South Pacific Semester: Environmental Conservation & Leadership | Carpe Diem Education
- New Zealand
- Australia
About Program
Spend a gap semester in Australia and New Zealand: located in the heart of the South Pacific, each is uniquely informed by indigenous cultures, European colonization, and diverse ecosystems. Both nations highlight the ever-evolving relationships between indigenous cultures and colonizing forces, and the challenges of balancing environmental conservation with the economics of industry and tourism. Both island nations also offer ample opportunities for outdoor adventures in some of the most picturesque regions in the world!
Learn about environmental policy and stewardship from your hosts as you traverse the rugged mountains and fertile agricultural lands in New Zealand. Connect with your neighbors to examine the role of the Māori culture in the context of post colonial reconciliation, environmental awareness, and relationship with the natural world. In Australia, explore environmental extremes as you work alongside scientists and activist in the largest contiguous rainforest.
Video and Photos
Diversity & Inclusion
BIPOC Support
LGBTQIA+ Support
Neurodivergent Support
Accessibility Support
Impact
Sustainability
Ethical Impact
Program Highlights
- Engage with conservationists: Work with farmers and scientists to explore the effects of climate change, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable living
- Find your courage: Develop your leadership skills during a series of wild outdoor adventures, juxtaposed with intentional retreat
- Delve into social justice: Learn from the Māori communities and develop context and history for how indigenous traditions intersect with modern life
- Get outside: NZ and Australia were made for the adventurers - mountain bike, raft, hike, kayak, canoe, and explore this diverse region
- Positive change: As is the Carpe Diem way, take time to reflect on the challenges you witness and how you can contribute to making the world a better place
Response from Carpe Diem Education
Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective on this trip. As an organization, we are committed to the safety of our students first and foremost and to provide the best experience possible. We are committed to learning from situations, to improve our organization and it’s practices for the benefit of future students.
The Overseas Educators (leaders) are one of the instrumental elements of our programs, and we can take ownership in that the two leaders of this particular trip did not live up to what we expect of our staff. At Carpe Diem we hire the best staff, vetted, and do the most thorough training in the industry. In this case the staff represented some of the best past reviews and had a lot of relevant previous work experience.
We're sorry your student had such a rough experience and based on feedback we no longer work with either of these staff. Sadly, and with a hand on our head, the challenge is creating a co-worker relationship and we are very much debating how to do this even better.
We pride ourselves on our extremely high safety standards, medical protocols, and continuous advocacy for what is in the students best interest. We are disappointed to hear that you do not feel these were met and would be open to scheduling a time to discuss this further and learn how we can continue to improve in this process.
-Carpe Diem Education