Thinking Beyond Borders - Translating Learning into Action

Thinking Beyond Borders offers an 8-month international “Gap Year” program. Each program group consists of sixteen students and three Program Leaders. They engage in a rigorous curriculum that explores the essential question: “How can I be a proactive agent of change?” The itinerary immerses students in cultures and communities through homestays and service learning with locally based NGOs in four core countries. Enrichment Weeks follow each five-week core country stay, allowing the program group to explore historical and cultural sites in those regions. The program concludes with a unique five-week synthesis component in the US, providing powerful learning opportunities and critical processing activities.

	Orientation: Ten Days - Costa Rica: Introduction to Curriculum, Team Building, Goal Setting, Safety Training Unit 1: Five Weeks - Ecuador: Clean Water and Development Enrichment Week: Peru: Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Unit 2: Five Weeks - China: Public Education and Economic Growth Enrichment Week: Cambodia: Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh Unit 3: Five Weeks - India: Sustainable Agriculture Enrichment Week: Delhi: Delhi and Taj Mahal Unit 4: Five Weeks - South Africa: Public Health & the AIDS Epidemic Enrichment Week: Addo Park: Safari in Addo National Park Culmination: Six Weeks - USA: Processing and Presenting