Program Reviews

As my high school graduation waits right around the corner, I've reflected quite a bit on the things that have most impacted me throughout the past four years of my life. I feel that I've done a lot here at home, but being president of student council, playing softball, and excelling academically don't even begin to measure up to the impact of my experiences I had through GLA.

In the summer of 2013 I travelled to Guatemala through the 2-week "Children of the Maya" program. As my first experience ever out of the United States, the program was well organized, immersive in the local culture, and all-around showed me the amazing way that traveling abroad can bring new perspective. Through everything, including an unfortunate incident in which our van crashed on the way to a weekend excursion (everyone was okay!), GLA was nothing but supportive. I built a commitment to service and global consideration in everything I do. I came home from the program looking forward to future endeavors internationally.

Initially after the Guatemala program, I didn't think that another GLA program would be an option. However, in March of 2014 my dad mentioned the possibility. After much debate about which program to choose, I decided on the 3-week "Building a Sustainable World" trip in the Dominican Republic. If I thought Guatemala was life-changing, this experience completely flipped my world upside-down. Not only did I meet my best friends on this trip, but I also saw the true value of sustainable development and community. Upon my return home, teachers, friends, and family alike commented on my newfound happiness and passion. To put it simply, I was invigorated with a new drive I didn't even know existed.

Because of GLA, I was lucky enough not only to find my passion, but also to express it through my application to the Tulane University Deans' Honor Scholarship, which I actually received. I will attend Tulane starting this fall to study public health and international development. (See my video for the DHS scholarship at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lWbOR7JYfg )

GLA - this is my love letter to you, an expression of my undying gratitude for your programs, your staff, and your commitment to doing "voluntourism" right, thereby giving volunteer travel the good name it deserves. You have changed my life, and for that I thank you.

If you're looking for a way to volunteer while having a great time and making new friends, Global Leadership Adventures is the way to go! I had the best experience with them and learned a lot while having fun. I went to the Dominican Republic (Beach Adventure) for 10 days. I made a lot of wonderful new friends there, some of whom I'm still in touch with 7 months later. During the trip, we built bottle schools and played with the children there. That was exhausting... however, we were not even 2 minutes walking distance from the beach and could relax there on any given night. I had an amazing, eye-opening experience there and I would 100% recommend this trip!

My trip to Peru was amazing! As a 14 year old, I was the youngest in my group and was nervous at first, but as soon as I arrived I realized there was nothing to be worried about! My group had 30 kids in it with 4 consolers, and I was lucky enough to get to know them all. I made many friends on my trip (man whom I am still in contact with) and together we made every day exciting. My group worked on improving sanitation in a small community. Every week day we would volunteer and then take Spanish lessons, and during the weekends we took many adventure trips. Overall, I had a great time and would highly recommend Global Leadership Adventures.

My parents were so skeptical when I first told them about this trip. My dad had this horrible imagine in his head of his daughter being sent off to a dangerous, far away country. We even wondered if the trip was a scam. Now, I can't help but laugh at all of this, 6 months after my trip.

I went on the 21 day trip and I honestly believe it's the only and best way to do this program. It will be worth every penny. If I had gone for one of the shorter trips it would have been the worst decision ever because after 21 days, leaving was still the hardest thing I've done in my life. It felt like there was still so much to learn and do.

It feels so weird writing this review. I remember reading a bunch of these when I was researching the program and thinking they must be exaggerating when they said "it was the best experience of my life". But now I find myself thinking about the Dominican every single day, and working on a project to go back this 2015 summer because it honestly changed my life. The program goes WAY beyond just teaching you about sustainability. They teach you about defining your own success, they teach you about doing what makes you happy and doing whats right. You learn how to stick up for those that were born into less privileged situations than you were. You learn how to be happy and for the first time in your life you care about the true simple things in life. When I arrived in California after my trip I found that my house seemed 20 times bigger and filled with luxury. I was grateful for having clean water to drink, I was grateful for eating 3 times a day, I was grateful for my beautiful room that was so well built and warm, I was grateful for having shoes to wear and a warm shower and a free education.

When I got back I promised myself that I would write a review on the program and make myself available to anyone who has questions because I know that the people that I was able to get in contact with were the best help I got. Theres just something reassuring about talking to a real person who's been through the program so I'm here for any of you, please contact my facebook and message me.

Sincerely
Melanie

I've always wanted to travel abroad and do something non-academic with my summer, and the Global Leadership Adventures program gave me the perfect opportunity. I was scared that my first time outside of America with a group of people I'd never met before would be frightening, but it was the best experience of my entire life. The food was amazing and freshly prepared each and every day, and were authentic to the culture I was immersed in (Costa Rican). I played sports with not only my new friends but also native children, did volunteer work among the dryforest, rainforest, and a local elementary school, swam in a natural hot springs, hiked through the rainforest and up a volcano, just to name a few.
I've made experiences and memories that I will never forget and still look fondly back on every day (no, I'm not exaggerating). I would recommend this program and country to anyone in a heartbeat. It has truly given me the most amazing experience.

