Location
  • South Africa
    • Johannesburg
Length
4 - 12 weeks
Need-based funding, General grants/scholarships
Health & Safety

Program Details

Timeframe
Summer
Housing
Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Price Details
This program is fully funded for accepted participants.
Feb 22, 2021
Sep 09, 2019
6 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

The program begins with leadership and activism training in Washington, D.C., prior to traveling to South Africa. Home to exceptional leaders and activists, South Africa provides a fascinating backdrop for investigating the dynamics of political and social change.

Through leadership workshops, seminars, and field visits to sites of historical and cultural significance, you will build on the training you received in Washington. Examine current South African politics as well as issues of racial, ethnic, and gender-based discrimination. You will have the opportunity to meet with South African youth of different ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds who are working to advance change on issues of local and global relevance.

Discover the role that the city of Durban has played in South African history, including in the struggle against apartheid. Visit Cape Town, Johannesburg, rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi nature reserve, and the Drakensberg mountains.

This program is currently not being promoted on Go Overseas by its provider. Check with The Experiment in International Living for the most up-to-date information regarding the status of this program.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

Diverse identities and experiences are essential to intercultural exchange. We are committed to recruiting and supporting participants of the broadest socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity of any high school exchange program in the world.
Diverse identities and experiences are essential to intercultural exchange. We are committed to recruiting and supporting participants of the broadest socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity of any high school exchange program in the world.

Impact 🌎

Environmental sustainability is a key component of all programs. Participants minimize their environmental footprint by using public transit, eating local food, and participating in community service projects in collaboration with, and according to, the needs of local communities.
Social and environmental responsibility is more critical now than ever. We are committed to delivering programs that support and are respectful of the diverse communities and ecosystems that host our programs.

Our programs are developed in close consultation with local and international partners and with a critical understanding of the communities and regions we visit.

Program Highlights

  • Leadership
  • Peace, Politics, and Human Rights
  • Safari
  • Social Change
  • Homestay

Program Reviews

4.94 Rating
based on 16 reviews
  • 5 rating 93.75%
  • 4 rating 6.25%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.95
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.95
  • Housing 4.7
  • Safety 4.75
Showing 1 - 8 of 16 reviews
Default avatar
Nia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

One in a million

The 6 weeks I spent traveling this summer to Washington D.C, South Africa, (Swaziland), Mozambique, and Vermont were like anything that I have experienced or will ever experience in my life. Our program was very educational but also allowed a lot of time for freedom. We stayed with 2 host families, met with Gandhi's grand-daughter, and many more!! From doing a game drive to shopping at the mall to hanging out on the many beaches to hanging out with the younger kids of our home stay families, there was never a dull moment. We also got to meet with a lot of non-profits and activists within South Africa and Mozambique. The biggest highlight for me, though, is the 28 friends I made across the country and even abroad. We have gone through things together that most people cannot relate to and that makes our bond unbreakable.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
If you go during the months of May- August, keep in mind that this IS WINTER in South Africa. No, it's not a suggestion: PACK ACCORDINGLY! :)))))
64 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Yessica
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Reccomend!!

It's not everyday you're given the opportunity to go study abroad in a whole other country with 14 other people who have similar goals. I was given the chance to visit different kinds of schools and discuss with other teenagers about their experiences as students in South Africa. From visiting NGO’S to lectures about the South African and Mozambique culture , I was able to learn a lot of valuable information. There are a lot of things that I didn’t learn in my past history classes and being given the opportunity to dig deeper into South Africa’s history and Mozambique’s is something that I am grateful for. I was able to grow as a leader and was exposed to different situations that allowed me to learn about the kind of person I am. I strongly recommend this program to anyone who wants to learn and grow as a leader! This has been by far one of the best summers and would do it all over again if I could. Coming back home, my mindset and goals for the future are more clear.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
If I could do it all over again then I would have spoken to everyone more the first week.
82 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Naomi
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

These friendships are forever!

I was lucky enough to go to South Africa with fourteen other students and two group leaders. I talked to two girls who had gone on the program a year prior and they told me that I was going to make close friendships but I was not expecting this. I could go on and on about the food or the language or how nice the local people are but that cannot compare to the friendships forged between your group members and leaders. Our group chat and group instagram page are still bumpin’ and I’m constantly facetiming friends from both the South Africa and India trips. I have grown so much as an individual; I am more caring, kind, confident, and eager to put myself out there. I cannot recommend this program enough. I have a new direction in life that I cannot wait to explore all thanks to the Leadership Institute.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Stockpile toilet paper. Do it. Seriously. The Windermere ain't it in terms of TP. Also, do your laundry at the store next to the Windermere. Say hi to Javed for me!
86 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sydney
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Changed my view of myself and the world

This trip is so much more than what the title says it is. Yes, we learned about politics, peace, and human rights, but we also learned a lot about ourselves and who we are. I don't think any of us expected to have a personal character arc throughout this trip, but for many of us, this trip gave us more than we can express. I went to South Africa with a bunch of questions in my head and came back with maybe just as many questions, but also so many answers. On this trip I learned so much about social advocacy and leadership, but I also met some of my closest friends. We have been back in our home states for a month and are all in touch at least once a day. I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything and recommend it for anyone interested in organizing and leadership.

What was your funniest moment?
When we were in our rural homestay, we were a few days away from going to Mozambique where we had to take Malaria pills so we wouldn't get Malaria. One of my roommates (shoutout MJ) couldn't take pills so we tried every possible method for her to be able to take her Malaria pill. We tried crushing it, using applesauce, chewing it, shoving it down her throat, every possible thing and were still unsuccessful. The night ended with our host sisters staring at us and MJ with a huge yellow stain on her pants (it is still unclear why the inside of the pill was yellow). That night was filled with the most laughs and weirdness and I miss those girls and that homestay. Oh, and neither of us ended up ever taking our Malaria pills, but hey, we didn't get Malaria!
87 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Euwan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

More than a trip

Read More
What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
An ostrich burger in Cape Town! Had the consistency of chicken but the taste of beef, really confusing!
86 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Nadia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Personal Growth was a common theme on my trip!

From learning the history that's shaped the current state of politics in the country, to meeting youth my age and getting their perspectives on personal and national issues, the Leadership Institute South Africa definitely impacted my life. My homestay families were extremely welcoming, and I now text my homestay sister daily. The in-country program coordinators were (and are) some of my favorite people and enhanced my over all experience. My 14 fellow programmers provided a varied viewpoint on every situation, organization and experience we encountered. All of these relationships and interactions accumulated to create a trip of a lifetime, one that I will be forever grateful for.

What would you improve about this program?
The only improvement I'd request is a longer homestay length. On the website, it said each homestay was two weeks and one week, however they were only a week and 4 days. Besides this conflicting statement, the trip was exactly as described on the website.
61 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jacob
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I went to South Africa (and so much more)!

Read More
What would you improve about this program?
It was an incredible program!
71 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jahnay
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Some seeds flourished. Some seeds planted.

Read More
89 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers