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=Global Travel Organizations:=

These programs represent a cross-section of the many outstanding programs available. Many of them offer scholarships.
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[|Rotary Youth Exchange] Students travel from the U.S. to live with families in other countries and students from other countries come to the U.S. to stay with families here. These trips can be for a whole school year (Long-Term Exchange), or for 3-8 weeks (Short-Term Exchange). For outgoing students, the costs are kept very low compared to other programs because Rotary Clubs do much of the organizing through volunteer efforts and the host families are volunteering their homes. The costs are limited to a $65 application fee, a $150 insurance policy, and air fare. A student who travels on a long-term exchange will even be supplied with a monthly allowance to provide spending money while in the host country. The hosting Rotary Club pays that expense. For more info., call 401-539-7762 or e-mail six07co@att.net

[|Amigos de las Americas]
 * Destinations**: Central and South America
 * Program Length**: 6-8 weeks
 * Philosophy**: High level of immersion with a small number of students living and working in their assigned village
 * Program Focus**: Homestay and community service; full cultural and language immersion
 * Scholarships**: Fundraising offsets at least half of the $4600 total program cost; cost should not be a deterrent, as the cost can be brought down to as low as $500 for students in need of more financial support
 * Cost**: Approximately $4600 includes all except incidentals; students fundraise for half ($2300) of total cost; there is a full-pay option for students who cannot commit time to fundraising; host villages provide food and accommodations

[|AFS Intercultural Programs]
 * Destinations**: Extensive
 * Program Length**: Exchange programs for one semester or full year; summer programs for 4-5 weeks
 * Philosophy**: "Building a just and peaceful world begins when people from different cultures have better opportunities to understand one another."
 * Program Focus**: Homestay with language study, community service or cultural activity focus; semester or year long exchange programs
 * Scholarships**: 40% of participants receive some financial aid; eligibility for scholarships is greater for those willing to let AFS match the participant to the destination
 * Cost**: $4500-6000, excludes domestic airfare to departure city, visa costs and $120 for secondary insurance
 * Preparatory Requirements**: Mandatory pre-departure orientation held regionally
 * Fundraising Support**: Weekly fundraising conference calls with AFS contact and other students; fundraising info book
 * Emergency Support**: AFS office in every country, three volunteers per student (host parents and host "aunts/uncles")

[|Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program]
 * Destination:** Germany
 * Program Focus**: Offers German and American students a fully-funded academic year abroad. Participating students develop critical intercultural skills while learning what it's like to live and attend school in Germany.

[|Experiment in International Living]
 * Destinations**: 31 countries
 * Program Length**: 3-5 weeks
 * Philosophy**: "Changing the world, one friendship at a time."
 * Program Focus**: Home-stay with different focus themes: community service, language study, travel, ecology, the arts, sustainable development, fair trade, cooking, photography, theater, outdoor adventure
 * Scholarships**: 5-50% of program fees are awarded to students requesting financial aid, based on need, and allocated on a rolling basis, therefore apply in November or December to have the best chance of receiving aid; if a strong relationship develops between NHS and EIL, they may consider awarding larger scholarships to students who qualify as "Outbound Ambassadors" based on an interview and financial need
 * Cost**: $4300-$7600; includes airfare, with the exception of the Mexico and Navajo Nation programs, as well as medical and travel insurance, three meals a day, in-country travel and group activities.
 * Preparatory Requirements**: Some programs have language requirements; short answer essays required for acceptance
 * Fundraising Support**: Nothing formalized, but fundraising is encouraged
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Guided Trips**: 1-3 teacher-guided trips per summer; would consider customizing trips for school vacation programs; very proud of the quality of their customized programs
 * Emergency Support**: Broad network of native professionals who are actively involved with each group in all phases of each program; VT office is on-call 24/7 for emergency assistance and has medical professionals on staff for consultation.

[|Global Connections and Exchange]
 * Destinations**: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, West Bank
 * Program Focus:** The U.S State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, sponsors an array of youth exchange programs in many countries through its Office of Citizen Exchanges. The Youth Programs Division has initiated the Global Connections and Exchange Program for secondary school Internet connectivity and curriculum development. Teachers receive specialized training on computer applications, web development and the use of the Internet to enhance their daily lessons. They also develop skills needed to participate in collaborative activities with U.S. schools. Both teachers and students are offered opportunities to travel to their partner schools as a way to strengthen mutual understanding and solidify virtual relationships through face-to-face meetings.

