Summer High School Programs in Australia

This has been an amazing, life-changing experience. I have loved every second of this trip, and hope that many other people get the experience just like I did. I have learned so many new things, and have overcome many different challenges, which I know will help me throughout college and in the future. I have learned many different life skills and believe this program is such an amazing opportunity that everyone should try.

I traveled with the Australia Zoo program. My favorite part was working with Trish and the animals. Getting to form personal connections with animals was absolutely amazing. thank you Rustic Pathways!

ActionQuest is an extremely unique place that offers amazing experiences for kids of all ages and from all over the world. It has taught me so much, not only about sailing and scuba diving, but also about myself, and going to ActionQuest has made me a much happier person. I truly enjoy lifeworks forums. I think that they bring up important topics, and often bring boats closer. They also help connect the lessons that I have learned at ActionQuest to my life outside, so that I may bring these new lessons home with me. The instructors were always happy to answer any sailing question and hand over the helm to any student who wanted to learn more about sailing. They made it very fun and interesting to sail the boat. Scuba diving instructions were also excellent, the instructors would help us plan our dives in the beginning, but then allow us to figure out how to do it on our own later in the trip. Diving is my favorite part of AQ, and it never fails to amaze me. The instructors are amazing, they clearly love what they do, which impacts each shipmate and allows them to have a great time. The friends that I made at ActionQuest are some of my closest friends now, and would have never met them without going to AQ. The people that you meet are just so interesting and amazing. The diving is beautiful, and the sailing is so much fun

I wanted to do something different the summer before my junior year. I was looking at teen service trips all around the world, but I was sold the moment I found ARCC's Australia/Fiji trip. It was specifically for teens, so it allowed me to make an impact while staying safe and protected. The ARCC office staff was communicative and had an answer to my many questions. They knew just what to bring, told us up front exactly how much it would cost, and had recommendations on health and medical concerns to ensure my safety. The trip leaders I had the honor of working with were AMAZING. They connected with us instantly and handled every challenge with ease and grace. They were organized, loving, adventurous, open, and qualified. I honestly cannot imagine more perfect people to lead a trip like this. My group had the opportunity to do our service work in Nawaisomo on the island of Beqa in Fiji before our adventure time in Australia and on the Great Barrier Reef (which is gorgeous, by the way), and so we grew close to each other as we learned more about ourselves. The service work, building a footpath and working with the kids, was so much fun, and it was nice to see our hard work visibly progress. We really felt like we were making a difference. When we stayed in the village, we got to stay (in pairs) with host families, and I got really close to my host siblings. I learned so much about Fijian culture by getting to fry fish, shave coconuts, and help unload fishing boats with them in my free time. Overall, The Australia/Fiji trip was a life changing experience that taught me so much about myself, the world, and the importance of loving and take care of your community and everyone in it. There is no better way that I could've spent my summer.