The Young Leader

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Summer Nursing Programs for High School Students – How Teens Can Get on the Right Foot Early

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Ever wanted to go abroad and make a lasting difference with others through medicine and health? Well, now you can! GLA offers several ways to improve the pathway to nursing through their summer nursing programs for high school students, which is the perfect first step if you’re thinking of entering the medical world later on in your college/career path.

On the Dominican Republic: Global Health Initiative™ you are able to work with at-risk families, young children, and community leaders. While there, you’ll learn practical skills critical to success in the medical field as a nurse, while expanding your knowledge base through working in areas of health, sustainability, and education. This kind of experience really shapes up for a future in nursing for those who can handle the grit and grind of the job.

If the Dominican Republic isn’t calling your name, then check out the Ghana: Building Healthy Villages™ program. It offers similar initiatives like focusing on improving health conditions, but with a twist of even more limited resources in rural west Africa. Nearly four-fifths of Africa’s population lives on less than one dollar a day, so it is a challenge to improve healthcare while maintaining minimal costs. Here, you’ll work on the ground to understand how public initiatives that tackle a problem before it festers can help reduce the burden on the healthcare system, lowering the number of patients who are eventually seen by nurses and doctors.

In both places you will get to see first-hand how a clinic operates, and how different developing countries handle their approach to medical care. Unlike nursing programs for high school students in the United States and Europe, it becomes clear early on that nurses are rarer and even more critical to short and long-term care in countries with fewer resources. You will also understand what being a future nurse can look like if you choose to work outside developed economies.

Where else can you go overseas and learn life lessons that are directly connected to becoming a future nurse? Not only are you able to shadow people in the field, but you are able to work with them and get to know them on a personal level. Ask them questions! Get into the nitty gritty! See the daily hardships and obstacles, but also understand the rewards. Think of the joy you’ll bring as you help people enter a medical system that isn’t always as accessible as it seems they should be.

For more info on nursing summer programs for high school students, and other programs in the Medicine & Public Health field, click here.

Contributed by Samantha Watkins

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What is the Peace Corps and What are the Qualifications to Join?

You may have heard of the Peace Corps, but how can you get involved right now? How old do you have to be to be in the Peace Corps? Are there other requirements?

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Welcome fellow volunteer enthusiast! If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to join the Peace Corps, look no further:

The U.S. Peace Corps sends Americans abroad to provide humanitarian aid for high priority regions.

They provide global volunteer training programs as well as a 1-Year Physician and Nurse Volunteer Program.

  • The minimum age is 18

  • Volunteers must be U.S. citizens

  • Most opportunities require a 4-year degree

  • Volunteers usually serve for 2 years after in-country training

  • The agency provides volunteers with training, guidance, and support

Unfortunately, many of you might not fulfill these requirements just yet. On the bright side, now you know exactly what you need to work towards.

If you have your heart set on applying for the Peace Corps, then keep dreaming 🙂

Believe it or not, you actually have one really big advantage right now: Plenty of Time.

The Peace Corps isn’t going anywhere, and you certainly can in the meantime!

What are you passionate about? Where and why do you want to go abroad? What kind of service excites you?

Once you can answer these three questions, then you’ll be well on your way to an unforgettable adventure.

Here’s a personal example to give you some inspiration:

  1. I’m passionate about student-centered teaching and creating non-profit, service organizations

  2. I want to go to Australia because I connect with the personality, culture, and climate

  3. Serving higher education as an instructor, entrepreneur, and volunteer adviser excites me

Once you build that emotional fire, you’ll exude genuine confidence and a contagious enthusiasm.

You’ll have no doubt of whether you will go—it’s now only a question of when. That’s all you need. You have more than enough creativity and persistence to figure everything else out.

By the way, did you know that Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) was founded by a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer? Founder Andrew Motiwalla’s original vision was to create a Peace Corps for Teens. That’s pretty cool.

What other programs besides the Peace Corps could we help you work towards? We’d enjoy hearing your goals!

Contributed by Nick Fochtman

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Why a Teen Tour of Europe Should Always Include Spain and the United Kingdom

If you’re traveling across the world to Europe, be sure to include the United Kingdom and Spain on your list. You’re already abroad so the cost of a train ride or better yet, Eurorail is definitely worth it. Who knows the next time you’ll be in Europe – so take the chance! We’ve even put together a list of why you should go in case you need a little more convincing.

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1. Royalty. In the U.K. you have the chance to visit royalty and see the Edinburg Castle first hand. Who knows, you might even be able to take a picture with Prince William and Princess Kate or perhaps snap a selfie with the boy band One Direction if that’s more your style. In case you were wondering Spain has their royalty as well; King Felipe the sixth and Queen Letizia. Fun fact, the king and queen of Spain are actually going to the U.K. in 2016 to visit U.K. royalty.

2. Breathtaking Sites. Sure, every place you go abroad has sites to see, but the U.K. and Spain are filled with so many that also have a rich history. There’s Stonehenge in the U.K. and the artistic side to Scotland’s main city Glasgow. Spain has Egyptian temples and Roman ruins like the Roman theatre in Merida, which is still used for performances at times. Then there’s the Alhambra in Granada or the breathtaking cathedrals like the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. There are even 1,000-year-old mosques like the Mosque of Cordoba.

3. Food. Is anything else other than that word even needed? The U.K. but more specifically Ireland is filled with pubs everywhere that are all linked back to the countries history, each having its own unique story. Now Spain has some of the oldest running restaurants in the world like Casa Botin, but they also have some of the best food like tortilla española or patatas bravas which are just potatoes in a fancy sauce, but they sure taste way better than regular potatoes!