[|Global Routes]
 * Destinations**: Asia, Africa, Central and South America
 * Program Length**: 2 1/2 - 5 weeks
 * Philosophy**: "The future of our global community depends upon our self-knowledge as well as upon mutual understanding and respect among diverse cultures. Global Routes deepens these roots of our shared community as we foster personal and international development. Undertaking voluntary work overseas allows North American youth the oportunity to push past stereotypes and misconceptions to build strong relationships and self-understanding..."
 * Program Focus**: Extended cultural immersion and community service through home-stays in rural areas combined with adventure travel. Students receive between 50 and 100 hours of community service depending on program length.
 * Scholarships**: Financial aid awards are based on need, merit and availability; covers 30-50% of program cost; all 2010 financial aid applicants received some level of assistance.
 * Cost:** $3700-$5625; doesn't include airfare, but Global Routes books air travel for all participants at a group rate.
 * Preparatory Requirements**: 1 year language requirement for Spanish speaking destinations; 2 teacher references and health form required; pre-departure phone conversation between students and their group leader; each student encouraged to fundraise prior to program departure to help cover the cost of building materials and resources for community service projects.
 * Fundraising Support**: Guidelines for fundraising provided which includes information on online fundraising.
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: Yes
 * Emergency Support**: Work with local community contacts; leaders carry international cell phones for direct access to and support from Global Routes office; established relationships with medical clinics and hospitals within close proximity to groups throughout program; 2 leaders/program of 14-18 students; Global Routes admin. team on-call 24 hours/day 7 days a week.

[|Global Works]
 * Destinations**: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Ireland, France, Spain, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Martinique
 * Program Length**: 4 weeks, some 2-3 week programs
 * Philosophy**: "Travel with purpose;" leaders trained to plant seeds for what students can do following their experience to continue to work toward improving the world
 * Program Focus**: 40-80 hours of community service for which they receive a certificate; some programs include language immersion
 * Scholarships**: Yes
 * Cost**: $4000-$5000 for 4 weeks; doesn't include airfare or personal insurance
 * Preparatory Requirements**: Language immersion programs require 2 years of study in the language
 * Fundraising Support**: Guidelines available for customized programs for school groups
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Guided Trips**: Yes
 * Emergency Support**: Well outlined action plans for each destination and updated frequently; work with local community leaders/grassroots organizations at local level


 * [|Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study]**:
 * Destinations**: Extensive
 * Program Length**: Semester-One Year
 * Program Focus**: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Thailand, Turkey
 * Scholarship**: Yes
 * Application Deadline**: January 11, 2012

[|National Security Language Initiative for Youth] The U.S. Department of State offers merit-based foreign exchange scholarships through its National Security Language Initiative for Youth programs (NSLI). These exchanges, for students interested in studying less commonly taught foreign languages, are a summer, semester or year in length.

[|Putney Student Travel]
 * Destinations**: Extensive
 * Program Length**: 4-6 weeks
 * Philosophy**: "Challenging, fun, active, educational summer programs to promote lasting personal growth through individual responsibility, friendship, mutual respect and active participation in communities around the world."
 * Program Focus**: Service, global awareness in action, language learning, cultural exploration or summer enrichment (study) programs
 * Scholarships**: Students from families with an annual income of less than $30,000 may receive financial aid; amount based on need; 25-30% of those applying for financial aid receive it
 * Cost**: $5000-$8000; includes everything except incidentals
 * Preparatory Requirements**: Minimum number of years of language study for language learning programs
 * Fundraising Support**: None
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: No
 * Emergency Support**: Networks of doctors and clinics in each country; enroll each particpant in emergency medical evacuation insurance plan

