Curricular links
Launch
Students and parents attend info sessions and team meetings run by World Challenge before joining.- Families are encouraged to take commitment seriously and will submit a deposit with their application
- Students attend first meeting (run by World Challenge) and participate in a workshop about how to budget and earn for expedition
The commitment to join a diverse team and then participate in that team – taking responsibility for planning and funding some part of their expedition – in itself engenders countless opportunities for learning and personal growth. At the request of the school, students can be asked to write a personal statement as part of their application to the program.
Team Building & Expedition Funding
- Students (with help from teacher) organize meetings and fundraisers with team at school
- World Challenge sends out periodic ‘team challenges’. If teams choose to take part, these activities will prompt the team to research, discuss and plan for their destination, fundraising, and fitness
- ‘My World Challenge’ has templates and examples of fundraisers and entrepreneurial activites that can inspire and motivate students to start earning and saving money
Depending on the motivation of the students and leadership from the teacher (and school administration), team activities can link with many learning benchmarks. Team accounting and fundraiser forecasts can draw on math and economics topics covered in class. Independent fundraising and part-time jobs foster so many life skills like accountability, time management and resourcefulness.
Fitness goals, while emphasized only minimally at the beginning of the program, offer a great opportunity for educators to introduce topics like menu planning, nutrition, calculations of calorie consumption and work out-put (links to physics), and general tips for a healthy lifestyle. World Challenge will instruct teams on essential expedition fitness and nutrition during the teams' training weekend or workshop.
Itinerary Planning
- World Challenge will run a special Itinerary Planning Meeting for the team.
- Prior to the meeting the students will be encouraged to do general research.
- After the meeting students will be able to review their draft itinerary and research more about their itinerary through conversations with their World Challenge Planning Manager and other outside sources.
- Before departure, students will make a formal presentation of their itinerary to their parents.
Destination research can be extended and developed into term papers and presentations on culture, history, government and environmental awareness. Language research can (depending on destination) complement existing foreign language study. Teams can do this for credit as formal additions to established school assessments, as a special accreditation program like the IB program or students can do it independently. Often there are former Peace Corps volunteers or contacts at a local college who have worked or researched abroad and who are happy to help teams.
Expedition Training
- Depending on the duration of the expedition, teams participate in either a three day training course or a five hour training workshop in which students will practice various leadership roles, manage a budget, navigate a trail map, cook a meal on a camp stove and learn basic camping and safety skills (how to pack a backpack, how to set up a tent, how to use an emergency satellite phone).
- Students need to assemble their personal gear prior to their training event.
- World Challenge supplies all team and safety equipment for the training as well as the expedition.
Students can be encouraged to approach local organizations for sponsorship or gear discounts which would involve writing a formal sponsorship proposal. During the training event there are many opportunities to establish measurable learning outcomes (as specified by the school). World Challenge ensures that all students learn the basic skills necessary for a safe and successful expedition.
Service Project & Expedition
- SERVICE PROJECT: Prior to departure teams are able to contact their community service host. If they are working in a school they should prepare several interactive skits and lessons. If they are doing a construction project like building a play ground they should draft a few ideas about how they want to build and how they will do it. If they’re working in a conservation zone they should familiarize themselves with the relevant environmental issues.
- EXPEDITION: Depending on destination and duration, students are responsible for day-to-day logistics on expedition (budget, meal prep, transportation and accommodation, planning project work, etc). Students rotate through leadership roles as they overcome the challenges that they face on expedition. Teams have ample support from qualified Expedition Leaders and the on-call In-Country Agent and World Challenge Ops Center, but in most cases teams are allowed to make minor mistakes and learn from them as they move through their expedition.
Students can design presentations about their expedition accomplishments as part of the World Challenge photo / video / essay contests or for school assignments. Students may also be able to apply for credit hours for work done on their service projects.
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