and gap year programs for recent high school grads. I talk to them everyday now. If you have any other specific questions about rustic pathways or visions, feel free to ask me. Design Challenge - Immigration and Statelessness. All Rustic Pathways programs include community service projects or adventure activities, but most include a bit of both. They are known for covering a lot of ground on their programs, offering a lot of shorter-duration programs that can be “interconnected” together, and for requiring that participants have their airfare coordinated by Rustic Pathways (at a pretty significant premium, it should be noted – it’s definitely recommended that you use their “Travel Desk” feature to calculate the estimated flight cost before … Compare pay for popular roles and read about the team’s work-life balance. This post identifies five popular summer abroad programs and also includes several tips for choosing a program. Our first featured program, Global Youth Climate Summit, is a collaboration between the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University, the Rustic Pathways Foundation and Rustic Pathways. Rustic Pathways offers superior quality travel and service programs for students and families in some of the world's most welcoming countries. Choose from culturally-immersive adventure and volunteer programs in 17 countries. It is also very important for students to understand the relationship that Indigenous communities have with their land. We offer summer travel for middle and high school students, customized teacher-led trips for school groups, and gap year programs for recent high school grads. During these critical times, we are moving all of our community service projects to virtual volunteer initiatives. There are many great summer abroad programs that emphasize experiential learning as the foundational element of the travel experience. Their groups even utilize local transport as part of the effort to acquire authentic experiences. 15 Service Hours. Give us a call or contact us to discuss your goals and interests. Make your way through all the diverse terrain California has to offer during the ultimate road trip. Travel and volunteer abroad with Rustic Pathways. It’s still something like 80 pages, but that’s probably half what it used to be. Rustic Pathways has found ourselves in a unique situation of liaising between both schools and individual families to make adjustments to our intended programs. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. They are known for covering a lot of ground on their programs, offering a lot of shorter-duration programs that can be “interconnected” together, and for requiring that participants have their airfare coordinated by Rustic Pathways (at a pretty significant premium, it should be noted – it’s definitely recommended that you use their “Travel Desk” feature to calculate the estimated flight cost before signing on with them). Every day of this trip entailed something completely new from the day before and the constant moving and exploring made it impossible to get bored. Putney Student Travel: Putney has also been around for quite some time – over 60 years. 0. Browse more programs you might like from Rustic Pathways. Featured Program: Global Youth Climate Summit They also have a new partnership with National Geographic to run “expedition” programs for high school students. Rustic Pathways: Certainly one of the largest companies in the field. I definitely had a better experience at visions though, and I think the program was better overall. Choosing a summer abroad program for high school students is an important decision. Choose from culturally-immersive adventure and volunteer programs in 17 countries. This relationship is extremely spiritual. Together, we are helping hundreds of communities around the world. Since 1983 Rustic Pathways has been operating intentionally designed, transformative student-travel programs with impact at the core of the experience. and, of course, safety and the reputation of the organization. I’ve had former Dragons participants on programs that I’ve run and they have had a lot of really positive things to say about their experiences. EIL/World Learning (aka “the Experiment”) is also one of the most tenured organizations in the field and was founded in 1932. In addition to our high school summer experiences, we offer spring break, college, and Young Explorer programs for those travelers not yet in high school. Rustic Pathway offers short week trips, while Visions trips are 3 weeks to a month. Choose from more than 80 community service and adventure travel programs in20 countries for middle school, high school, and college students… California Rush . Where There Be Dragons:  This company emphasizes “rugged travel.” More than any other, they have a reputation for getting off the grid, not following a set itinerary, and traveling to destinations that sometimes lack the more developed tourism infrastructure that you find on many of the itineraries of summer abroad programs for high school students. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. No “teen tours.” Service learning is at the forefront of all of their programs, and they are certainly worth a close look if you are looking for a dedicated community service program. It got me out of my comfort zone, it helped me learn a new language, it showed me a culture that I wasn’t familiar with, and it opened my heart for students and for community service." Anything over 8:1 is getting reckless, in my opinion. 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