[|United Planet]
 * Destinations**: 16 locations for short-term programs (1-12 weeks): Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, Peru, Romania, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Turkey; 31 locations for long-term programs (6 months and 1 year): Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Uganda, United Kingdom
 * Philosophy**: Promotes cross-cultural understanding and addresses shared challenges to unite the world in a community without borders. United Planet's Quest volunteer abroad programs are designed to mirror this mission so that volunteers are immersed as much as possible in the local community while working in partnership with a local organization.
 * Program Focus**: The Quest programs focus equally on cultural immersion and volunteer work. The programs are designed to allow the participants as much community interaction as possible through the volunteer work, homestays, cultural activities, language classes and excursions.
 * Scholarships**: No
 * Cost**: The cost for each program varies based on length of stay and destination. Program fees for programs begin at $1,395 and one-year programs cost $8,956. Not included in the program fees are: international airfare, necessary vaccinations and relevant visa fees.
 * Preparatory Requirements**: Volunteers must read all pre-departure materials and attend a one-hour training that is held via phone and web conference. Volunteers must also sign a contract and submit a health form. Volunteers are welcome to fundraise toward the total cost of their program fee and flight. There are no language requirements for most programs, except for Latin America where basic Spanish is required in most cases.
 * Fundraising Support**: The United Planet Quest Team works very closely with each volunteer during the pre-departure phase. All volunteers have access to a United Planet and country-specific on-line space with extensive pre-departure materials and information about the host country, local culture, health & safety, cultural adjustment, a sample itinerary, etc. Each volunteer's Regional Coordinator in the Boston office is available via phone and e-mail to answer all volunteer and parent questions. United Planet has a fundraising kit on-line with suggestions for fundraising, sample letters and other resources. Volunteers can also create their own fundraising webpage via the United Planet website where they can have friends and family donate directly to their Quest on-line.
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: Yes
 * Emergency Plans, Support at Travel Destination(s)**, **Insurance**:All volunteers receive emergency medical insurance and repatriation coverage for the time they are on their Quest. Country specific health and safety information is available during the pre-departure process. United Planet has systems in place between the Country Coordinators and the Boston office staff to ensure communication at all times in the case of an emergency. The Country Coordinators are available to the volunteers 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

[|Where There Be Dragons]
 * Destinations**: China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Senegal and Morocco
 * Program Length**: 6 week summer programs and semester programs
 * Philosophy**: Intimate, dynamic and rugged programs; students and leaders shape itinerary together to "follow their passions;" "Our programs are not for passengers; they are for participants!"
 * Program Focus**: homestay, service, internships, meeting with leaders, artists and other visionaries
 * Scholarships**: 20% of participants receive need-based scholarships
 * Cost**: Summer: $525-$7000, Semester: $9250-$9650; does not include airfare or personal insurance
 * Preparatory Requirements**: None
 * Fundraising Support**: None
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: Yes
 * Emergency Support**: Connected with SOS for 24-hour on-call doctors and emergency evacuation plan; instructors carry medical kits, cell and or satellite phones; hire staff with in-country experience of at least 2 years but familiar with American culture as well.

[|Windsor Mountain]
 * Destinations**: Caribbean, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa, China
 * Program Length**: 1 month

[|World Challenge]
 * Destinations**: Extensive
 * Program Length**: 4 weeks
 * Philosophy**: "Education through experience...physical challenges, eye-opening cultural exchanges...journeys of self-discovery." "From fundraising and travel preparation to teamwork in the field, "Challengers" will develop skills and gain new insights at every step.
 * Program Focus**: 19 month development program, culminating in a month-long overseas expedition; develops leadership and teamwork skills, organization and responsibility; trip includes a challenging trek and one week community service project
 * Cost**: $5700+
 * Preparatory Requirements**: Up to 19 months of meetings to plan for trip, design itinerary and fundraise
 * Fundraising Support**: Extensive
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: All World Challenge programs have a teacher-chaperone who advises the students in their fundraising and trip planning
 * Emergency Support**: Rigorous training for students and leaders, 24-hour Operations Center, thorough risk assessments carried out prior to and during every expedition, ability to divert expeditions to alternative destinations when need arises, in-country agents, satellite communications

[|Youth for Understanding]
 * Destinations**: 35 countries
 * Program Length**: Summer (4-8 weeks), semester and year
 * Philosophy**: "We seek to transform young people by instilling passion for life-long learning and the skills and knowledge to thrive and contribute amidst cultural diversity."
 * Program Focus:** homestay, language and cultural immersion, interest-related...
 * Cost**: Summer: $5000-$8000; doesn't include airport taxes, visa and passport costs, insurance or incidentals
 * Scholarships**: 300 available
 * Preparatory Requirements:** some language study required for some programs; pre-departure orientation first weekend in June to prepare students and parents
 * Fundraising Support**: Strategies available on website
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: No
 * Emergency Support**: Each student has an assigned volunteer in the host country; area rep. helps with medical emergencies

[|Language Immersion Trips Abroad]
 * Destination**: Spain
 * Program Length:** Five-week summer programs and school programs customized to meet individual school needs.
 * Philosophy**: Personalized program offering home stays and a small-group experience.
 * Program Focus**: Spanish language immersion for high school student with an interest in cultural exchange and language acquisition. This program offers an exploration of Spain, including language study, the arts, fashion, food, music, family life, history and discoveries off the beaten path. Homestays. Featuring a small group experience of eight to 12 students.
 * Cost**:$7000-$8000
 * Scholarships**: No
 * Preparatory Requirements**: Students who have completed 9th-12th grade; two years of language study.
 * Fundraising Support:** No
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips:** Yes
 * Emergency Support:** Each participant receives a Spanish cell phone for contact with other members of the group and leaders.

