A LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

To all of our future teen travelers and parents, welcome!

Every year, it is one of my absolute joys to write our annual letter to families considering a Global Leadership Adventures program this upcoming summer.

Nothing in the world matches the energy of connecting with enthusiastic student travelers who are getting ready to travel far from home, often on their own for the first time, as they prepare to meet up with the rest of their GLA group. And even more so, as a parent myself, I really enjoy connecting with parents who are nervously excited to see the young leader in their family take those first huge steps out into the wider world for an experience they will never forget.

And the “nervous excitement” I mentioned earlier is key, because as the mother of two boys, I understand that while many parents want their child to have this transformational travel and volunteer experience during their teenage years, they also want to make sure they’re safe and well cared for every step of the way.

You can rest assured that all of us at Global Leadership Adventures are fully committed to ensuring that GLA students have safe, life-changing travel experiences. As a parent, I can personally attest that sending one’s children abroad is a big step!

Therefore, I’d like to tell you about some of the measures we take to ensure your child’s safety and security, as well as our intent to provide an unmatched, exceptional journey for teens at a critical and formative time in their lives. For many parents, that time is now, this summer. With the world has reopened, you are looking to make your teen’s summer plans meaningful, especially to make up for lost time after losing out on so many opportunities these past months and years.

First and foremost, Global Leadership Adventures’ programs for 14-18 year-olds are designed exclusively for high school students. Unlike other programs that accept teens, college students and adults, our programs in this age bracket are designed from the ground up to meet the unique needs of teenagers. Sessions offered outside this core high school age bracket are designated as such on their respective program pages.

From the lodging that we call our Home Base or “home away from home,” to the vehicles we drive, the meals we prepare and the staff we hire – each element of the GLA experience is built to provide a foundation of safety for our students, while also allowing them to explore a new destination, experience new cultures and make new friends a world away from home.

Since all of our programs have group lodging, not homestays, we are able to provide 24/7 student supervision. We maintain an 8:1 student to staff ratio, which allows students freedom to develop new friendships and explore their host community, while still having the support of knowledgeable and caring staff members.

Most importantly, all of our Program Directors are seasoned educators, not college students, who have extensive experience in providing experiential education programs for teenagers.

For added protection, GLA purchases secondary travel medical insurance for all students traveling outside the USA, as well as medical evacuation insurance for all students so that your teen traveler is protected at all times.

This year, that includes COVID-19 coverage and even some partial offset in case of quarantine. Because of the meaningful connections we have built with our expert local staff and partners on the ground, we have unparalleled local access and intel to the specific area where we immerse students, beyond only following official guidelines from the US State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and other official bodies.

We are in close contact with our local staff in every region in which we operate programs, throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the USA. This helps us to stay abreast of events in any particular region, city and area to provide the GLA headquarters office with up-to-date information year-round as well as when students are on-program.

We have also developed a comprehensive emergency response plan based on years of operational experience, and while we never plan to activate it, we can rely on this comprehensive plan being there should we ever need it. We also have professional support staff such a Medical Director, Mental Health consultant and Crisis Management team that provides procedures for many different eventualities, from health issues to natural disasters. The safety and security of our students is our highest priority from start to finish.

Finally, GLA offers a distinct program experience for our teen travelers and volunteers. Our program staff weaves intentional and visionary leadership development curriculum into every aspect of our program, alongside carefully crafted service-learning experiences based on one of our nine program themes.

With this one-of-a-kind program model and best-in-class staff support, we have the privilege to help shape the leaders of the next generation and allow students a safe space to explore what fuels their passions. The service work on every GLA program serves as the vehicle to learn about specific themes, communities and cultures in a purposeful way. It allows us to help connect students’ hearts and heads in a journey of self-discovery, global awareness and local impact.

Our leadership curriculum helps us to inspire teens to realize their potential to transform the world and their role in it. Our cultural engagement and adventure excursions fill out the experience too, by opening students’ eyes to new ways of seeing things, and engaging their sense of discovery.

If your family would like to enroll in a Global Leadership Adventures service-learning program for teens, you may do so online at experienceGLA.com/enroll.

Many of our programs are already waitlisted and our General Admission deadline is approaching soon on May 15th, so if you’re interested in enrolling, now is the time to complete your application and save your spot.

From my family to yours, we hope to earn your trust and have the opportunity to deliver an exceptional experience for the young leader in your family.

We also welcome the opportunity to speak with you in more detail about our health and safety protocols, the GLA difference, and all the details in between. So please call or text our Admissions Team at 858-771-0645 or email us at info@experiencegla.com whenever is convenient for you.

Until the next adventure!

Jessica Miller
Executive Director
Global Leadership Adventures

P.S. Don’t forget that our General Admission deadline for all summer travel programs is Sunday, May 15th. Be sure to secure your spot on your first choice GLA program before the deadline to avoid waitlists, closed sessions, and the increased application fee that takes effect the day after!