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Location
  • Cambodia
Length
5 weeks
Project Types
Street Children Orphan Care Community Development Family Service Learning Reforestation Elephant Conservation Education Human Rights Tourism
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans, 529 Plan eligibility, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety
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Program Details

Age Min.
18
Age Max
35
Timeframe
Summer
Housing
Guesthouse Host Family Hostel Hotel Lodge
Groups
Small Group (1-15)

Pricing

Starting Price
6350
Price Details
• Five-week syllabus-based service-learning program based in Cambodia
• All accommodation (guesthouses, hotels, camping) and most food provided
• All activities detailed in the itinerary
• All technical equipment, program-related transport & travel
• All in program travel (not including international travel to start/finish)
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare
Dec 16, 2019
Wish List
1 traveler is looking at this program

About Program

Equip yourself with the right skills to ensure your impact as a volunteer or a potential employee of the service-learning industry is positive and future-focused.

Join us for five weeks on our Service Learning Leadership Program in Cambodia! We created this program as we recognize that our world is an incredible place, but it is in dire need of people who can constructively drive change. This program has been created to educate individuals looking to learn more about ethical and sustainable volunteering and for those looking to gain employment in the sector.

Cambodia as a destination just gets under your skin and into your heart in a way that no other country does. In fact, we feel that the region can’t be beaten for the sheer diversity of cultures, histories and landscapes in a geographically small area. It also has a complicated history with much poverty, so is a fascinating place for us to study Service Learning. We can’t wait to share it with you.

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

Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here. Learn more about how Pacific Discovery is promoting ethical volunteering.

Video and Photos

Pacific Discovery students hammering and building in Cambodia
Pacific Discovery students weaving wood for building in Cambodia
Pacific Discovery student joining wood with local help
2 Pacific Discovery students posing for camera with bamboo wood
Pacific Discovery student being taught to weave fabric by local on loom
Pacific Discovery student with local girls in field
Pacific Discovery student standing in front on chalk board teaching

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Diversity & Inclusion 💙

We understand that we have a long way to go in achieving the diversity we strive for among our students, staff, and partners. We are committed to fostering a more diverse and inclusive organization, and we recognize that this requires time, effort, and resources. At Pacific Discovery, we deeply value diversity, equity, and social justice, and we are dedicated to creating educational experiences that reflect and promote these values. Our program curriculum incorporates social justice education and encourages students to explore their own identities. To further support these efforts, we offer a 'Diverse Voices' Scholarship.
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All of our Pacific Discovery programs are LGBTQIA+ friendly, and our operations team have attended CIS Abroad's LGBTQ+ Allyship Training, to ensure we’re doing what we can to support this community. We provide an open and non judgemental space for students to explore who they are at this pivotal time of their life, and in our admissions process we seek information not only on a student's gender, but their pronouns and gender identity. We’re aware of the differing cultural perspectives of LQBTQIA in the countries that we visit, and can direct students to a semester location where they’ll feel the most comfortable. Operationally we ensure that our instructors use inclusive language and can facilitate conversations with students around their identity, and discuss the rooming situations with LGBTQIA+ students.
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Our programs are designed to support students with a wide range of neurodiverse conditions while following our essential eligibility criteria. For students needing extra help, we provide personalized wellness plans . These plans include coping strategies, care protocols, and specific requirements to help them engage effectively in the program. Our instructors have access to mental health first aid resources and are well-prepared to offer strong support to students with these needs.
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Our programs offer a variety of physical activities, including hiking, surfing, rafting, and mountain biking. We make sure to accommodate students with diverse needs such as asthma, diabetes, and chronic medical conditions, while working within the infrastructure of the host country and our program schedules. We're mindful of the varying levels of accessibility in the countries we visit and can help students choose a semester location where they feel most at ease.
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Impact 🌎

Sustainability is one of the 6 core components of each Pacific Discovery program, where we educate students about the local and global environmental issues, how to travel sustainably, and have them think deeply about their impact and what they can do in their daily lives to affect change.

We recently embarked on a Net Positive Benefit project where we are qualifying what impacts our groups have on the local communities, taking into consideration carbon emissions +/- social impacts +/- conservation impacts +/- community impacts. On our programs, students engage with non-profit organisations such as Litter Intelligence, Scholars of Sustenance, Ulu Mau puanui, Llama Pack project where they directly work for a better future - planting trees, eradicating invasive weed species, helping local communities and food banks.
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We make a conscious decision to partner with host communities and suppliers who are passionate about our students' participation and involvement with them being of a positive benefit to the community. We want our presence to enable positive sustainable growth for our partners and this mantra is ingrained in the fabric of our programs.
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Program Highlights

  • Contemporary issues in international development.
  • International and service-learning best practises and ethics.
  • Knowledge, skills and attitudes for positive contribution to an educational, community and environmental service-learning project or program.
  • Development project or program design.
  • Work with local communities and organisations.

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Questions & Answers

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Sophia Allen

Program
Service Learning Leadership Program in Cambodia
Job Title
Program Instructor
Sophia grew up in the lush Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. Attending an adventure camp throughout her childhood instilled within her a strong desire to provide others with the same special experiences in the outdoors.

