The Young Leader

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9 Reasons Why Traveling Abroad to a Country with a Different Language Than Your Own is Better for Language Learning Than the Classroom

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Trying to convince your parents, and maybe yourself, that time in another country to study a language without being in a formal classroom is a good idea? Here are nine. Maybe they will help you and/or your parents feel a little better.

1. Get Out of the Classroom

You’ve spent thousands of hours sitting in classes during the regular school-year. Why spend your time abroad in a similar setting? Unless, of course, education is a subject in which you’re interested.

2. Get Out Into the World

There’s far more to learning a language than diagramming sentences. In fact, the formal languages often taught in language courses are considerably different from the way natives speak. (Think about your last English class and compare it to how you talk.)

3. Natives Are Better Teachers

When you’re immersed in a foreign culture where everyone speaks an unfamiliar language, you’ll find that you learn the quickly language – especially key phrases.

4. Gain Perspective

Words communicate our cultural differences that no textbook can. Learning the meanings of various ways locals emphasize words can bring new perspectives on language that you don’t get in a classroom.

5. Expansive Vocabulary

Let’s be honest: vocabulary books and translation guides give you a limited number of words. There are far more words in a language than those taught in the classroom. Try learning the words people use every day – by every day interaction with them.

6. Get Moving

It’s pretty easy when you’re given a map, recommendations and someone to contact if you get lost. Without those, you’ll have to learn to get around. Your reading skills will also improve as you learn directions, sign meanings and menus.

7. Hang with the Locals

Too often, when studying abroad in a classroom setting, there are many other Americans studying there as well. Unfortunately, often they all hang out together – inside and outside the classroom. So, studying abroad outside the classroom will force you to talk in the native language.

8. Tough It Out

Almost all of us get homesick, and it helps if there are fellow students who understand, but studying abroad outside the classroom allows you to build the confidence not only in speaking the language but in knowing you can take care of yourself.

9. You Decide
Finally, you get to decide your schedule when studying abroad. If you learn best in the afternoon, you can focus then.

As long as you’re self-motivated and disciplined, studying a language abroad outside the classroom can be a great learning experience. I’ve given you some reasons – now go do it!

Contributed by William Pate

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Why Preserve Our Forests, Oceans and Islands

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All of our amazing new technology and machinery has become so distracting that we forget to think about our environmental impact. Most of us don’t stop to think about how our habits and actions effect the environment on a daily basis. But, why should we? We have professionals whose jobs are to monitor the earth and tell us what we’re messing up and how to fix it. So, in case you too need more motivation, here are three habitats that are diminishing due to a lack of environmental caution and why it is crucial to preserve them.

1. Forests

Forests and wildlife make up for just under half of the oxygen produced across the planet. What most of you didn’t know however is that forests provide the key to sustaining rivers and ecosystems that allow water to travel freely from place to place. With out forests, land begins to dry up as there are no roots to lock moisture into the ground. This causes land to dry up and die which leaves the land to barren of nutrients for plant life to grow. By planting new forests and allowing for life to flourish, you can strengthen climates to a state of intense growth allowing for higher oxygen production and Carbon filtering. Forests allow for massive amounts of naturally and unnaturally produced carbons to be filtered at massive levels.

2. Ocean

You may be thinking that the ocean obviously needs to be protected, but what you probably aren’t thinking is that the Ocean is the biggest factor in keeping surrounding climates from changing. The ocean acts as the worlds largest carbon dioxide filter which means that the ocean is constantly preventing global warming while at the same time producing over half of the oxygen that we breath. As new technologies develop allowing research to be conducted at greater depths, scientists are finding that the ocean may hold the most promising source of new medicines to fight cancer, pain and bacterial disease. This being that we know the sea to contain a number of undiscovered plants and animals with completely different chemical make ups than those on land.

3. Islands

We all know that islands offer some of the most beautiful landscapes and habitats for us to spend our time, but there are more important reasons to preserving these natural undersea mountains. First, some islands known as Barrier Islands actually act as a natural current diffuser that can help lessen the blow or completely crush the power behind a tsunami or other large scale waves. Isolated islands also allow for unique species to grow and evolve due to a lack of predatory life. Islands also serve as popular hot spots for fishing and fish habitats as they are usually surrounded by large reef systems allowing for massive communities of fish to form. These large gatherings of fish also attract whales who use the large floating masses as landmarks while traveling.

Contributed by Josh Schwartz

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High School Travel Abroad: 5 Tips for Traveling Overseas Before You Graduate

Have you ever wanted to travel abroad but you’re not sure how?

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Welcome fellow adventurer! Here are 5 tips to help you travel overseas before you graduate:

1. Get excited and have fun while planning!

What interests you and makes you happy? Where have you always wanted to go? These are questions you can consider when thinking about going overseas. For inspiration, you can take a look at the many pictures and videos of others traveling (check out @glateens, for example). You can also ask friends, relatives, teachers, and parents about their travels. People LOVE talking about and sharing their time abroad—you’ll soon enjoy this yourself!  🙂

2. Convincing your parents is more than half the battle

Even if it doesn’t seem like it at times, our parents love us and ultimately want us to be happy. But, as we all know, love can make us do crazy things and make people unnecessarily worried. What is truly best for you might not make sense for your parents, at least for the moment. If you’re certain about traveling, then you might need to negotiate your trip and answer any objections your parents have. The most common ones are related to safety, money, and scheduling. One idea is that you can join a global travel program specifically for teens and high school students—most of them have flexible times and some of them even offer scholarships!

