Learn to Serve: India - Logistics
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."
— Albert Schweitzer
APPLICATION & ADMISSIONS
Applicants can download, print, complete and send in the Learn to Serve Application Form. Once received, a LEAPNOW staff member will contact you for a phone interview. There is no application deadline – we accept people until the program is full – then create a waiting list. We reserve the right to require any applicant to have an in-person interview – though this happens infrequently.
Once accepted into a program, participants receive a Learn to Serve Acceptance Packet. This packet, together with the regularly-updated web page, covers program details, transportation, gear & equipment, health & immunization info, communication during the program, climate & living conditions, college credit, a detailed trip itinerary with contact info, required documents & paperwork, financial details & tuition agreement.
DATES: Available Fall & Spring.
Spring 2012 - January 17 - April 6, 2012
GROUP SIZE: Learn to Serve has a maximum of 12 students with 2 adult leaders in India. Student:Staff ratio on retreats averages 1:1.
AGE RANGE: Minimum age is 17 by the start date of the program. No age maximum.
REQUIREMENTS: Participants must be able to attend the full program. Anyone in reasonable physical condition should be able to complete the program successfully. A vegetarian or restricted diet can be easily sustained throughout the program.
Health, Safety and Communication: The safety and well-being of our students is a first priority. LEAPNOW has safely brought home over 1,500 students after travel all over the world since 1994. The current world situation raises questions for our students, their families and friends, and it is very important that you feel confident and secure as you embark on a program involving international study and travel. We constantly monitor the situation in India through the U.S. State Department, and through a network of individual and organizational contacts in Varanasi that function as our eyes and ears on the ground. We design and modify our group travel semesters to avoid hot spots, health risks & political trouble.
Our group leaders are experienced both as travelers and leaders, and each group of students travels with two leaders to insure that any individual emergencies can be given attention needed for resolution. Learn to Serve starts with a retreat in the U.S. before any travel commences – allowing us to give very comprehensive orientation, get a good sense of each of the participants, and lay down a foundation for healthy group dynamics before leaving the country. Students will have excellent access to reliable communication and good medical facilities through the program. Throughout our travels, participants are provided with potable water, clear information about health risks, and a comprehensive in-country orientation upon arrival.
COST: The cost for Learn to Serve is $7,900 and includes all scheduled program activities and excursions, food and accommodation during the program. For the Spring of 2012, up to $2500 need-based scholarships may be available to Learn to Serve applicants. Not included in the program fee is the cost of personal health insurance (required), Indian Visa, personal spending money, as well as domestic and international airfare. The program fee is paid in full prior to the start of the program in a short series of installments. Please note that this program cost is $2,000 to $4,000 less than the cost of similar programs run by other organizations - much less with scholarship grants. We are intersted in keeping the cost of this program low, in an effort to make this opportunity to learn and serve available to all intersted students.
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