HUMAN RIGHTS: SMALL PLANET PROJECT

June 30th - July 14th
$1975 including everything but airfare*

In this bi-cultural, bi-lingual program focusing on Global Citizenship, US and Costa Rican youth will work, play and live side by side for two weeks. Explore the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through a combination of excursions, community service projects, language immersion, team building, and human rights dialogues. Horse-back ride across the mountains. Visit local farms, industries, ecological sights, the town and the beach. At the end of our program there will be a celebration at the local community center open to the entire township where our community service projects will be unveiled and our exploration of human rights issues is shared.

ECOLOGY OF A CHANGING WORLD

July 16th - 30th
$2600 including everything but airfare*

This program for US teens will explore the diverse ecosystems of Costa Rica and focus on our Global Stewardship of the environment. A typical day will consist of a combination of Spanish lessons, team-building activities, ecological dialogues and community service. The program will also include a five-day excursion to some of Costa Rica’s most famous natural wonders including the Monteverde Rainforest National Park and zip-line tour, and the Arenal Volcano and hot springs. Increase your awareness of pressing ecological issues and explore your own relationship with the natural world.

SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY OF COSTA RICA

August 2nd - 9th
$1200 including everything but airfare*

This course includes pre-Columbian history and we
will spend a few days in the city of San Jose visiting museums and historical sites. We will also visit the reservations of the few remaining indigenous peoples of Costa Rica, learn from them and find out how we can best be of assistance to them. We will experience how
people lived a few hundred years ago and see that there are still places where many of the same practices are carried out. During part of the program we will create primitive structures and cook and eat using only the tools that would have been available and what we can make ourselves.

A PLANET IN PERIL: BIOLOGY, CLIMATOLOGY, AND ECOLOGY

August 12th-19th
$950 including everything but airfare*

In this program we will take a look at the effects of global warming and other planetary climate changes, the hole in the ozone layer, and the deforestation of the planet. We will do our part by planting trees as a symbol of our commitment to giving back to the earth, and starting a community garden to help educate the community about healthful growing practices. We will learn about planting and harvesting by the moon - still the common practice here. We will learn about health and diet and will have the
opportunity to harvest foods directly from the ranch and take an improvisational cooking class while we learn more about nutrition the fun way, and the fact that natural food and juices can taste good. We will have various guest speakers well known in their fields such as an entomologist, sustainable agriculturalist, a reforestation expert, and experts on herbal medicines, which have been used for centuries
and which we can gather ourselves locally and learn to use. We will visit a zoo and make a trip by motorboat or kayak to see the vast variety of wildlife in Costa Rica that exists almost nowhere else in the world. We will travel to places where sustainable agriculture is being practiced and learn about the simple methods being used.


SPANISH IMMERSION AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

August 22nd-29th
$850 including everything but airfare*

This Program will combine intensive Spanish language studies with getting out in the community and helping with the work that needs to be done. In our tiny town of 75 people, no one speaks English but we will learn to work
side by side and understand each other, not only through language but through opening our minds and hearts to cultural differences and finding that beneath it all we have the most important things in common.

FAMILY CAMP
AUGUST 2007 price tbd

This amazing eco-adventure camp is open to children and young adults ages 8-18. Parents or caregivers are welcome but not required. Family members ages 19-23 may apply for jobs as counselors to stay for free. Stay for the full month or any portion thereof. We promise a very special bonding experience.

In the mountains of the Peninsula Nicoya, with breathtaking view the Gulf, we have a 200 acre family ranch, bordering on a nature reserve, where howler monkeys, our 25 horses, cows, goats, chickens, dogs and cats play.. Our compound consists of a huge outdoor thatched roof rancho for dining and activities, several guest rooms, dorm rooms, and private houses. We also have a beachfront property and an island wonderland to explore.

Select your favorite activities. Commune with animals including our own pet monkey. Help train young horses. Learn about and practice living off the land, sustainable farming methods, planting and harvesting sugar cane, coffee, fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. Learn about and make friends with amazing butterflies and insects. Offer community service. Enjoy amazing nature hikes. Explore Bird Island. Swim in the Gulf and in the Pacific Ocean. Camp out at the beach. Take horseback riding and bicycle tours. Swim in waterfalls. Go boating and kayaking. See the countryside from a hot-air balloon. Play soccer with the Costa Ricans. Learn Spanish. Visit the Monteverde Rainforest National Park, Arenal, the active Volcano, and Hotsprings. Discover nature and yourself and make friends for a lifetime.

*Once we have received your payment in full, we will make every effort to include you in a discounted group airfare.