The Global Youth Village: An International Summer Camp Exchange Program for High School Students

GLOBAL YOUTH VILLAGE PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS

The Global Youth Village promotes respect as a standard for human interaction. Program activities help participants discover a common ground for understanding people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, by encouraging core human values such as peace, justice, tolerance, ethics, service, and equity.

Life in the Global Youth Village reveals that each individual is responsible for contributing to the well-being of others. Increased skills, broader perspectives, cooperation within diverse teams, and courageous action thus allow solutions to emerge.

The aim of the Global Youth Village is to foster international understanding and personal development by encouraging young people to:

interact respectfully in a challenging and stimulating environment with others from a diverse mix of cultures;

take responsibility for their own actions both as individuals and as members of a community;

develop skills that will enhance their effectiveness in their communities such as teamwork, conflict resolution, leadership, and problem solving;

engage in constructive dialogue with people who hold differing views;

HEALTH AND SAFETY

We set high standards for ourselves in order to make every experience at the Global Youth Village bigger and better than the one before. But we begin with another criteria that is very important for us and you: our accreditation with the American Camping Association (ACA) means that we meet and exceed our industry's own tough standards for safety, health, staff training and program quality. Our compliance with 300-plus measures assures you of our commitment to you and your child.

Careful and continued attention to safety underlies everything we do. Two registered nurses, one of whom is always on duty at camp, oversee our medical needs. We are within ten miles of the nearest hospital and work closely with a physician in town. All waterfront staff are lifeguard certified. Cabin Counselors and trip leaders are trained in first-aid.

WHAT PARENTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE GYV EXPERIENCE...

GYV has been an incredible experience for my son. By being immersed in different cultures, he has really become more open-minded and he is also more confident in his abilities. - Nathalie Sedack

When I talked to Valentina over the telephone, she sounded happy and told us that she met some very nice people at the Global Youth Village. Thank you very much for everything; I could relax knowing that my daughter was in good hands. -- Catalina Valdes

Logan's stories haven't stopped! He is an energized young man... and most importantly, his eyes are wide open to the world and its complexity. -- Jenna Davis

What a wonderful experience, despite of all the troubles of our time. From all reports, Flora has had an amazingly productive and enriching experience. -- Peggy Cejku