Community service is at the heart of every GLA program, but on these sessions in particular, students commit extra hours to serving communities and learning about critical issues.
- Haiti: Global Health Initiative™ (10 days)
- Ghana: Foundations of Global Health™ (14 days)
- Belize: The Initiative for Children™ (21 days)
- Dominican Republic: Building a Sustainable World™ (21 days)
- South Africa: Safari Service Expedition™ (14 days)
- Peru: Children of the Andes™ (21 days)
- Thailand: In & Beyond the Classroom™ (21 days)
- Bali: Global Health Initiative™ (21 days)
- *Honorable Mention* South Africa: Social Change Project™ (21 days)
Read: How does GLA select community service projects?
1) Haiti: Global Health Initiative™ (10 days)
Community Service Hours: 30
Average Hours / Week: 21
Project: Haiti’s public health challenges stem largely from infrastructural weaknesses and other social issues. Therefore, we’ll spend some time assisting medical practitioners, but also work to address society’s larger, health-related concerns: unsafe housing, lack of educational infrastructure, food shortages, proliferation of waterborne diseases and more.
You’ll spend 4-5 days helping construct a school using innovative bottle-building techniques, and you will have the special opportunity to shadow local doctors providing pro bono consultations to at-risk communities. Your efforts will help to increase the overall efficiency of the clinics and help provide healthcare services that otherwise might not be accessible.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
2) Ghana: Foundations of Global Health™ (14 days)
Community Service Hours: 40
Average Hours / Week: 20
Project: Partner with and be trained by local builders to construct a brand new composting toilet from start to finish for a family in need. Before you wrinkle your nose, consider the critical importance of your work: This addition will help prevent the spread of disease and can even help local girls stay in school. The composting toilet, an eco-friendly and modern innovation, also produces high-quality fertilizer that can increase crop yields and sustain nutritious diets. Spend time getting to know the family you’re building the toilet for, as well as students from local primary schools who will learn from your example to lead healthy, active lifestyles.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
3) Belize: The Initiative for Children™ (21 days)
Community Service Hours: 60
Average Hours / Week: 20
Project: Improve access to education in Belize by staffing a summer camp focused on youth literacy and empowerment through education. You’ll lead the children in experiential learning activities and take part in outdoor activities that tie into their language lessons. These are just a few of the creative methods you’ll adopt to make learning more engaging. In a country where one-third of the population is under 15 years old, this is impactful work, and the close bonds you’ll form with your enthusiastic students will reflect the difference a quality education can make.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
4) Dominican Republic: Building a Sustainable World™ (21 days)
Community Service Hours: 60
Average Hours / Week: 20
Project: Slow development and vulnerability to extreme weather means volunteers are needed on all fronts. You’ll dedicate most of your time to community infrastructure projects, learning to construct “bottle buildings,” which are part of an innovative, ongoing project that provides safer housing options for rural Dominican families. Bottle building construction turns used plastic bottles into a highly insulating, robust, affordable building material, which simultaneously tackles issues of unemployment, waste and lack of housing. To alleviate local health issues, you might also work on organic food production systems or other sustainable agriculture projects. Your extensive service will make a true difference to the community and bring global issues into your worldview.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
5) South Africa: Safari Service Expedition™ (14 days)
Community Service Hours: 35
Average Hours / Week: 17.5
Project: Join professional conservationists in the field, assisting with habitat restoration efforts and wildlife monitoring. Help the black rhino conservation team eradicate an invasive plant species, join the anti-poaching unit on a patrol for illegal snares, and learn from passionate wildlife protectors about their personal experiences fighting poachers. Track the movements of elephants and other wildlife by satellite, and learn how rangers set camera traps—join them in combing through video footage to spot camouflaged leopards and other threatened species. Finally, uplifting the surrounding community is as critical to conservation as direct animal work: Learn how the reserve works hand in hand with the surrounding Zulu community.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
6) Peru: Children of the Andes™ (21 days)
Community Service Hours: 50
Average Hours / Week: 17
Project: Thousands of visitors find their way to the Sacred Valley in Peru each year, most headed straight toward the ruins of Machu Picchu. Yet at over 60 miles long, the valley is so much more: Volunteering in Peru on this program is an opportunity to go beyond the tourist mindset and learn the nuances of life in this beautiful, yet remote and challenging area, all while providing critical service to children and schools in the rural community. Gain hands-on experience teaching in a classroom, and after service, take in the Sacred Valley’s magnificence: Andean peaks to orchid-rich cloud forests, wild rivers and a thriving mecca of colorful markets and ancient history.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
7) Thailand: In & Beyond the Classroom™ (21 days)
Community Service Hours: 45
Average Hours / Week: 15
Project: Volunteer at a school providing English instruction for local youth through classroom time, tutoring, arts, crafts and sports. Over the course of your community service, develop meaningful relationships with your students—serve not only as their teacher, but also a role model, mentor and friend. On the 21-day Flagship Program, you’ll also volunteer on various physical projects that support Thailand’s ethnic minorities, the Northern hill tribes. Accelerate refurbishment efforts to shelters and infrastructure for these displaced families who have historically been marginalized.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
8) Bali: Global Health Initiative™ (21 days)
Community Service Hours: 40
Average Hours / Week: 13
Project: East meets West in this unique program, where you’ll study public health through two different perspectives: Western convention and the indigenous wisdom of the East. You'll significantly deepen your understanding of the many pieces that make up the global health puzzle, especially in the developing world, where cultural competence is just as important for achieving wellness as medical ability and technology. During your time off service, enjoy Bali’s uplifting culture through live music and dance performances, memorable meals and high adventure on the coast.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
Honorable Mention: South Africa: Social Change Project™ (21 days)
Community Service Hours: 35
Average Hours / Week: 12
While this Flagship program features fewer community service hours, the program is designed around the theme of social change. Students will have the opportunity to go beyond traditional community service and learn how to design long-term solutions for current global issues. In addition to volunteering with diverse NGOs in public health, education and children's issues, students get to learn through site visits and shadowing South African leaders about the power of social enterprise, blurring the lines between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors for a more altruistic, equitable world.
Project: Apartheid may have ended, and Cape Town may have its modern identity as a top travel destination, but its heritage still shapes South Africa in a very physical way. Nowhere is this more evident than in the layout of its cities: Cape Town’s “African” areas—generally impoverished—are often tucked out of sight, in townships far from its gleaming coastal properties. Join a meaningful project in these township communities whose populations face barriers to progress, such as access to quality education. Help provide a safe and nurturing environment for children, empowering youth through education and life skills to seek opportunities that enable them to escape the poverty cycle.
Program dates & details | Download the day-by-day itinerary | Enroll
How does GLA select community service projects?
As a B Corporation, it is GLA's imperative to contribute to sustainable development, effective community service and responsible travel. And positive, lasting change in developing communities can only be achieved when the residents of the region are deeply involved. This calls for working with local partners. GLA's community service projects are designed and guided by NGOs, nonprofits and individuals in each destination who ensure that our service efforts and itineraries are in respectful solidarity with the community needs and vision.
GLA strives to work on projects that:
- are action-oriented
- are part of a community-led initiative
- are designed by our longtime service partners
- build public involvement and support
- focus on root causes
- accomplish specific goals and objectives
Questions about our programs, dates & details, safety or scholarships & aid? Give our Enrollment Specialists a call or text at +1 858-771-0645. We'd love to help you travel with us this summer!
Our 21-day Flagship programs provide the ideal amount of time to satisfy every dimension of the GLA Experience.