On our student travel programs, we use community immersion and service as a platform for teaching global issues and leadership. Students study connections between global issues such as climate change, education and poverty. They work on a service project related to those issues. Along the way, students explore their unique leadership styles. They become aware of their personal strengths, study the leadership styles of local leaders, and emerge with a life vision and goals for their own future.

We work closely with each school to design an itinerary and trip curriculum that conforms to the school’s culture, curriculum and learning objectives. We build custom programs that belong to each school. Our goal is for each school to take increasing ownership over a program until World Leadership School’s role is diminished.

Our programs range in duration from 10-21 days and take place in one of our partner communities in Latin America and Africa. Our minimum group size is 10 students and 1 faculty from a single school, though an ideal group size is 15 students and 2 faculty. Each trip is led by 1 or 2 World Leadership School instructor(s), depending on the size and experience of the group, and our community coordinators, who work in the background to support each group.

Each World Leadership School program has a similar format. Upon arrival in country, we rest and go through a 1-2 day orientation in a relaxing locale. Next we travel to the community, where we begin working on our service project and stay either with families or in a nearby eco lodge or tent camp. After working for a few days, we take breaks to visit local places of interest or head off on adventure activities such as rafting, zip lining, trekking or a game drive. There are also cultural activities such as ceramics, basket weaving and bead working. We end with a final community celebration before we head home.

Curriculum and Learning Objectives
The curriculum for the program, including pre-trip orientation sessions, is designed with school faculty. Our experience shows that students and faculty get the most out of their experience when they prepare via a series of pre-trip orientation meetings, which we help faculty organize based on our pre-trip curriculum.

World Leadership School programs have three basic learning objectives. We want students to:

• Learn how to the draw global connections around global issues. Our goal is not to help students become academic experts in climate change or education. Rather we want students to understand global issues in broad terms and be able to draw creative connections between different issues. We want to help students develop empathy for communities that are battling issues such as sub-standard education, poverty and climate change. Students ask and answer questions such as: "In this community where I am living, how is poverty tied to education and climate change? How is what I am experiencing here related to what is happening in my own backyard?"
  
  
• Have the confidence that they can create change around global issues through a community-based service project. Many young people believe that global issues such as climate change and education are too large and complex to solve. Most students are amazed by the impact their service project has on the community, despite the short duration and cost of the project. One of the biggest attitude shifts we see after one of our programs is an increased level of engagement and confidence among students. During this phase of learning, students ask and answer questions such as: "How do these problems affect people in this community and what can be done, realistically and affordably, to solve these problems? What is the next thing we can do? What other resources, apart from fundraising, can we leverage to solve this problem?"
  
  
• Embark on a path of leadership through a training program that includes assessment and study of self, study of other leaders, and individual vision and goal setting. World Leadership School does not have fixed notions about what great leadership looks like. Much of leadership is mysterious, hard to pin down and personality-based. But we do believe that, as a general rule, great leaders:
  
  – Are aware of their strengths and weaknesses;
  – Lead from their strengths and compensation for their weaknesses;
  – Serve others.

Finally, we believe that our trips in Spanish, French and Swahili-speaking countries are an incredible language immersion experience. By working all day with local volunteers, living with families, and playing with children, students receive a true immersion experience and understand the "why" behind language learning.

Program Fee
Program fees vary according to country, itinerary and group size. As a general rule of thumb, a 10-day program ranges from $2,150 - $2,500 per student, not including airfare. A 21-day program ranges from $2,600 - $3,200 per student, not including airfare.

The program fee includes:

• Custom-designed itinerary and curriculum
• Coordination of airfare and all logistical arrangements
• In-country transport from airport pick-up to drop-off
• All meals and snacks
• Homestays or eco-lodge accommodations
• Outdoor adventure activities such as rafting, trekking, snorkeling and game drives
• Cultural activities such as basket weaving and ceramics
• Global issues presentations
• Leadership training and mentoring
• Dedicated World Leadership School instructor
• Support from country and/or community coordinator
• Travel and emergency medical insurance
• All entry fees, rental gear and tips
• Water bottle with built-in filter (certain programs only) and T-shirt

The program fee does not include:

• Airfare
• Airport departure tax
• Spending money for souvenirs, snacks, soft drinks, toiletries, medications, internet, phone calls and other personal items
• Donation for service project*

*We ask that each student raise $250 for Latin American programs and $400 for African programs. This money is donated directly to the service project. We believe that students feel a greater investment in a project when they have worked to raise money. The World Leadership School helps schools come up with innovative fundraising ideas.