I really, really loved going to Thailand with GLA. They were amazing and I felt safe with all the mentors and staff at all times. We got to do all the amazing things we saw online and the program really opened my eyes to things I had it been aware of. I was sick at one point and one if the mentors got me medicine, and took care of me just like my own mom would. I felt so safe and happy.I walked away from this experience happy and proud I had done it. The only thing was that is was super expensive. But in my personal opinion-totally worth it. I was actually awarded a scholarship for myself and a friend to go again of $500. Most amazing program ever.

The time I spent in Peru might of well been the most amazing time i have ever experienced. When i found out I had the privilege to go on this trip I did not no what to expect. I had never gone on a trip like this, by myself, for such a long time (3 weeks). This trip included 3 main focus's, the service, the adventure, and the language. Each part was a key component to making this trip as spectacular as is was. Another part that made this trip was the wonderful staff we had on hand. They provided us with the care we needed throughout the whole trip. I was very grateful for them all. I made life changing experiences on this trip and my life will be forever impacted because of it. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of change i could make in this world. I highly recommend the Global Leadership Adventures Peru service trip. Its a trip like no other!

During the two weeks I was in Costa Rica I was able to experience an unique culture that has left me with so many positive memories. Our days were action packed with community service and adventures. My group finished up a biogarden at a school, beautified a town, added artwork to the beach, and much more! I had the time of my life during our adventure activities. Just some of these activities included snorkeling, surfing, waterfall jumping, kayaking, zipping, and hiking. I fell in love with the atmosphere of Costa Rica. Everyone I met during my trip was friendly. My mentors were amazing and made sure we were safe and reassured our parents of it by having us call as soon as we arrived at the airport. Where we stayed for the majority of the trip, Hotel Canto De Ballenas, was great. The staff was very friendly and we were served healthy and filling meals that were always ready for us when we woke up and after a long day of working. The rooms were clean and we were given fresh bedsheets and towels around every two to three days, the showers were only cold water but it wasn't as big of a deal as I had been worried about because it was very refreshing after a day of sweating. We also spent two nights in a hostel in San Jose which was a positive experience. We got to explore the city a bit the day we arrived and spend time in the lobby as a group which allowed us to get to know each other and say goodbye. My trip with Global Leadership Adventures was nothing but positive and all I ever talk about now. I hope to take another trip with GLA in the near future and highly recommend it to anyone interested in travel.

I was a part of the Children of Africa program in Ghana with GLA this past summer, and I can honestly say this program was exactly what I was looking for. Both the local and international staff made our well-being their top priority, and were incredibly caring to every student. We were broken up into personalized "mentor groups" to process our experience, undergoing many reflective leadership and teambuilding activities to supplement our service projects in primary schools and the local clinic. Mentors became our friends, our role models, and our educators, and their guidance through this eye opening experience is something I can't write enough praise about. This was not the typical "high school travel" program; everyone came with a purpose, and we were able to come together to work towards a beautiful goal as a family. We were able to live WITH the people in the middle of a community, rather than just being ambiguous American volunteers detached from the local people. I never once felt unsafe or worried while in Ghana; GLA made sure all of the students felt comfortable when embarking on this off the map experience in a developing country. I can't say enough about how much I fell in love with Ghana and our little community in Anloga. Going on this journey is something every teenager should do if they have the chance to. While these types of teen service experiences are offered by many programs, GLA Ghana shows excellence in responsible voluntourism for high schoolers, working with the community to make a difference in some small way by educating students in development work and Ghanaian culture. This program is incredible, and GLA helps you every step of the way. I could say so much more about the program and my unforgettable memories, but every single student will take away something different and indescribably special from this experience on their own. If anyone has any questions, check out the GLA Ghana Facebook page to get in touch with alumni like me and see all the wonderful resources GLA makes available. Thank you!

I volunteered with Global Leadership Adventures this past summer for two weeks in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. The two weeks I spent in Guatemala were the best two weeks of my summer.

Quetzaltenango is a rural town nestled between mountains and volcanoes. The hotel we stayed at provided modest yet comfortable accommodations. The rooms were gender segregated and there was anywhere from 3-5 people to a room. We all shared a few communal bathrooms and the showers had hot ans cold water. The only quirks were that we could not use the sink water to brush our teeth and we could not flush toilet paper in the toilets. The food at the hotel was great and they were very respectful and accommodating of dietary restrictions.

We volunteered at a school and helped by painting, repairing a moldy wall, and adding cement to waterproof an outside wall. We were allowed to play with the school kids for an hour each day during their recess. Even with a language barrier, we were able to connect and have fun with the kids by playing soccer, jump rope, and tag, or as they called it "tenta."

Each day was a new unique adventure. In the afternoons we took various cultural excursions. We learned about weaving, pottery, chocolate made from real cacao beans, and how to play the marimba. We saw ancient Mayan ruins, took a weekend trip and saw a lake surrounded by beautiful volcanoes, and hiked to see a volcanic crater lake. We took two trips to the mall and went to an internet cafe where we checked emails, Facebook, and used Skype or Face Time to talk with family and friends.

The GLA staff is amazing! Our in-country director was Maria and she used her connections to allow us to tour local homes. The GLA director was Meredith and our mentors were Rudy and Eileen. They especially helped me overcome my homesickness and were the best staff members I could have hoped for. I highly recommended this program and encourage anyone considering volunteering abroad to do so with Global Leadership Adventures!