After completing a bachelor's in Outdoor Education, Sophia went on to coordinate and implement expeditions and educational activities across North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania for a wide range of demographics and backgrounds.

What is your favorite travel memory?

When I road-tripped across Texas with my sister in a big white van.

I was directing a course near Big Bend National Park, and my teams needed a van and a trailer full of gear transported to them from the east coast. My older sister decided to join me for the journey and it has become one of our most memorable experiences. We explored hidden waterfalls in the desert and at night were amazed by the countless stars in the sky. We had hours of quality time to talk and speak of our dreams for the future as we traveled across the bizarre landscape of Texas. From Big Bend to the Guadeloupe Mountains, and El Paso where we said our goodbyes.

Camping and Roadtripping are always a special way to share an adventure. I think that’s why I like the style of Pacific Discovery programs so much. It is the slower way of seeing all the beauty along the way and the adventures that spring up on the road.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I had worked in a lot of different settings before Pacific Discovery, but I had never worked a seventy-day shift before with one team. It was an extraordinary learning experience to empower and support students over an extended length of time.

The rewards are immense in the sense that you are sharing an incredible journey with them and you get to see all ways that everyone including yourself grows from the experience. I personally learned a lot about adjusting my leadership style according to the skill set of a team. Throughout the course, the students were becoming more and more independent which required me to use discernment in the ways that I stepped back in order to give them opportunities to lead themselves autonomously.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

One of my students wrote a lovely blog about volunteering alongside an elderly woman who was once a world-class surfer.

Please enjoy below:

“We have arrived in New Zealand! Wahoo! Our first stop was the Tawharanui park and campground. Riddled with sheep, cows and plenty of birds, including the endangered Takahe, we awoke each morning to a symphony of moos, baas and indescribable birds tweets.

Throughout the week, directed by park rangers Morris and Amy, we 'tickled' trails to create easier walking paths, planted trees with retired volunteers and took advantage of our surroundings by exploring the park, jumping in the ocean, and watching the sunrise over the rolling hills.

My personal favorite moment of the week was talking to Gale, one of the retired volunteers, while we bagged some young trees. Gale was the New Zealand woman’s surfing champion in 1969 and represented her country at the world championships in Australia the next year. As an aspiring surfer bum myself, I was eager to learn anything I could from her.

Though I expected her to discuss the nitty-gritty mechanics of surfing and how to dominate waves, she spoke of it as if it was still just a fun hobby. She wasn’t concerned with being the best surfer in the water. She just loved the ocean and riding the waves, both surfing and bodysurfing. As someone who gets in their own head about perfecting every single detail of riding waves, it was refreshing and calming to hear how to dominate surfing: chill out.”

- Sam L

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Toughest question yet! All of the locations are exciting and beautiful. I am a bit biased for the Australia and New Zealand Course, though. You can’t beat the activities such as canyoneering through the Blue Mountains, surfing the beautiful waves of Australia, and rafting the highest navigable waterfall in the world!

The volunteer opportunities are also interesting and enriching. We work with the local park service to fight invasive species, learn how to maintain trails in New Zealand, and live on a beautiful permaculture farm South of Sydney for a week. It is a marvelous course and I highly recommend it, but all programs at Pacific Discovery have something special and different to offer for everyone.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Pacific Discovery is different in the sense that the program is designed to empower you to become an independent ethical traveler. The adventures are outstanding and there are a lot of other companies that could simply take you sightseeing, but Pacific Discovery provides an educational viewpoint on each region and has an excellent curriculum to help you reflect on your gap year.

One of the moments I was most proud of my team is when they designed their own itinerary for their student-led section of their program. It was amazing to see everyone collaborating and creating a wonderful experience traveling across New Zealand. They did an excellent job and it was great to see how comfortable they had become with trip logistics and designing an adventure.

I hope they utilize those skills in the future so that they can continue to explore the world outside of the course.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

How companies treat their employees always speaks volumes to me.

Companies that place value in everyone on the team have a much better atmosphere that people want to be around and a part of. It is an incredible feeling to work for a company that is such a team player.

Even though we are spread out all over the world on course, everyone knows that they are a part of something wonderful and meaningful and it connects us. From the local vendors and guides that conduct our adventure activities to the folks in the office that make sure our logistics are running smoothly we are all focused on giving students the best experience possible.

Location

Location:
Cambodia
Currency:
Cambodian Riel
Weather:
Jan-Mar
95 F / 70 F
Apr-Jun
95 F / 75 F
Jul-Sep
91 F / 73 F
Oct-Dec
88 F / 72 F
Airports:
Phnom Penh International
( PNH )
Siem Reap International
( REP )
Sihanoukville International
( KOS )

The biggest draw to Cambodia is typically Angkor Wat; however, this country has a lot more to offer. Cambodia is less touristed than its neighboring countries, and there are plenty of unspoiled areas to explore, such as Koh Thmei, Koh Ta Kiev and Koh Totang.

About Pacific Discovery

Pacific Discovery gap year, semester and summer programs are experiential education programs suitable for high school graduates, university students and recent graduates. They were developed with a focus on six core components: educational travel, service learning, cultural and language immersion, sustainable adventure travel, outdoors and...

  • Go Overseas Award

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