3. Reach out to high school students who have already traveled

High school travel abroad is certainly not common, but you’ll find that many teens like you made it happen. If you’re lucky, your school might have an office or adviser that you can reach out to. They might be able to refer you to other students who have done a program you’re looking into or visited a similar area. For those of you with social media accounts, you can visit a teen travel program’s page (one great example with almost 67,000 followers is GLA’s Facebook page) and then private message other teens there. Most people are really friendly and will want to help you out. Since many high school students who travel abroad have done more than one program, they’ll give you the inside scoop. It really helps to get a well-balanced perspective of whatever program or area you’re considering.

4. Check out GLA and other quality programs

As mentioned earlier, there are many options you can check out for traveling overseas. What matters is finding the right program for YOU that fits with YOUR aspirations, interests, and schedule. It also doesn’t hurt if they know how to work with thoughtful parents and alleviate their (completely understandable) concerns or reservations. A fantastic resource you can check out for traveling is Global Leadership Adventures (GLA). But don’t let that stop you from considering other quality programs! Ultimately, what really matters is you having the best experience possible and no community—no matter how experienced or diverse—can do it all.

5. Take action now!

You betcha! Right now. This could be one of those moments where we all get really motivated and excited, but then nothing ends up happening. Or…it could be the first step towards something exciting….something new (maybe even a bit scary)…an Adventure.

Contributed by Nick Fochtman

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Three Ways to Get a Study Abroad Experience Outside the Classroom with GLA

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There are ways to study abroad without having to take classes at an international high school or follow your typical overseas program setup. The opportunity begins the moment you realize that the world becomes the classroom. Sitting behind a desk isn’t the only way to learn.

Here are 3 ways you can study abroad without a classroom component:

  1. Volunteer abroad. Programs like Global Leadership Adventures are teen study abroad experiences meshed together with leadership training and volunteering. This program for high school students offers you the chance to hang out with the locals and see how they do life; an average day for them is sure to look a lot different. Perhaps a new passion will be found that can change life as you know it, or a new artistic ability discovered like painting! Not to mention new skills acquired like playing sports, basket weaving, or cooking and the life skills that are acquired from few run-of-the-mill programs that offer study abroad for teens.
  2. Take photos. Be sure to have your camera ready to document all of the incredible times that you are about to have. Photos are an intimate way to connect with a community and a culture, and they don’t require sitting behind a desk – in fact, it’s exactly the opposite: photography forces you to adapt to the outside world, to meet people, and to capture the world around you in a way that is sensible to those who view your photographs afterward.
  3. Join hands-on workshops. Learn a trade that is integral to the community or culture that you’re visiting. You’d be surprised at how powerful working with your own hands can be in telling you the story of a place and its people. Whether you’re learning the art of chocolate-making or the proper way to build foundations, you’ll take home a useful skill and a new understanding.

Original article contributed by Samantha Watkins

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End of Summer Trips for Backpacking Teens

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As summer comes to an end there is still time to go on one more adventure to see the world. Here’s a list of places to backpack in the upcoming weeks, some of them require traveling abroad while others are right in your own backyard. Whether you’re able to hike one of them or more, add the rest to your list! So grab a friend and your gear and get out there.

  1. Costa Rica. There are too many places in Costa Rica to just pin point one. But when there, check out Corcovado National Park with their amazing waterfalls, or better yet hike down one of their many volcanoes. The park is popular with several teen volunteer programs in Costa Rica due to its environmental preservation and world-renowned beauty.
  2.  If backpacking around the world is something on the bucket list then take a trip to Peru. Hike the classic Gringo Trail or explore the jungle and see the wild life in the Amazon Basin. Be sure to check out the famous tourist site Machu Picchu, an Incan city. While it is not a place to back pack, it is still a sight to see!
  3. Speaking of popular trails, walk the El Camino de Santiago. This trail goes from France to Spain and is fairly easy to backpack. Most of the trail is flat and there is always the option to buy a meal every so many miles.
  4. If backpacking in your own backyard sounds like something that can be done within the next few weeks then head to Mt. Whitney in California. It is the tallest mountain in the world within the lower 48 states and is commonly climbed in the Sierra Nevada. Just think of the view when you reach the top!
  5. Once you get done backpacking Mt. Whitney, drive a little ways and backpack around Yosemite National Park! There are multiple trails to choose from, great places to star gaze at night, and even the option to river raft.
  6. Another trail that has waterfalls and lots of greenery is the Kalalau Trail in Hawaii. While it’s a short trail to back pack, the views make it worth it. Not to mention that the trail ends on the beach; what a great way to relax and catch those rays.

Contributed by Samantha Watkins

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