Belize: Marine & Manatee Conservation Program

This past summer my daughter Ava travelled to Belize for two weeks with Global Leadership Adventures. At first I was a bit hesistant to let her go on the trip, but I had never seen her so impassioned by a cause. Also, after extensive research on several websites, I found out GLA has few to no bad reviews and about a million amazing ones. The assurance from other parents about the trip’s safety and impact on their child’s life are what finally convinced me to let her go. And it was so worth it!! Ava had THE time of her life and found a new sense of purpose as well as many new friends. The in-country staff was always there if I ever needed to place a call in case of emergency but if I had questions I’d just email GLA and they got back to me quickly. My personal favorite part of this organization are the blogs that the students post online every few days. They gave me a great idea of what Ava was doing each day and I loved the pictures attached! Couldn’t recommend this organization more!!

This past summer I participated in Global Leadership Adventures Belize: The Initiative for Children. I had THE most amazing and life-changing experience of my life. The staff is amazing and very well-qualified/equipped to deal with any situation or emergency (should one even arise at all). The best part about this experience is that it is a totally authentic and service-oriented approach to exploring new cultures. On my particular trip we went to a poetry night a few villages over from home base, snorkeled around Tobacco Caye, and explored ancient Maya ruins.These direct and genuine interactions with Belizean culture are what sets GLA apart. Further, the service we participated in is beneficial to all involved. We got to teach the local youth English, paint their playground, and encourage them to reach their full potential. Even more, though, the service we completed changed our lives equally, if not more so, by opening our eyes to poverty, the privilege of public education, and social justice.

I spent three weeks this summer in Belize with Global Leadership Adventures and even though I had spent the summer before in Guatemala, also with GLA, this trip was one of the most amazingly scary things I’ve ever done. Not only being without family but being surrounded with strangers in a whole new country is stressful to say the least, and as should be expected, had a slightly rocky beginning, with lost bags and awkward hellos, but once we reached the Tropical Education Center, which would be our home for the next three weeks, things settled down. We played a few “get to know you” games, nothing like the boring icebreakers I was used to from past summers, and got a tour of home base, and as we did this I started to get to know the other girls I was there with.
The food was always great at the TEC, they had wonderful gluten free options and always something without red meat for me.
Our first day at the school was easy, we split into groups and organized our classrooms, children occasionally stopping in to say hello, four little girls gathered by the fence that separated their yard from the school, telling us how excited they were for tomorrow.
When we did get to the school on our first day teaching, kids were there waiting for us, happy and willing to learn. The kids I taught all spoke very good english, some were better spellers than me. My fellow teachers and I made lesson plans every night after dinner, a quick job once you get it down, we also always had a few back up games incase the kids were especially energetic. We did have a few problems with fighting, teasing, and bullying, and the kids sometimes tried to sneak out when they thought we weren’t looking but all in all they were well behaved.
The day trips we went on we always interesting, though some more than others, I would have to say our trip to the ATM caves was my favorite, but that is only available on the three week program. On the last few days we took a trip to Caye Caulker, a two mile wide island just off the coast without cars, the locals having bicycles and tricked out golf carts instead. We stayed at a pretty nice hotel with AC right by the sea, explored the island, shopped a little, and spent the whole next day snorkeling from which I earned a nasty sunburn, but it was definitely worth the pain.
All in all it was a great trip with amazing mentors, the kids were hilarious, and the other girls on the trip with me were some of the sweetest, most down to earth people I’ve ever met.
If I were to suggest a summer program I wouldn’t hesitate to say this one.

This is my second trip with GLA and I didn't think it was possible, but it was even better than my first. The service you do, the people you meet, and the adventures you experience are absolutely unforgettable. One moment you're singing camp songs with the local children and the next you're snorkeling with sharks. You then end the day sitting at a bonfire with you're new friends coming from all over the world just to do one thing; be the change.