4. Events. While there are definitely places to go to and restaurants to try, there are also events to take part in. There’s everything from fireball whirling in Scotland to the Edinburgh festival, which is one of the largest performing arts celebrations. Supposedly there’s even Scotland’s Loch Ness monster! Spain has its fair share of events too, sometimes drawing in thousands of people like Pamplona’s running of the bulls or the annual Tomatina where you get doused in tomatoes. You could even eat grilled meat on an open volcanic vent on the volcanic island of Lanzarote. Not to mention the quaint decorations of people’s houses that look like they could come right out of a picture book.

5. History. The U.K. is where classic writers started off like Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and so on. Spain is where the famous artist Pablo Picasso started. It is also home to soccer or betters said, football and players like Iker Casillas. Talk about inspiration.

6. Outdoors. Take a stroll in Britain’s first and most popular national park the Peak District. It has river valleys, picture perfect houses, and all the greenery imaginable. Spain has its Mediterranean coast that gets sun almost 300 days per year, talk about a stay-cation. But if beaches and warm water aren’t you’re thing Spain has mountains too like the Bardenas Reales.

You’re already in Europe so why not go to these amazing places. The experiences and memories are well worth it – they’ll last forever!

Contributed by Samantha Watkins

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From a Student’s Perspective

Republica Dominicana

This article appeared in the school newspaper for Autumn, a GLA Alumnus

Have you ever wanted to travel outside of the country, but found your parents wouldn’t let you go alone? Well, what if you had the opportunity to travel with a group of teens for 8 to 21 days without your parents: would you take it?

This past summer, I had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic for 10 days through an organization called Global Leadership Adventures (GLA). GLA is a service-learning abroad program where students will learn the local culture, history, and language of their destination, serve in the surrounding communities, and explore all that the country has to offer. Potential destinations include Tanzania, Thailand, Fiji, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, and many more.

One of the greatest aspects of GLA is that within each trip, there is a specific focus. For example, if you love children, you can go on a trip that is centered on the children in their communities, teaching them to read and write English. If you love sports, you can spend all day with the boys and girls playing new games and teaching them some American games. If you love working with your hands like I do, you can go to the Dominican Republic and build schools out of plastic bottles and chicken wire, mix your own cement from the sand beneath your feet, and personally connect with the community.

You will work many hours of service depending on the duration of your trip, but each trip includes some amazing adventures. The Dominican Republic home base, for example, is right on the beach, and it’s great to cool off in the water after a long day of volunteer work. I spent a day snorkeling, shopping at the local stores, and relaxing on the beach. Another day, I went ziplining and cliff jumping from 50 feet up into a lagoon.

Parents need not worry about supervision; there are mentors and supervisors on every trip, and I felt extremely safe everywhere I went. Parents will also appreciate the other great aspect of these trips: affordability. GLA offers need-based scholarships, a guide to fundraising your trip (which is what I did), or payment plans you can work out with your trip advisor. I chose the Dominican Republic because I felt that it would be an eye-opening experience, and that was exactly what it was; I realized I am fortunate to live here in our small rural community. Everyone should travel outside of the country at least once in his or her life, so why not go to a place you never expected to go, have the time of your life, and give back all at once?

Contributed by Autumn E.

GLA Alumnus

Dominican Republic

 

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Three Really Creative Teen Entrepreneur Ideas For Starting a Business

Have you ever wanted to run your own business, but you’re not sure how to start?

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Welcome fellow entrepreneur! Here’s a 5-step process as well as 3 ideas to kickstart your very own business:

Step 1) Discovering and Specifying Value Proposition

Step 2) Reflecting Personally and Building Passion

Step 3) Vetting Preliminary Feedback (Market Research)

Step 4) Researching Models and Meeting Influencers

Step 5) Replanning Organization While Implementing

See this non-profit student organization manual for a detailed example, methods, and templates for our process.1. Start a student organization with your friends!

Businesses are first and foremost about exchanging value with people. Consider the following questions:

  • Who do you currently know?

  • What do your friends enjoy?

  • Where do you all spend most of your time?

  • When do you all experience a need that you can’t fulfill?

  • Why are you all unable to fulfill this need?

As you answer all of these questions over and over again, you’ll begin to discover many possible business ideas.  Chances are that you and your friends spend most of your time in school, and you all have some kind of common interest. If that’s true, then start a student organisation around that interest!Most schools support and encourage student clubs—your school will likely give you all the help you’ll need :)Many years ago, my friends and I started an Ultimate Frisbee Club. It was admittedly unsuccessful, but we learned.

As Entrepreneur Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

2. Find your passion and go from there!

Is there anything that gets you incredibly excited; something that really gets your nerd on? Once you can pin down your exact passion, you’ll find it much easier to inspire others because you’re genuine.

3. Get experience abroad and learn from experts!

High school travel abroad is certainly not common, but you’ll find that many teens like you made it happen. Your school might have an office you can reach out to for either starting a club or traveling abroad.

After one teen, Oliver Oglesby, decided to travel to the Dominican Republic with Global Leadership Adventures’ “Building a Sustainable World” Program in Summer 2013, his passion for sustainability was ignited. Oliver then applied all the experience and perspective he gained to later co-found Project Ascensión. A summer business camp or program for high school students can be a great starting point for success.

“Every person can make a difference in their own way. You just have to open your eyes to realize how!”

–Oliver Oglesby

What kind difference do you want to make? We’d enjoy hearing your pitch and helping you along!

Contributed by Nick Fochtman

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