Summer Opportunities
Abroad
Database of diverse international and US summer and gap year opportunities. Fill out a 12 question survey to get a list of opportunities that fit your preferences, needs, and price point.
“Volunteer and travel experiences for teens featuring leadership, community service, immersive learning, and adventure in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.”
Leadership in Global Change @ Oxford University
"Develop vital new skills that will make you an effective future leader." One week residential institutes at the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute. Scholarships available on the website. Ages 16-18.
National Security Language Initiative for Youth - Scholarships to Study Languages Abroad
“NSLI-Y is part of a U.S. government initiative that prepares American citizens to be leaders in a global world. It is important that Americans have the necessary linguistic skills and cultural knowledge to effectively communicate internationally. The NSLI-Y study abroad program aims to provide opportunities to American youth that will spark a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures.” Merit-based Scholarships for American Youth to study the following languages over the summer: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian and Turkish. Last year’s deadline was October 30, 2019, so I would assume the deadline for summer 2021 will be around October 30, 2020.
American Foreign Academic Research - Belize, Greece, Portugal, and Spain
"AFAR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing pre-collegiate students an opportunity to experience first hand the world of archaeology through onsite excavations or by attending world-class seminars at our Maya conferences". Ages 16-18.
Where There Be Dragons - Multiple Locations
“Spend summer abroad with Dragons immersing yourself in local cultures. Learn a language, explore the world, and discover yourself. Dragons offers summer study abroad and travel trips in India, China, Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and more!” Ages 15-19.
“The most powerful way to reduce poverty is giving women access to income. Awamaki helps women start and run their own businesses so we can do just that. We invest in their skills and leadership, and we connect them to global markets for their small businesses. Though we use business strategies to accomplish our mission, we are a non-profit.” For more information about living in Ollantaytambo, contact Laura Meinzen who lived there for three months in 2015. Ages 17+.
Fully-funded three-week travel opportunity to learn about civic education, develop leadership skills, and immerse yourself in the culture and language of a Caribbean, Central American, or South American country.
In the States
Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer
Join international fellows in learning about international diplomacy, global problems, civic education, and more for one month in the summer. Fully funded (free) and sponsored by the US Department of State. Deadline: March 14, 2020.
Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program
Develop leadership and peacebuilding skills with Iraqi students during one month of the summer in the United States. Program is fully funded (free). Sponsored and funded by the US Department of State. Deadline: February 15, 2020.
Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School
Study a diverse set of college-level topics in a community of students and teachers from around the States and around the world. Especially interesting is the Charles J. Hamm ‘55 Leadership Program and the Process of Creativity Cluster - a Phillips Exeter/Stanford University Collaboration. For more information about what it’s like to spend a summer at Exeter, contact Laura Meinzen, who was a teaching intern there in 2007.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
“The Summer Institutes provide an opportunity for these students to enrich and accelerate their academic pursuits and to meet other students who share their interests and abilities. Subject areas include arts and humanities, business, computer science, engineering legal studies, mathematics, social science, physical and biological science, and writing. The instructors are assisted by undergraduate and graduate student mentors who have expertise in the course subject areas. These mentors serve a dual role of Residential Counselor and Teaching Assistant so that the academic and social aspects of the program are tightly integrated.”
Summer Enrichment Program at the University of Virginia
“In conjunction with the Curry School of Education, the University of Virginia announces the 39th year of its residential summer program for gifted and/or high ability students. Students enrolled in grades 4-10 during the 2016/2017 school year were able to apply to attend a twelve day session.”
Gain coding and cyber security experience alongside girls from Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Fully funded (free) and sponsored by the US State Department. Deadline: January 15, 2020.
MIT Summer Programs in Science, Engineering and Math
http://oeop.mit.edu/programs/mites "A six-week summer science and engineering program for rising high school seniors across the country."
http://oeop.mit.edu/programs/e2mit "A one-week summer science and engineering program for rising high school seniors across the country."
http://oeop.mit.edu/programs/mostec "A six month online science and engineering program for rising high school seniors across the country."
