Program Reviews

Hi all! I am a Global Leadership Adventures Alumni and I had an amazing time in Peru, this past summer! I really recommend GLA! The housing experience was great! GLA Peru rented out a hotel in Cusco, for both the 2 week and the 3 week groups. I felt very safe there! I had never been to Peru, so I felt that by being there I grew, a lot! I understood much of their culture and what their lifestyles are like. The program staff were very supportive! I felt that I was able to talk to them about whatever I needed, or if I was frustrated with other students! Overall I recommend GLA to all High School age students.

I went on Global Leadership Adventures Initiative for Children, in Costa Rica and it change my perspective on everything. It broaden my perspective on how others in the world. I was able to see first hand how volunteering helped people. I gained a new respect for nature and the country of Costa Rica. Because of this amazing program I take the "Pura Vida" lifestyle everywhere I go. I have gained amazing friendships with people from all over. I have done things I never would have imagined from hiking to a beautiful waterfall, zip lining over tree tops, to surfing on the gorgeous Costa Rican coast. GLA is an amazing opportunity, I encourage everyone to seize it.

The name of the program has to be 100% true. Last summer, I chose to go to Thailand with Global Leadership Adventures instead of having a Sweet Sixteen and I could not be any happier. I learned so much about the Thai culture and absolutely loved the program. I learned about the food that they ate, even making my own, how to pray like a Buddhist monk, and about the country as a whole. I made so many friends, who I still keep in touch with and would love to go back. There was certainly the element of "Adventure" while I was there. We went zip lining, biking, kayaking, hiking, and so much more. We met a local hill tribe and even went to a Thai high school where we met some students. We also had the option to shop at markets. It was an immersive opportunity and I will never forget it. The volunteering itself was wonderful as well. We went to an orphanage and a home for women. The children at the orphanage were extremely happy and appreciative of us coming, which was always a pleasant experience. At the home for women, we helped build some bamboo fences and prepare the home for the rainy season which was approaching rapidly. They were very appreciative as well. Overall, I loved this program so much that I decided to go on another program the following year in Ghana. I believe Global Leadership Adventures is worth every penny and is truly a life-changing experience that everyone should consider.

This summer, I went to Krobo in Ghana with Global Leadership Adventures and it was absolutely amazing. We spent most of our time with the children, whether we were building bricks, teaching, or playing with them. We immersed ourselves into the culture right away. We were able to try all of the traditional foods, dances, and even the local language Krobo. They took us to the market where we were able to shop for our own fabrics that we had tailored into clothes. I learned so much on the trip. In the afternoons, after teaching in the morning and before we went to play with the children, we would learn about Ghana and how we could continue our service. We participated in leadership activities about privilege and how we could better the world. At the park, where we played with the children, we always seemed to have the best of times. We would play and laugh with the kids. They would all come meet us at HomeBase and walk with us to the Park. We brought fun toys and games like bubbles, soccer balls, and other things. When we taught in the mornings, the children were eager to learn, and our mentors helped prepare for our days in the classroom. We also had a chance to eave the community and go explore Ghana. We went hiking and to a beach club which was really cool. I honestly loved volunteering in Ghana so much and would go back in a heartbeat. I recommend this program to anyone who is interested, and those who are not should reconsider it because it changed my perspective on the world.

This summer, I travelled with Global Leadership Adventures to Anloga, Ghana with the Children of Africa program. It was honestly the most amazing experience I've ever had. What made the program so great was the perfect balance between service, cultural learning, reflection, and free time. In the mornings, we would break into our two "mentor groups" and visit separate schools. There, we made bricks that would go towards building a new classroom for kindergarteners and we also taught the students. Teaching was a completely new experience for me. We taught the same class of students everyday which was helpful because we were able to begin building relationships with them. It was difficult at first to figure out how to approach it, but we were all partnered with another GLA student, so we learned how to work together. The teaching was definitely one of my favorite things that we got to do in Ghana. In the afternoons, we did different activities everyday. Sometimes we visited local chiefs, or went shopping in street markets. We bought traditional fabric and had extremely talented seamstresses sew clothing for us. Other times, we had leadership workshops lead by the mentors that helped us reflect on our activities. When we had free time, there was no shortage of fun to be had with the local children who came running from school to hang out with us. The GLA staff was incredible and they were always there when we needed them. There was no time where I felt unsafe in Ghana. It was very cool to have Ghanaian staff working on the program because it gave us more of an inside view. Overall, this experience inspired me to learn more about global issues and different cultures around the world. Everyone we met was extremely welcoming and glad we were there to experience Ghana.

Thailand was the best experience of my life. I had the best time with the best people and i learnt a lot about the country and myself. We visited many beautiful places including temples, we learnt about the Thai culture and beliefs. The staff were amazing and really supportive. We learnt about how elephants are treated in Thailand. The group also did alot of community service, half of the group went to a women's refuge and the other half went to an orphanage to help out. Global Leadership Adventures were the best company to volunteer abroad with because they are helpful and dedicated and i would recommend the company to anyone.

Service in the sacred valley had to be the best possible way to spend a part of my summer and it may have been my best summer yet. I had my doubts initially as to whether the program was the right one for me; I'm pretty introverted, so I didn't know if it would be to much social interaction. However, I've discovered that GLA offers the perfect amount. In traveling to architectural sights and hiking through the mountains, you could choose to appreciate and reflect on your surroundings internally or you could choose to express them externally, where a group of people could relay how they felt back to you and you could share in that with them. Being apart of this program has made me realize how much I like working with children, and how I want to incorporate that into my future. The same goes with traveling: once you're bit by the travel bug, there's no going back. Gla offers you an opportunity to discover what you're passionate about or, if you have that passion already, to further discover the best way to incorporate what you love into your future. I would definitely do this again.

