ONE REVOLUTION: PROGRAM LOGISTICS
One Revolution Calendar - Spring 2009
- January 2-6, 2009: Retreat #1 in California at the LEAPNOW campus
- Jan. 6 – Feb 13: Guatemala: Language Study and Internship
- Feb14 - March 27: North India: Internship
- (Retreat #2 will be held in India – dates to be determined)
- March 28 - May 8: Uganda: 6-week internship
- May 9 – 14: Retreat #3 at LEAPNOW northern CA campus
Fall 2009: August 24 - December 16, 2009
Overview:
Retreat #1: A 4-day retreat at the LEAPNOW Campus in Northern California doing basic orientation to the program, meeting your group members and leaders, and creating a healthy foundation for a conscious traveling community. Orientation includes a cultural introduction to Central America, India and Africa, health and safety education, and basic traveling skills.
Guatemala: We ease into international travel with a flight from San Francisco to Guatemala, then travel overland into the Western Highlands where we’ll do an in-country orientation, followed by three weeks study at a Spanish language school while living with local homestay families. Afternoons during the initial three weeks are spent volunteering with social service projects. The final three weeks deepen into full-time work at your internship. Free time is spent practicing your Spanish, visiting artisans in nearby towns, salsa dancing, or climbing 13,000 foot volcanoes. Internships: In this part of Guatemala, for your internship you can teach in a school, work at an orphanage, work with local backstrap weavers and other artisans, lead treks in the Highlands, work with street children, do environmental and wildlife protection work, work with abused and neglected women, work at an organic coffee cooperative and assist at a medical clinic.
India: During the next phase of our adventure, we fly to New Delhi in north India, then travel by train to Varanasi, India to explore this ancient city and access traditional India. You'll learn about the rich Hindu culture as well as the significance of the river Ganges, and the burning ghats. During your free time you’ll be able to explore the winding stone streets around the historic temples. Varanasi is known for its art and music and when you’re not volunteering, you’ll have the opportunity to arrange take courses in areas of interest such as spirituality, yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, Hindi language, etc. Internships: A broad variety of internships are available in Varanasi and nearby Sarnath. These include teaching, work with children, service to the elderly and the dying, arts apprenticeships (wood carvers, classical India musicians and dancers, jewelry-makers, drummers, vocal musicians), environmental work, work at an Ayurvedic clinic, work with people with disabilities and mental illness, work with child prostitutes and public health and HIV/AIDS awareness.
Retreat #2: Spend one week at a contemplative retreat center in northern India to integrate everything you have seen, experienced, and learned so far during the journey through Latin America and India. Take time to reflect on your purpose, align with your intention of being of service, and prepare for travel to Africa.
UGANDA: For our final volunteer experience we fly to the Republic of Uganda in East Africa. Internships: There are many opportunities to work with local schools and communities. You can teach needy and orphaned children, help with HIV education & counseling, women's rights education and small business development.
Retreat #3: Return to our northern California campus to get your feet back gently back on the ground in the U.S. This 6-day retreat will focus on reflection and mining of the trip for maximum learning, then shift to ways to maintain what you have learned, in your post-One Revolution life.
While traveling abroad, One Revolution students stay at homestays and local guesthouses, and live as the locals do. This is generally simple, but not primitive – most of the time we have a bed to sleep in and running water. Food is basic, and there are inherent challenges of culture shock, cold, heat, strange food, fellow group members, rain and bugs
College Credit
One Revolution participants have the option to earn college credit through a simple and inexpensive process. We have an arrangement with Seattle Central Community College (SCCC) that allows you to earn up to 15-quarter hours of credit for the One Revolution program. SCCC is accredited through the Northwestern Association of Schools and Colleges. The College offers a number of courses designed to allow students to earn academic credit for international study or work experience. The courses don’t require you to go to Seattle, and there is no physical classroom. The course meets electronically by email, or by mail, phone or fax. Reading, journaling and writing papers are an integral part of the curriculum. There is a high degree of latitude for you in determining what you would like to study within each course – you can focus on the aspects of the region or culture that are of most interest to you, and it integrates well with the One Revolution experiential curriculum.
Credit will also be available through Antioch University Seattle, which accredits our year-long LEAPYEAR program. Credit will be for language study and the internships.
LOGISTICS
APPLICATION & ADMISSIONS:
If interested, please download the ONE REVOLUTION information packet with application. Once the application is received LEAPNOW staff will call you for a phone interview. At our discretion, we may require an in-person interview at our California office. There is no application deadline – we accept people until the program is full – then create a waiting list. Once accepted into the program, participants receive a detailed trip preparation packet. This packet, together with a regularly-updated One Revolution web page, covers program details, transportation, gear & equipment, health & immunization info, communication during the program, climate & living conditions, college credit, detailed trip itinerary with contact info, required documents & paperwork.
Group Size: A maximum of 12 students with 2 leaders while traveling around the globe. Student:Staff ratio on the U.S. based retreats is 2:1.
AGE RANGE: Minimum age is 17 by the start date of the program. There is no upper age limit.
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 sustained throughout the program.
Health, Safety and Communication: The safety and well being of our students is our first priority. During the past 14 years, LEAPNOW has safely brought home over 1,200 students from travel all over the world. 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 world situation through the U.S. State Department, and through a network of individual and organizational contacts in the countries we visit that function as our eyes and ears on the ground. We design and modify group travel to avoid hot spots, health risks & political trouble. Students have regular access to phone and email communication throughout the program. Group leaders carry an emergency cell phone at all times.
GROUP LEADERS: LEAPNOW group leaders are experienced both as travelers and leaders, and usually have led a LEAPYEAR group prior to leading a One Revolution group. Each group is led by two leaders to insure that individual emergencies can be given the attention needed for resolution. One Revolution 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. Please note that there are short periods during the trip when participants will have limited access to medical attention. Throughout our travels, participants are provided with potable water, clear information about health risks, and in-country orientation about each new place we visit and each new activity.
COST: The ONE REVOLUTION program cost is $13,900 and includes all scheduled program activities, food and accommodation during the program. Not included in the program fee is the cost of personal health insurance (required), personal spending money, as well as domestic and international airfare. The program fee is paid in full prior to the start of the program.
Click here to download the One Revolution Application and Information Packet.
GENERAL DISCLAIMER: LEAPNOW reserves the right to make changes to any program in order to provide the best possible experience, safeguard participants or respond to changing political or climatic conditions.