Description

The world becomes your classroom and experience your greatest teacher!

Youth International is an experiential learning program that combines international travel, inter-cultural exchange, adventure, volunteer community service work, and homestays.

Teams of up to 14 people between the ages of 18 and 25 travel together with two group leaders. For a full 12 week semester, they explore three different countries in one region of the world.

Through a balanced combination of experiences, each Youth International team member is set up for an intense and dynamic first-hand education about the region in which they are traveling. At the same time, they are presented with a unique environment and opportunity for self-discovery.

(*Youth International does not affiliate with, or adhere to, any specific religious or philosophical doctrine, and has no political affiliations or agenda.)

Youth International has been sending groups on learning adventures abroad since 1997, and offers three separate programs: Asia, South America, and Africa.

All three trips are offered twice each year: once in the fall semester which runs from September to December, and once in the spring semester which runs from February to May.

*Please note that the Africa program remains suspended, until further notice, due to continued security concerns in East Africa. Please refer to the itinerary below as a sample schedule for future Africa programs, once they are able to resume.

Highlights

The main focus of Youth International is on learning. The program is best suited to those who are intensely curious about the world around them and who they are in relation to the world.

Youth International is an ideal choice for those taking a "gap year" between high school and college, a break in the middle of college, or time out after graduation.

The majority of learning will come directly from the experiences of day-to-day travel. Team members also engage in individual and group reflection, reading, culture and language workshops, and attend some talks from guest lecturers. This academic component compliments the experiential education to raise the level of learning to its highest potential.

Sample Itinerary for the Africa program (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and Namibia):

USA (Three Days)
Colorado:

Orientation: For three days team members will live together in residence at the YMCA of the Rockies Conference Centre in Estes Park, Colorado. In the midst of this spectacular Rocky Mountain setting they will take part in a series of workshops covering topics such as team building, health and safety, cultural sensitivity, and more, in preparation for their time abroad.

Kenya (Four Weeks)
Nairobi:
Two days of site seeing and free time in Kenya's capital city.
Bomet:
In this beautiful, remote village the team will spend two weeks living with local families while helping with a community project such as building water tanks or a community library.
Masai Mara and Nakuru National Reserves:
For four days (three days in Masai Mara and one day in Nakuru) the team will search for and observe wild animals from elephants to giraffe to lions and much more in some of the most impressive national wildlife reserve land in the world.
Mt. Kenya:
For one week the team will camp on the slopes of Kenya's highest mountain, Mt. Kenya, hiking through thick rainforest up to high alpine terrain.

Tanzania (Two Weeks)
Village Homestay:
Ten day stay with families in a remote, rural Tanzanian village. Members will take part in daily family activities, and will help with a local community project(s).
Dar es Salaam:
One day of site seeing and free time in Tanzania's capital city.
Zanzibar Island:
Three days to swim, snorkel, relax, and enjoy Zanzibar's incredible beaches, and to explore the winding streets of the old stone town of Zanzibar.

Botswana (Two Weeks)
Village Homestay:
Ten day stay with families in a remote, rural Botswana village. Members will take part in daily family activities, and will help with a local community project(s).
Okavango Delta:
The team will travel in Mokoros (small wooden dugout boats) for four days through the spectacular wetlands of the Okavango Delta, exploring the abundant wildlife which inhabits this unique corner of Africa.

Namibia (Three and a Half Weeks)
Windhoek:
Two days site seeing and free time in Namibia's capital city.
Okonjima:
Overnight camp and learning about this unique cheetah and leopard rehabilitation centre.
Kaokoland:
One week homestay in a tribal village in this northern region of Namibia. Team members will take part in daily family activities, and will help with a local community project(s).
Skeleton Coast and the Sand Dune Sea:
The group will spend three days exploring, by vehicle and by foot, the rare and spectacular desert landscape of Namibia's coast and inland region.
Omaruru:
One week homestay in a rural, tribal village near Omaruru. Team members will take part in daily family activities, and will help with a local community project(s).
Fish River Canyon:
Four day hike, and camping, in Fish River Canyon, one of the largest and most beautiful canyons in the world.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

9950

Program Fees Include:

This fee covers all program expenses, including all flights and overland travel, all food and lodging, all scheduled program activities, (including the cost of all outdoor adventure activities and site seeing etc.), team leaders and in country staff, educational material and other miscellaneous expenses related to the program.

The only costs that the program fee does not cover are personal items and individual free time activities. Personal items would also include health insurance, visas, any medical expenses, and transportation to and from orientation, in the USA, at the beginning and end of the program.

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Guest House
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of 14

Application Process Involves

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Phone/Video Interview
• Written Application

Youth International's Mission Statement

Youth International opens the doors for young people to actively explore and discover a broader perspective on the world while developing a deeper understanding of who they are and what their place is within the world. Developing more personally and socially aware future leaders, Youth International also hopes to take small steps toward bridging the gap between people and nations and making the world a better, more peaceful place in which to live.

Year Founded

1995