About High School and Gap Year Programs at Global Routes:
CROSS CULTURAL IMMERSION
At the heart of the Global Routes experience is cultivating connection in another part of the world. We believe that the exchange of ideas is the key to interconnection and global community. Living and working with people throughout the world challenges both you and local community members to step outside of your boundaries and open your hearts and minds to new people and cultures.
ORIENTATION
Our programs begin with an in-country orientation designed to orient you to your surroundings through safaris, rainforest excursions, visits to ancient ruins, or multi-day treks. The orientation also focuses on learning a new language and cultural traditions, introducing you to your group and leaders, and giving you the knowledge and support you need to dive into your cultural immersion experience in your host community. This is also the time when you will foster trust and support within the group and learn to work as a team.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
The cornerstone of your experience is community service in a small, rural village. We believe that the service project is the gateway to interconnection between the students and the host community. Immerse yourself in the daily rhythms of life in your destination country and work alongside locals on projects they have selected to most benefit their community. Whether you help to build a community center in South America or a school classroom in Africa, one thing is certain: you and your host community will be transformed.
HOMESTAYS
The greatest highlight for many of our students is the homestay that runs parallel to your community service. Live together with a fellow group member in the home of a local host family and come home after a solid day’s work on the service project to their smiles and excitement. Prepare dinner with your host mother, teach your host brother a few words of English, or journey to the family farm. As you spend time together, you learn an incredible amount about the challenges and joys of life in the village and form relationships that will not soon be forgotten.
TRAVEL ADVENTURES AND DEBRIEF
Our programs end by exploring places of world-renowned beauty and sites of great interest. Travel with your group to canoe the Amazon headwaters of Ecuador, snorkel with sea lions in the Galapagos, sail a wooden dhow in Zanzibar, or explore the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. In these spectacular settings, you begin the important process of reflecting on your experience, celebrating your contributions and discoveries, and preparing to come home. Our high school programs have a maximum of 18 students per group, two leaders and two to three in-country support staff.
Learn about dates and destinations here: http://www.globalroutes.org/dates-destinations/
Fill out an application here