Program Reviews

The staff was supportive and friendly and formed a strong bond with me and the other students. Favorite parts of my trip were the monkeys and wildlife, exploring the farm and village, beach time (cleaning, swimming, games, night walks), zip lining and whitewater rafting! Along with service learning and adventures, we also learned about the culture of Parismina and took part in dance classes, cooking lessons, and spent time in the village meeting the locals, drinking smoothies, and doing service work in the park.This was out of my comfort zone, but I took risks and made memories and friends that will last forever, as well as saw a 6 foot turtle lay her eggs!

GLA Costa Rica's Initiative for Children Program is nothing short of transformative. The seamless blend of cultural immersion, education, and community service creates an unparalleled experience for participants. Witnessing the joy on the faces of the children and the tangible improvements in their educational environments is heartening. What sets GLA apart is its commitment to sustainable development, ensuring that the positive changes endure long after the volunteers have departed. This program goes beyond traditional volunteerism; it cultivates global citizenship, instills leadership skills, and leaves a lasting legacy of empowerment. GLA Costa Rica has undoubtedly succeeded in not only rebuilding schools and providing resources but also in nurturing a generation of compassionate and informed global citizens who are inspired to create positive change in their communities and beyond.

I was EXTREMELY apprehensive about sending my 14 year old daughter off on a trip without me. I panicked when I hadn’t heard from her on day one (even though the GLA staff had told us that we may not). I contacted the hotline and within moments my daughter called me and as if she were just having too much fun to talk she said, “mom, I’m alive”. She gave the trip, the counselors and the itinerary rave reviews. She has made a couple
Of lasting friendships and definitely came home with more confidence. She is very eager to go on another GLA trip!

Both of my sons have participated in this program, traveling to the Galápagos with GLA for two weeks. One went alone, and the other with a friend. They both had an amazing time and highly recommend it. From the student's perspective, the trip is a great chance to push themselves outside their comfort zone and experience some real independence, traveling internationally without their family. Successfully negotiating flights, connections, and immigration solo is a real confidence builder. In country, the group becomes their family. GLA does an incredible job of building camaraderie (my eldest still communicates with his group years later), ensuring the students are safe, and keeping parents informed of their childrens' activities. From the pre-departure planning through the trip, I always felt that my children were in capable, organized hands. My kids learned a lot and experienced much, and got service hours to list on their college applications as a bonus--plus teens are really excited to be involved in preserving such a unique and important place. An incredible opportunity, grateful to GLA for all they do to open up the world to teens.

I had an amazing life changing expirience and met the most amazing people. i went on amazing adventures and had the absolute time of my life. i was scared at first i wouldn’t make any friends but i immediately clicked with the entire group and there was never any issues with anyone despite everyone coming from different areas of the world. i would reccomend this expirience to anyone interested in marine biology and traveling. i went alone and liked it but some people went with their friends and still had a great time.

I went into the trip as a rising sophomore in highschool, not having really done anything like this before. Going into the trip I was worried, but after no time I made great friends, and had the most amazing time. The trip encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, and try new things that I have come to love. The trip opened my eyes to so many great new experiences, and I wouldn’t hesitate to participate in another GLA trip this coming summer. Between the friends I made, and the amazing things I did, this trip was awesome.

My son went to Ghana for two weeks this summer. (Previously he went to Thailand and Costa Rica with GLA.) This trip seemed to have the biggest impact on him. (In fact, it was the subject of his college application essay!) The Ghana trip immersed him in a community that was the least familiar. Drinking water out of plastic bags and taking cold showers was one thing, but it was really seeing the village - the homes, clothes, food, technology, etc. - and meeting the people (kids and adults), that had him evaluating what makes people happy, what creates meaning in life. He saw firsthand that our way of life (middle-class American) is not the 'best' or 'right' way of life. This challenged his assumptions and, in turn, taught him that many popular assumptions might not be completely correct. It really opened his mind, which I think is so important as he heads off to college. He loved working with the kids and was amazed at the rigor of their education. I truly think that his travel with GLA has been one of the most valuable things we have done to shape him into a confident, open-minded, worldly young man.

My daughter just returned from the three-week coastal clean-up. She had a fantastic experience not only with the staff, and experts brought in to educate but most importantly with the other children that attended. The hotels were clean and the staff did laundry and provided good meals, even for my picky eater. Although she didn't know anyone ahead of time, several of them formed a tight bond. They've been keeping up, sharing pictures and memories for the last few weeks. And, we're already planning out next year with GLA.

My daughter attended the The Children's Initiative trip from June 26th to July 5th. She had an amazing time. She learned so much being immersed in the culture. She enjoyed participating in her program helping the children. She also made great friendship along the way. They also had so much fun going to the beach, hiking and zip lining. I must say the GLA team was amazing during the whole process from beginning to end. They were very accessible to answer my questions, and the wealth of information available on line about the programs and expectations was helpful. The mentors were kind, fun and knowledgable. The communication provided up until the day of the trip was impeccable. The blogs written by the participants almost daily accompanied by pictures helped to put my mind at ease. Additionally knowing that if I needed to get in touch with her emergently, I would be able to was also reassuring. I highly recommend GLA and I feel this is a well run program and my daughter hopes to participate again next summer.

I cannot even begin to express how much I loved Costa Rica. Though the housing isn't luxurious, it is not meant to be. This was an exciting and eye-opening experience for me. I was very lucky to have been with the most incredible group of people ever. We were a mix of different personalities, but we all got along well. We were also so lucky to have the best mentors ever. Gina, Sam, and Stef were unbelievably amazing and supportive throughout the entire trip. Everything we did was enjoyable. 10/10