Program Reviews

My daughter just returned from the three-week coastal clean-up. She had a fantastic experience not only with the staff, and experts brought in to educate but most importantly with the other children that attended. The hotels were clean and the staff did laundry and provided good meals, even for my picky eater. Although she didn't know anyone ahead of time, several of them formed a tight bond. They've been keeping up, sharing pictures and memories for the last few weeks. And, we're already planning out next year with GLA.

My daughter attended the The Children's Initiative trip from June 26th to July 5th. She had an amazing time. She learned so much being immersed in the culture. She enjoyed participating in her program helping the children. She also made great friendship along the way. They also had so much fun going to the beach, hiking and zip lining. I must say the GLA team was amazing during the whole process from beginning to end. They were very accessible to answer my questions, and the wealth of information available on line about the programs and expectations was helpful. The mentors were kind, fun and knowledgable. The communication provided up until the day of the trip was impeccable. The blogs written by the participants almost daily accompanied by pictures helped to put my mind at ease. Additionally knowing that if I needed to get in touch with her emergently, I would be able to was also reassuring. I highly recommend GLA and I feel this is a well run program and my daughter hopes to participate again next summer.

I cannot even begin to express how much I loved Costa Rica. Though the housing isn't luxurious, it is not meant to be. This was an exciting and eye-opening experience for me. I was very lucky to have been with the most incredible group of people ever. We were a mix of different personalities, but we all got along well. We were also so lucky to have the best mentors ever. Gina, Sam, and Stef were unbelievably amazing and supportive throughout the entire trip. Everything we did was enjoyable. 10/10

My child went to Costa Rica last summer with GLA.
This is a good kid who has excellent grades and is home for curfew and does not use substances.
There were many kids caught drinking on her program, actually ON SITE. They stole alcohol from a store where they were taken shopping. This was the majority of the participants, and it was older boys who instigated and some were quite drunk.
My child was in the space but not drinking alcohol, and yet was punished with 3 other kids who were more actively participating, kicked off the program while many who were involved got to stay. I was literally contacted in the process of my child being carted off to a different location in a different country BY MY CHILD, not by any adult in the program.
THEN -- find out through that experience that there were kids drinking on other programs as well. No responsibility was taken that it was the ADULTS running the program that should have prevented this. My child wanted to have a conversation with the adult running the program about the experience -- never happened.
Terrible -- clearly these people have NO IDEA how to safely run a teen program, and how to model responsible behavior and communication.

My trip to Costa Rica was the best thing I could have done. The service aspect of the program was so incredible because not only were we actively helping out a community, but we were also learning about the environment. You make lifelong friends and experience things that you never forget. My experience built confidence, not only with travel but with making friends. The mentor groups at the end of the night were a great debrief of our day and helped to reflect on our service. The rooms we stayed in were great and beds were comfortable.

My daughter had an absolutely wonderful trip on her GLA adventure. She was on the Costa Rica Children's Initiative trip from July 25-August 7 2022. I honestly cannot say enough good things. The experience matched and exceeded my expectations. She absolutely adored all the mentors and the international director, Jonathan. She made so many new friends and is really missing them! The combination of service activities, GLA bonding and leadership activities, and recreational trips is perfect for a teenager. She talked all the way home from the airport about her experience. Most of all, I think she treasures the relationships that were formed. As a parent, the communication from the company before the trip as well as the blog during the trip was superb. I never worried about her safety, as I could follow along with their daily activities. I will definitely be saving up for another trip for her in the future.

My 16-year-old son recently completed GLA's service travel program to Hawaii, and it was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The GLA website provided very thorough and clear information leading up to the trip. When we did have questions, the GLA staff was responsive and knowledgeable. During the trip, my son enjoyed the service and travel activities out in the community as well as the social interaction with the leaders and other teens on the trip. As a parent, I truly appreciated the student-written blog updates which allowed those of us at home to read about and see pictures of the daily activities. When my son came home, he could not stop talking about all of the experiences he had with a wonderful group of people. He made forever memories and experienced growth while he was away. I would highly recommend this program to others!

My daughter’s experience with GLA was amazing from start to finish. Pre departure, staff was easy to reach and happily answered all of our questions. I felt the trip was extremely well organized and my daughter had an absolutely transformative experience. The leaders and mentors were excellent and the program provided the perfect balance of service, sight seeing and cultural activities. She returned home energized, full of insights and confidence, and excited to pursue a career in health care. The communication through the daily blogs during the trip offered a wonderful window into what she was experiencing and I felt confident that she was in good hands. I highly recommend GLA!

The trip had a heavier focus on standard camp activities than on animals. The “animal rescue” portion involved tidying the area around the site where animals were housed. This was 60% of the trip. Only one of the three weeks had vet experience. The program description oversold the vet aspect of the trip, and we wish there had been more of that type of experience. On the plus side, the students got to meet new people and try a variety of different activities and foods. They were happy with their mentors and felt safe.

My 16ye old daughter had a very positive experience with GLA in Peru. From a parent perspective, we appreciated the balance between community immersion, health &safety measures, group explorations, outdoors activities, and the global health focused community service and community engagement.
Highlights for our daughter were global health program clinic experiences, explore local foods and markets, community service, Machu Picchu, and hiking/ camping under the stars experience. Great supervision and program leadership.