[|Instituto San Pedro]
 * Destination:** The medieval city of Segovia, Spain, one hour outside of Madrid.
 * Program Length:** Four weeks
 * Philosophy:** "Students learn the Spanish language while experiencing the culture and life of the Spanish people in the most important classroom: the city of Segovia, Spain."
 * Program Focus:** Students attend classes at a local private high school and learn the Spanish language: grammar, conversation and composition. Students also study the Spanish civilization and history of Spanish art from ancient times until today. Students visit local sites, including a Roman acqueduct, Romanic churches and medieval cathedral, as well as museums and sites in nearby Madrid. Students live with host families. Volunteer opportunities are available for teaching English to Spanish children at local Youth House.
 * Cost:** Contact Instituto San Pedro
 * Emergency Support:** Young Spanish adults chaperone all free time. Accident insurance provided.

[|The Village Mountain Mission Project]
 * Destination**: Luperon, a small town in the Dominican Republic.
 * Program Length**: Nine day volunteer building projects or 7-day stays assisting in health projects.
 * Philosophy**: "With our hearts and our hands we will fill long unmet needs of children and families in the villages of the Dominican Republic while providing a life-changing experience to those who serve with us. In doing so, we look to foster a relationship between the two cultures" in the Dominican Republic and the United States.
 * Program Focus:** "“The Village” Mountain Mission Project is a organization designed to empower people living in poverty in the Dominican Republic and foster cross-cultural connections between Dominicans and Americans.**"** At “The Village” we build homes made of blocks with a concrete floor. Construction materials, plans, and tools are provided. We hire local labor for assistance and to install the galvanized roof, but we build the rest of the house. Programs designed for churches, schools, youth groups.
 * Cost:** $625, **in**cluding food, in-country transportation, building materials, and excursions.
 * Fundraising Support:** Finance Guide offers suggestions for fundraising**.**
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: Yes
 * Emergency Support:** "The Dominican Republic is statistically much safer than the United States. The project provides guides and staff members to facilitate volunteer work and help ensure safety."

[|BBYO Passport to Israel]
 * Destination**: World-wide travel
 * Program Length**: Summer programs for 10 days to five weeks
 * Philosophy**: "For 80 years, BBYO has been providing opportunities for Jewish youth to develop their leadership potential and a positive Jewish identity.
 * Program Focus**: BBYO (B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) is w non-denominational Jewish youth movement, currently spanning 39 regions and over 25,000 members.The Passport program provides Jewish teens an opportunity to explore Israel and the world at large from a physical, historical, cultural and spiritual perspective. The programs include active touring, community service, cross-cultural interactions, and Jewish-oriented experiences. "All BBYO Passport trips embrace pluralistic Jewish values and are designed for Jewish teens with a spirit for adventure and a desire to experience the full color of the world."
 * Scholarships**: Teens traveling to Israel can apply for scholarships of up to $2,000, based on need. BBYO Alumni may qualify for a $250 discount. The web site also includes a list of foundations that offer scholarships for teen travel to Israel.
 * Cost**: $3,000 to $8,000
 * Preparatory Requirements**: On-line application.
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: No
 * Emergency Support**: Israel and in South Africa, programs are accompanied by a licensed medic/security escort. In Europe, most programs are co-led by a local tour manager as well as an Israeli guide/educator...In Israel, itineraries are planned to avoid areas of concern, limit opportunities for free time, generally use accommodations outside of city centers.