Programs to Study Abroad for a Semester or Year in High School
NOTE: To stay in the IB Diploma Programme at Palisade High School, you must do any study abroad that is during the school year during Freshman or Sophomore year. If you would like to study abroad during the school year during Junior year or Senior year, it must be at an IB school with corresponding course offerings. Talk to Ms. Meinzen if you have questions.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange in Germany
“Learn about German culture first-hand by living with a host family and attending a German high school. Connect to an elite network of U.S. Department of State program alumni. As a CBYX participant, you will gain new perspectives on global current affairs and German social, economic and political life. You will learn the German language through immersion in the culture at school and at home.” No prior German language knowledge required. Most costs covered. To host a German high school scholarship winner in your home: http://hosting.state.gov
Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchangee and Study (YES) Abroad Program
Provides “full scholarships to live with a host family and study in a local high school for an academic year…Launched in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the YES program was designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of countries with significant Muslim populations through high school exchanges.” Countries include: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, North Macedonia, the Philippines, Senegal, Thailand, and Turkey.
Travel with PHS Teachers
Gap Year Opportunities/Opportunities for Recent Grads
Gap Year Abroad
Where There Be Dragons - Multiple Locations
Travel with Dragons for your gap year abroad. Learn a language, immerse yourself in local culture, and discover yourself. Semesters in India, China, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and more! Ages 17-22.
“The most powerful way to reduce poverty is giving women access to income. Awamaki helps women start and run their own businesses so we can do just that. We invest in their skills and leadership, and we connect them to global markets for their small businesses. Though we use business strategies to accomplish our mission, we are a non-profit.” For more information about living in Ollantaytambo, contact Laura Meinzen who lived there for three months in 2015. Ages 17+.
Foundation for Sustainable Development - Multiple Locations
Learn about sustainable development in Africa, Latin America, or India. Program includes staying with a host family, language training in Latin America, working in a local NGO, and learning about grant writing and project work.
Contact current Seniors Madi Caster, Laura Richardson, or Rachel Driscoll for more information about this year long Christian mission trip, 9 months on 3 continents. Madi, Laura, and Rachel were selected for the 2016-2017 Gap Year program.
World Teach - multiple locations
“Around the world, schools are struggling. Many classrooms are overcrowded. Others are left empty because there is no money to pay teachers. What isn’t lacking, however, are eager students who want, and deserve, an education.” Summer and Gap Year opportunities for Age 18+.
Study Abroad
Critical Language Scholarship - Funded Program for Summer Language Study Abroad
“A fully-funded summer language program for American undergraduate and graduate students” which provides “cultural immersion and rigorous academic instruction in fifteen languages essential to America’s engagement with the world.” A program of the US Department of State. CLS Languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu. Applications open in the fall for the following summer.
Where There Be Dragons - Multiple Locations
“Dragons Study Abroad works in partnership with Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired liberal arts university that offers undergraduate and graduate programs based on an educational philosophy called contemplative education. This educational approach emphasizes an acute awareness of place and of self amidst a rigorous liberal arts curriculum. Naropa University is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Dragons Study Abroad helps students build practical skills to navigate the world with greater self-awareness and inter-cultural fluency. Each semester program offers 4 college-accredited courses, allowing study abroad students to take their full course-load outside of a traditional classroom.” Ages 17+.
Intern Abroad
The Green School - Bali, Indonesia
The Green School is an international school abroad whose mission is the following: “We educate for sustainability, through community-integrated, entrepreneurial learning, in a wall-less, natural environment. Our holistic, student-guided approach inspires and empowers us to be green leaders.” The physical building is itself inspiring, made mostly of bamboo with compost toilets and other energy saving features. See the TED talk.
Opportunities for Teachers
Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship
Year-long professional development opportunity which includes a online graduate class in Global Education, a Global Education Symposium in DC, a two to three week teacher exchange abroad, and the creation of a global education guide for your community. All travel, lodging, and meals are covered. Deadline: March 18, 2020.
Transatlantic Outreach Program to Germany through Goethe Institute
Free two week study tours for Social Studies and STEM educators to Germany. No German language knowledge required. Deadline: January 27, 2020
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Free Three to Six Day seminars on a diversity of topics in American History led by leading scholars in the field. Deadline: February 18th, 2020.
National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institutes for Teachers
Stipended (free) one to five week summer learning experiences on specific topics in the Humanities with leaders in the field. Deadline: March 1, 2020.
Where There Be Dragons - Multiple Locations
Our courses utilize place-based, experiential curricula to provide participant with meaningful content and strategies for employing Global Education pedagogy both on and off campus.
Three day program in design thinking and innovation in education. Learn how to get any idea off the ground. Experiential program that can be easily transferred to teaching design thinking to students.