<p>Is anyone familiar with the Global Leadership Adventure Programs? If so, what was your experience like? Was the description of the program on their web site fairly accurate? Is it worthwhile?</p>
<p>As I recall, this is one of those marketing scams. They buy your name from collegeboard using a list of kids who took the PSATs, or something like that. It’s a total waste of money, and most of the time is just more bs, like stuff that isn’t at all related to Global Leadership (for instance how to study for SATs). Don’t bother.</p>
<p>^ No… It’s for international travel/community service. I went on a GLA trip last summer and I loved it. It’s not a scam.</p>
<p>But one doesnt’t have to spen $$ for a community service experience. OP can find free serive opportunities locally. </p>
<p>I think the “scam” with these programs is not admitting that the trips are primarily about foreign travel (valuable in its own right) with a few token service hours. And leadership? What qualifies high school students to be “leaders” in countries/communities they have never previously visited?</p>
<p>It’s fine for affluent kids to travel abroad - - but why pretend that this is really about “giving back.” If it were really about service, all one would have to do is look in one’s backyard.</p>
<p>I personally don’t know anything about this program, but I am aware of others that are marketed with “gifted” and “leadership”, and other impressive words. As part of our education, when our older ones were in middle school, we were swept off our feet by these organizations recognizing how “gifted” they were and offering programs targeted just at them, in return for us waving our visa cards. Bottom line was the kids had a good time, they learned a bit about living by themselves, they met other kids from wealthy families, & there were a few academic things they picked up. Overall we felt it was the equivalent of buying a 16 year old a new luxury car so she could go to work and drive back from school after sports.</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with this particular program, but my son participated in Ambassadors Abroad, which is similar. Yes, it costs money. Ambassadors Abroad had need-based scholarships to which you could apply (like a college); I’m not sure whether this particular program offers scholarships.</p>
<p>Here is our feedback about Ambassadors Abroad, which is marketed to high-scoring students on the PSAT in a similar way: it was a valuable experience. The trip provided our son experience with the cultures of two countries at a price that we could not have matched, had we tried to take him as a family. Moreover, by going with his peers, he felt he was doing a sort of solo trip. </p>
<p>He became so interested in the idea of travel abroad that the following year, after he completed his junior year in high school, he applied for a scholarship to fund a summer of homestay and study abroad in Japan. He won the scholarship and spent the entire summer in Japan in a program endorsed by the Japanese embassy and our local district’s Japanese department. So to sum up, the experience in Ambassadors Abroad led to something more significant the following year. He returned to the U.S. a completely confident traveler, very interested in experiencing and learning more.</p>
<p>We did not feel, as Dad<em>of</em>3 concludes, that this program was “the equivalent of buying a 16 year old a new luxury car.” We never bought any of our kids cars, prefering that they figure out how to navigate public transportation. If you believe that travel can be an essential part of a global education, then a program like this can be worth the money in the same way a college tuition can be worth the money. We felt that Ambassadors Abroad was well worth the money, but as I have pointed out, I’m not familiar with this particular program.</p>
<p>My daughter in currently in Tanzania with GLA. She just graduated from high school and chose this trip as a graduation gift. She wanted a program where she could to some adventurous activities and also have some type of a closer contact with the locals. She is not getting community hours for teaching English in a local school. So far I know the group has visited some local homes and learned about their daily routines and jobs. They visited a local artist and had Swahili lessons. This program is for students that want to go beyond tourism and have a more personal experience. I’ll will post more after she comes back.</p>
<p>I recently went to Costa Rica with GLA, and it was the best experience that I’ve ever had. Although it’s true that the program isn’t necessarily for “gifted” students, and it’s not something colleges will think that you’re a stand-out candidate for doing. </p>
<p>However, traveling with GLA is an incredible experience, unparalleled by other summer programs. The aspect of GLA that sets it apart from other travel abroad programs is that you are truly immersed in the culture while you are there. In Costa Rica, we were based in a little, rural town called La Cruz, about an hour away from Liberia. Having the home base to stay at, and staying in a non-touristy part of Costa Rica, truly made me feel as though I was immersed in the culture of the country. We could really get used to the town and we got to know some of the locals, including other high school kids (we had the chance to play soccer and basketball against the local high school, which was awesome.) </p>
<p>I did a lot of research on many other programs before settling on GLA, and I will be forever happy with my decision. Many of the other programs involved lots of traveling around, which I think may keep the feeling of being a tourist. The mentors and director of the trip were great and always encouraged us to push outside of our comfort zone in all of our activities, but I always felt comfortable and safe. My parents and I were both equally happy with my experience, and I’ll probably go on another GLA trip next summer.</p>
<p>My daughter did GLA’s Tanzania program a few years ago. We thought it was a really good program. The living situation was rustic but safe and comfortable, and they had some wonderful adventures while doing lots of community service. We were satisfied with the whole thing.</p>
<p>I see nothing wrong with these programs. It is true that you can do community service right here locally. But these kind of trips are not simply about community service. It is a chance for teens to visit other cultures with other teens and get involved beyond touristy stuff. For someone who wants to do that, this program offers that experience. </p>
<p>My own kids did not do this program. I am working with a student who did go on Global Leadership Adventures this past summer to Costa Rica and the student seemed to really enjoy the experience a lot.</p>