My three weeks in Andahuaylillas (a little town about an hour south of Cusco) were easily among the most magical times of my life and is something that I will never forget as long as I live. Being in the Andes surrounded by all the culture and history of the land and people was extremely enlightening, it helped put more of a perspective on the size of the world. The massive mountains around you all the time and the best view of the night sky I have ever experienced in my life are extremely high up on my list of favorite things about going on this trip. The only thing that surpasses that is the people who went through it all with me. I met thirty-something of the most amazing people i could have ever hoped to meet, I consider these people to be some of my best and closest friends on the planet. One of the funniest times of my whole life was the series of days that we travelled to Machu Picchu. Each day was super awesome in a different way, from a multiple hour bus ride with a soak in some sweet hot springs at the end, to a scenic walk along railroad tracks next to the beautiful Urubamba river on our way to Aguas Calientes. I remember everyone walking around laughing and having a great time while we looked around all the markets that had things that you don't generally see in the USA. This trip was absolutely incredible and life changing in so many ways. I loved every second of my time in Peru and I would recommend this to everyone!

It's hard to put into words, or even cohesive thoughts, everything that I have gained from this experience, but I will do my best, as this is a review. Overall, the trip was an INCREDIBLE experience that I wouldn't have traded for anything else. It is hands down one of the best (if not the single best) things I have done in my life thus far, as it has opened my eyes to so many new cultures and perspectives. My trip began with a view of the most amazing sunset as we flew into Kilimanjaro airport, shortly followed by a delicious home-cooked meal (by candlelight) prepared by the wonderful Mamas! From there, my amazing experiences quickly multiplied, including shopping for fabric at a local market, dancing with a group of grandmothers on a coffee plantation, and hiking through the backyards of members of the Chaga tribe on Mount Kilimanjaro! However, my favorite excursion by far was the Safari Weekend. I have decided that Ngorongoro Crater is my new favorite place in the world--it is so serene and peaceful because the only people there are safari tourists and Maasai. The roof of the safari car raises up so we spent most of the ride standing on our seats, and when you're down there, all you can see is the open sky, rolling plains, and mountains on all sides. We saw zebras, elephants, lions, hippos, impala, and giraffes (to name a few)--some cars saw a lion cross the road right in front of them! Aside from the safari, I think my favorite part of the trip was getting to interact with all of the people I met. One of my favorite moments was when a student looked me in the eye and told me "I write better because of you", to which I replied "I am happier because of you"--I know, SUPER corny, but it's true! Another moment I loved was seeing the excitement on Mama Lucy's face when I told her that her daughter Glari had exceptional English for a six-year old (Glari had spent the evening sitting on my lap helping me play UNO). One of the absolute best moments from my trip was seeing how grateful Mama Hephzibah was when I gave her my sneakers on the last day (it's AMAZING what a single pair of shoes can do!). I was also blown away by how easily our host families accepted us into their homes, and I loved being able to sit in their living rooms and talk for hours about our cultures, dreams and aspirations. The first day I met him my host brother Patric was wearing a shirt with nearly every American logo patched on that you could imagine--he wants to come to America and be a DJ someday! In addition to the native people, I learned so much from my wonderful group members and mentors! It was amazing to hear everybody's stories, people came from all over the place! To name a few, there were six students from China, two Mormons from Utah, a girl from a Native American community in Minnesota, a nationally-ranked pageant-winner from Ohio and one of our mentors was an ex-opera singer on her fifth trip to Tanzania! Although I have tried, I cannot possibly fit everything I want to say into this review, so I will end it by saying that my parents originally said no when I asked to go on the trip (their concerns were cost and safety, neither of which ended up being a problem), but the other day my mom turned to me and said, "I am so glad that you convinced your father and I to let you go on this trip", and I can say with 100% certainty that I'll be forever grateful that I convinced them too!

I absolutely love this trip to India; it made this summer the best summer ever. The whole schedule was really well developed. It was very packed everyday but it didn't make me feel overwhelmed. The idea of leadership was being carried out all the time.

Every morning, we would go to our placement. I was worrying about whether there would be too many people doing one single thing; however, the mentors kept each placement under six people. I chose to be a sports camp, and my team had only six people. Everyone had to contribute something; no one could sit there and do nothing. Every night, our mentor would discuss about the lesson plan with us. The first few days, my team was a little bit unorganized, but we put a tons of effort into collaborating with each other. I learnt so much about team work through out this experience.

Lunch and dinner were always my favorite part of the day. Our mentor Elise put so much effort into the meals. Everyday, we would have one western meal and one Hindu meal. We built a strong connection between the kitchen guys; they really cared about what we eat and our favor. In free time, me and my dorm mates loved to visit them and watch them cook. They would teach us about different spices and how to make good chai.

In the afternoon, we would go explore Dharmasala. The local mentors dig deep into this town and let us experience the culture in numerous ways. We visited a philosopher, who mind-blowed me and is still in contact with me, Dalai Lama's temple, a local feminist, a animal shelter, a fair-trade business, a Tibet medicine factory. I would never have chances to go to these exotic places and meet those amazing people on a normal trip.

Overall, this trip is definitely a five-star trip. I definitely want to go back.