PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Hello!
Missing two students from the group photo due to late arrivals and only got photos of a smaller group of students at an overlook (it was a van coming from airport back to HB) but it’s a good picture so I included it! We will take another group photo with everyone in it tomorrow after our final two arrivals.
Thanks!
-Austyn
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Awakening to the beautiful sound of waves crashing and roosters singing, our GLA students began their day by consuming a delicious meal. The meal consisted of fresh pineapple, watermelon, eggs, Spam, and of course coffee. We then embarked of a journey to the Iao Valley, where we learned about the culture of Hawaii through gathering tea leaves to be processed and used to make leis and then leaving physical offerings to the ancestors of the land we were on. Following this learning, we continued our journey to a part of the river where some incredibly courageous students chose to swim in the cold water. We then had a fulfilling lunch with a stunning view. We returned to base camp to have a riveting discussion about the ethics of volenturism, benefits of disconnecting from our phones, and ways to be present with each other this week. We then swam in the beautiful blue waves for over an hour. After swimming,we circled up to discuss the day. A delicous dinner folllowed this. We had lasagna. After some time of rest, we went into groups for more activities and then turned in for the night.
Written by Liam & Hoppe
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
This morning, we participated in service with our partner Kipuko Olowalu where we got rid of invasive weeds and planted native plants. We learned how to keep balance between us and nature. Our volunteer leader taught us more about Hawaiian culture and how to connect with nature. We learned more about Hawaiian land rights history from our volunteer partner and our guest speaker Abner. We gained a lot of insight on modern day issues such as conservation, native rights and development of Hawaiian land. Many of us swam in the ocean and saw two seals.
-Marshall, Julia, Maeghan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
Today was our first big excursion! For breakfast we had some yummy smoothies and then we left to drive the Road to Hana. We went down a super windy road and some of us definitely had to overcome car sickness. We stopped at a few sites along the way including some lookouts, a banana bread bakery with the best banana bread we have ever had, and a waterfall where we got to swim. The water was really cold but we got in anyway! After enjoying the refreshing water we continued up to the beach and had lunch there. After lunch we swam at the black sand beach and explored around the area. We then had a windy road back to home base where we had pizza and other treats for dinner! Lastly we ended the night with some Hawaii themed Jeopardy!
– Olivia, Maya, and Eddie
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Hey GLA fans!!! Today was a great Friday full with adventure and connecting time! We first started the day with watching an Informational National Geographic short film about the history of Hawaii and its diminishing population of pure Hawaiians over the years. We later than devoured a scrumptious lunch of kebabs made by our talented chefs. Afterwards we headed our way over to our service of the day and helped with removing the invasive plant species of Maui and learned about its ingenious and endemic plants. At night we indulged in a Asian cuisine dinner and put away a whopping 100 spring rolls. Finally we finished the day stargazing and having mindful and deep conversation with our councilors. See yall tomorrow GLA mega fans and stay tuned!!!
-Chloe, Nate, Fallyn
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
We had a really early start to the day. We were on the road at 6:15 in the morning, heading to backpacks of hope where we gave backpacks, food, and water to people in need. After we were no longer needed we headed to the beach to pick up trash. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sand and swimming in the ocean. Once we were done we had the absolute privilege of being invited to the Epic Swim event where we got to speak to the people swimming around the island of Maui to bring awareness to the health of the ocean, and we watched a documentary about Duke Paoa Kahanamoku “the father of surfing”. All together we had a very rewarding day and we all went to bed feeling accomplished.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
With a slightly late start to the morning, we enjoyed another delicious breakfast made by our chefs, Jake and Nick. Unfortunately, the Haleakala volcano we were supposed to explore was closed due to a fire which caused us to reschedule our day. Our first activity was a shopping trip to Paia Town, Paia meaning noisy in Hawaiian. After shopping we ate lunch at the beach and headed over to our afternoon activity. We took a shoreline hike on the Hoapili trail and headed back to home base. For dinner tonight we had short ribs, mashed potatoes and green beans with regular salad. We concluded our night with mentor groups. WE ARE ALL EXCITED TO SURF IN THE WATER TOMORROW!!!
-Shea and Caden
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Today we took surfing lessons at the guardrails beach. The water was very clear and the people were very welcoming. Some of us even saw a sea turtle while surfing! Then we went back to homebase and some people got shaved ice and others went to the general store. After that we played the beach Olympics which was 3 groups and we competed in different challenges. Throughout the Olympics there was a mixture of being flexible and being blindfolded for majority of the challenges. We then had hotdogs and hamburgers for dinner and after that had smores.
John, Julie, and Morgan