[|Young Judaea Summer Programs]
 * Destination**: Israel
 * Program Length**: July 3 - Aug. 7, 2012
 * Philosophy**: "Founded in 1909, Young Judaea is the oldest Zionist youth movement in the United States. It seeks to build Jewish identity and Zionist commitment in American Jewish youth and young adults."
 * Program Focus**: "Our jam-packed programs give you all the fun and excitement you would expect of a teen tour plus extras that will make your summer a time to meet new people, learn, grow and be challenged. Get to know the beauty of Israel by hiking from top to bottom, taking part in a community service project, choosing from a variety of special interest week options, and culminating in our two-day event with fellow participants from around the world."
 * Scholarships**:Organization offers a limited number of need-based scholarships.
 * Cost**: $6,700 until Dec. 31. Program cost includes round-trip airfare from New York City, all accommodations, three kosher meals a day, medical care, field trips and seminars.
 * Fundraising Support**:Web site offers fundraising suggestions.
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**:No
 * Emergency Support**: Daily itineraries are planned in coordination with security advisers and regular reports from the government security agencies. Participants will be advised of security regulations at an orientation. Rules include prohibitions from visiting the West Bank and from traveling on public buses.

[|YMCA Travel and Service Program]
 * Destination**: World-wide travel, including China, Japan, Vietnam, Chile, Peru, Sweden, Russia and New Zealand.
 * Program** Length: 36 days
 * Philosophy**: "Our Travel and Service Programs partner with domestic and international YMCA's to help connect participants to communities and people worldwide. The programs are educational travel experiences that focus on service learning, international understanding, values development, and personal growth."
 * Program Focus**: "The International Camper Exchange Program has enabled teens to enrich their cultural knowledge and experience while learning to be a responsible member of a group. The ICEP experience is designed to broaden each participant's appreciation of differing cultures in a way seldom achieved by tourist excursions. ICEP is not about traveling to a specific destination, but rather the journey of discovery, which takes place along the way. Each of these programs incorporates the following components: youth-to-youth interaction, homestays, community service, and educational/cultural travel." The program is designed for students who have just completed ninth or tenth grade.
 * Cost:** $7475
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: No

[|Visions Service Adventures]
 * Destination:**Cambodia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru and elsewhere.
 * Program Length**: Three to four week summer program.
 * Philosophy**: Through service work and dynamic experience, VISIONS offers new perspectives and deep learning for high school and middle school aged students while working for and with under-resourced communities.
 * Program Focus**: A coed summer service experience for teens ages 14-18 blending ambitious service, cross-cultural living and learning, adventurous exploration. Each program has a central construction project and other service such as sustainable development, environmental or agricultural work, volunteering with young children or the elderly, internships with local artisans, farmers, fishermen, vendors and more. Emphasis on community living and teamwork. All programs include sight seeing, visits to cities, markets and places of cultural, historic, geographic interest.
 * Scholarships**: Financial aid offered to 10 percent of participants.
 * Cost**:$4,000 to $5,000, plus airfare.
 * Preparatory Requirements**: French- or Spanish-language immersion in some programs. In those programs, participants need a minimum 2 years high school foreign language or equivalent proficiency.
 * Fundraising Support**: Web site offers limited resources.
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: No
 * Emergency Support**: Emergency Evacuation Insurance available.

[|Lifeworks International]
 * Destination:** Thailand, India, Costa Rica, British Virgin Islands, Galapagos, Ecuador, Peru, China
 * Program Length:** 21 days
 * Philosophy**: "At Lifeworks, we believe in each individual's unique potential to affect positive change. By bringing together teams of talented and driven young adults, we amplify our ability to create a positive ripple effect that we hope will continue long after our programs conclude. By working in community with others, we are able to leave an impact on people, places and perspectives worldwide."
 * Program Focus**: Lifeworks offers global programs for teens which combine international community service projects with cultural immersion, travel and outdoor adventure.
 * Scholarships**: Some scholarships available based on financial need. Scholarships also available through the organizations Summer Search and Minds Matter.
 * Cost:** $4,520 - $5, 870, plus airfare.
 * Fundraising Support:** No
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: No
 * Emergency Support**: All staff are first aid and CPR certified, and many hold advanced training certificates such as Wilderness First Responder or EMT.

[|Rustic Pathways]
 * Destination**: Australia, New Zealand, The Fiji Islands, Tanzania, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, China, India, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Mongolia, Transylvania Mongolia and the United States.
 * Program Length**: Eight days to 24 days
 * Philosophy:** "We enrich the lives of our students and our staff, benefit the parts of the world we serve and build cultural bridges that lead to greater global understanding and cooperation."
 * Program Focus:** Rustic Pathways offers travel programs for high school students, families, groups and college students and gap year programs. Summer programs are available for students from 12 years of age. Rustic Pathways also offers scheduled family adventures and customized family trips, as well as organized overseas programs for high schools, universities, groups, and clubs of all kinds. The agency also offers gap-year programs offering participants a mix of experiences helping others, learning valuable skills, seeing culturally important places, and enjoying outdoor sports adventures.
 * Cost:** $1,395 - $6,695
 * Fundraising Support**: No
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: Yes
 * Emergency Support:** Staff commonly includes Wilderness First Responders, EMTs, Wilderness EMTs, Surf Life Guards, St. John’s certificate holders, and Red Cross First Aid and CPR certified individuals. Staff periodically undergo CPR and first-aid training, first-aid refresher courses, and Wilderness First Responder courses to keep training up-to-date.

