Description

Combine volunteering with language and cultural immersion during your summer vacation! Join ProWorld along with its sister high school program Ayusa Volunteer Abroad in Thailand for the international experience of a lifetime. This program challenges its participants to grow as individuals and as members of our global community. Our Service Learning program in Thailand includes a three-week homestay in Chiang Mai, a cosmopolitan city located in northeast Thailand, six hours of language instruction and one weekly cultural excursion. The peak of this cultural adventure is a city tour through Thailand's vibrant capital, Bangkok.

Students develop meaningful relationships with families and local community members by living with a host family, taking Thai language classes with their peers in the morning, and spending the afternoons working as a group on a community development project, thus engaging with the local community and with each other. Students will share their experiences in daily de-briefings and participate in lively roundtable discussions lead by a local representative. Once a week, Ayusa and Proworld will offer cultural excursions and other group activities. Through experiential and academic learning, hands-on development work, and cultural immersion, students will grow as individuals and as members of the global community.

Volunteers will be able to work together with the local community to make a difference in the life of Thai and Burmese citizens in need. Students may choose to help improve the quality of education in Burmese refugee camps by teaching English, or help out at the Thai Elephant Home which provides free medical treatment to sick elephants, an important symbol of Thai culture whose current population is steadily decreasing.

Highlights

During their stay in Thailand, students will have the opportunity to take up cultural activities and excursions such as:

* Thai Cooking Class - See many different kinds of herbs, vegetables, and fruits on an organic farm outside the city, and a chili paste and cook a traditional Thai dish from scratch!

* Thai Boxing Class (Muay Thai) - Through Thai's national sport, familiarize yourself with Thai culture and improve your physical fitness at the same time!

* Eco-Friendly Elephant Riding - After learning how to command the elephants to sit, stand, and turn, ride your elephant across the Mae Tang River and up into the jungle!

* Program Finale: Bangkok! - The Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace have been the religious, and to some extend political, center of Thailand for the last three hundred years. A must-see is the 45-foot high and 140-foot long Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, one of the largest and oldest temples in Bangkok!

Type of Programs

• Community Service / Volunteerism
• Language Immersion
• Student Tours

Languages

• English
• Thai

Cost in US$:

5,850

Program Fees Include:

Program fees help support ongoing development projects and include:

* Thai language instructions throughout the duration of the program
* Full time dedicated onsite coordinator
* Full room and board
* All domestic transportation upon arrival
* Global Citizen Initiative curriculum delivery
* Round table discussion with community members
* Community project planning, set-up, execution and follow-up
* Project donation and purchase of project materials Cultural and adventure activities throughout the program
* Pre-trip organizational discussions, orientation, and program materials

This Program is open to

American, Asian, Canadian and European Participants.

Participants Travel

in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of Maximum 20 participants

Application Process Involves

• Disciplinary Clearance Form
• Essay
• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Physical Exam/Health Records

Typically The Application Process Time is

48 hours

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

ProWorld 's Mission Statement

To empower communities, promote social and economic development, conserve the environment, and cultivate educated compassionate global citizens. We invite you to join the ProWorld mission and make a difference in our host communities through our sustainable development model.

Year Founded

1998