Open the eyes of tomorrow's leaders.

Program Components

Global Glimpse programs are intentionally designed to provide our students with a powerful hands-on cross-cultural education experience that cultivates leadership, self-exploration, and global citizenship.

ACADEMIC THEMES

All of our trips are structured around academic themes to help students critically think about the complexities of a developing country and explore the Essential Guiding Question: How can I think and act like a responsible global citizen?

LEADERSHIP

This is not an academic theme, but is the thread that runs throughout the entire program and challenges the students to cultivate the 3Cs (Courage, Commitment & Compassion) of leadership in themselves and others during such activities as Leader of the Day, their Community Action Project, English Tutoring, community engagement and mentoring from the Global Glimpse staff.

CULTURE
The purpose of this theme is for the students to reflect on how culture shapes the way people live and why it is important to preserve local culture and the challenges and importance of doing so in a globalized world.

HISTORY
The purpose of this theme is for the students to explore how history affects a country, its people, and the country’s relationship with other countries.

EDUCATION
The purpose of this theme is for the students to explore the relationship between poverty, development and education and identify the barriers to providing quality education in a developing country.

DECONSTRUCTING POVERTY
The purpose of this theme is for the students to see and feel the impact that poverty has on a place and its people and have the opportunity to explore ways to break the cycle of poverty using  the framework of the 5Ps (people, place, politics, past, peace).

POLITICS
The purpose of this theme is for the students to learn about the challenges of governing a country with low resources, lack of education, lack of infrastructure, corruption and dependence on foreign aid. Students will explore how politics affects all of the other themes.

GLOBAL BUSINESS
The purpose of this theme is for the students to learn how businesses can impact the development of impoverished countries and the importance of sustainable business practices in a globalized economy.

AID AND DEVELOPMENT
The purpose of this theme is for the students to gain insight into the challenges of creating and managing a sustainable aid project. Students will explore different projects and organizations and discuss how aid can have both a positive and negative impact on a country.

ACADEMIC SEMINARS

At the beginning of each of the seven themes, students participate in an interactive seminar designed to provide them with context, background information, and facts regarding the theme. At the end of each seminar, students come up with questions they will explore during the activities of the following days.  All of the academic seminars are facilitated by the volunteer educators.

FUN DAYS

Each itinerary has multiple “fun days” built into it. Fun days usually happen on the weekends and allow students to explore the natural beauty of the country – volcano boarding, waterfalls, lake swims, beautiful beaches, hiking through the rainforest and many more.

FIELD TRIPS/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The goal of these community explorations is to expand on themes introduced during the academic seminars with hands-on interaction in the communities. Students are exposed to different points of view and environments and gain a holistic perspective of life in a developing country through experiential education. These experiences are important for internalization and long-term retention of knowledge.

CITY TOUR

Each delegation is taken on a city tour led by their knowledgeable in-country Program Coordinators. The city tour orients the students to the history, people and city they will be living in for the next 16 days. Coordinators share historical information, point out interesting elements of the city, and engage students in the learning process.

SELF-REFLECTIONS

There are seven self-reflections that are intentionally placed in the itineraries by the in-country Program Coordinator to correspond to certain program days. They are designed to let students participate in deeper self-reflection and peer-to-peer discussion. Students gather in small groups (4-5 students) and discuss their experiences with the theme/day and then quietly reflect on what they’ve learned.

REALITY CHALLENGES

Are daylong activities that allow students to see, feel and experience daily life in the developing world. Examples:


Living Like a Local
This day is for students to experience living in a rural community, including food servings, water and electricity conditions. Students will wake up with a bucket shower, and this day there will not be electricity, iPods, cameras, or other material items. Students spend almost a whole day with families who open their homes and let the students participate in their daily lives.

Working Like a Local
In groups of 4-5 the students split up and work in different local “informal” businesses for half a day. The activities vary from selling homemade goods at the market to working at a family farm. These activities start early in the morning around 5 am and finish around 12pm.

Shadow a High School Student
Program Coordinators set up a half-day activity for each student to shadow one local student at their school. Each student will have a set of questions they will try to get answered during their experience. The students will be dressed in white tops/button-downs and blue bottoms similar to the local students and spend the day attending class, playing sports, and spending time with local students.

COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECT (CAP)

Through 3 phases of Discovery, Design & Delivery, students work with a local organization that Program Coordinators have previously researched to initiate a community action project. The projects are in partnership with the local organization and are feasible and hands-on learning opportunities for the students to support local community development initiatives.

CAP Outcomes

  1. Inspire a strong sense of social responsibility by having the students take ownership of their contribution to a local need.
  2. Understand the complexity of doing service work in the developing world
  3. Challenge and support students to think critically and work together to solve problems
  4. Provide support/recognition to local communities/organizations in the work they are doing

YOUTH LEADERS OF THE DAY (El Líder Del Día)

Each day a student leader is responsible for organizing and leading the day with support from GG Leaders and Coordinators. Students sign up for a day they wish to lead at the beginning of the trip. Program Coordinators model the ELDD for the first four days of the delegation.

LEADERSHIP MEETINGS

These are nightly meetings between the Program Coordinators, GG Leaders and Student Leader of the Day. This meeting provides an opportunity for GG staff to mentor and support the leadership development of the Student Leader of the Day.

FREE DAYS

Each itinerary has two free days built into it. A free day is a day where no activities are scheduled and students are “free” to do activities of their choice, but always with the permission of the GG Leaders. Students are encouraged to do laundry, send emails, upload photos and explore their cities during their free days.

COMMUNITY SPEAKERS

Program Coordinators identify inspiring and engaging experts or community members who share knowledge and information with students about the different themes. Students get to meet and be inspired by local leaders as they share their lives, work, and knowledge.

LETTERS OF APPRECIATION

Four days prior to departure each student has the opportunity to write a letter of appreciation to a supporter, family member or mentor who has helped make their GG experience possible. GGLs will help edit the letters and give them to Program Coordinators to mail.

CLOSING TRIP REFLECTION

This is a 2.5-hour seminar that takes place the day before the students depart back to the US. These reflections are opportunities for students to:

  • Reflect on all they have learned and experienced during their GG journey
  • Appreciate others for their contributions (GG Leaders, Coordinators, Peers)
  • Evaluate the program
  • Identify how they will keep the GG spirit alive back home
  • Get excited for their final After-school Workshop and becoming Global Glimpse Alumni Ambassadors back home!