[|Dor l'Dor program to Israel with the Cohen Foundation Camps]
 * Destination**: Israel
 * Program Length**: Five weeks
 * Philosophy**: "We strongly believe that exposing young people to Israel and their Jewish Heritage are integral parts of building Jewish identity and character. We view visiting and experiencing Israel as an important rite-of-passage."
 * Program Focus**: The Dor L'Dor Leadership Program is a leadership development experience for young people who have attended the Cohen Foundation Camps. Current campers who have completed the 10th grade are eligible for a 5-week tour of Israel and return to camp as Counselors-In-Training (CIT’s). The Israel trip has included touring the historic sites and museums of Jerusalem, Tsfat and Tel Aviv; celebrating Shabbat at the Western Wall; hiking and camping in the Negev; snorkeling in the Red Sea at Eilat; climbing Massada; kayaking on the Jordan River; and experiencing a weekend-long //mifgash//with Israeli teens, often resulting in international friendships that last well beyond the summer.
 * Scholarships**: Available based on financial need.
 * Cost**: Rates for summer 2012 have yet to be set.
 * Preparatory Requirements:** Young people who are campers at Cohen Foundation Camps and have completed 10th grade are eligible for the program.
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: No

[|West Bank Global Connections & Exchange Program] American students also have the opportunity to learn firsthand about the lives and cultures of their Palestinian counterparts, as well as about Arab-Israeli schools, through an exchange trip to Nazareth in northern Israel. American students studying Arabic in the U.S. can practice their language skills by talking to Palestinian students in the West Bank.
 * Program Focus**: Cultural exchange program sponsored by the U.S. State Department and run by Relief International-Schools Online. The program helps set up internet links between U.S. schools and American students, and Palestinian and Israeli students in the West Bank. Teachers and students also have an opportunity to travel to their partner schools to meet face-to-face. Global Connections programs empower youth to use technology to tackle universal issues such as gender equity, health, environment, diversity and human rights. These programs educate schools to benefit from Internet access and resources by engaging participants in dialogue with the international community. Students are able to expand their world vision and gain perspectives that will help them succeed in the international arena.
 * Customized Programs for Teacher-Led Trips**: Yes

[|Youth Leadership Programs] Upon returning home, alumni implement projects that involve the skills they explored during their exchange. Scholarships:
 * Destination**: World-Wide Opportunities
 * Program Length:** Varying Lengths
 * Philosophy**: Both the Youth Ambassador Program and the summer volunteer program are focused on youth leadership development through community development and deepening multi-culturalunderstanding across the Americas.
 * Program Focus**: The U.S State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, sponsors an array of youth exchange programs in many countries through its Office of Citizen Exchanges. The Youth Leadership Programs consist of four programs: the Youth Ambassadors, Benjamin Franklin Summer Institute, Youth Leadership, and American Youth Leadership Programs. For more information about the individual programs YLP@state.gov. During some of the exchanges, students and educators participate in workshops, community service activities, team building exercises, meetings with community leaders, leadership development, and focus on a specific theme, such as conflict resolution, social entrepreneurship, or environmental stewardship.
 * Preparatory Requirements**: All Youth Leadership Programs include a competitive participant selection process and comprehensive orientations prior to the exchanges. The Youth Ambassador Program requires applicants to have an idea for a community improvement project for their hometown.


 * Other Avenues to Explore:**

**SHS Trips-**

 * China Exchange Program
 * French Exchange Program
 * Cuba

***Travel/Service to Foreign Countries with Local Houses of Worship:**
Rev. Sandra Dorsainval- s_dorsainvil@yahoo.com
 * First Baptist Church- Guatamala through Mir Pace (See Mir Pace.org website)**


 * Unitarian Church-Nicaragua: For more info.:**
 * http: //www.uusharon.org/**

See Ms. Collins in library for full list of Sharon Houses of Worship and contact info...