HEAF 11th and 12th graders packed their bags for an adventure of a lifetime when they took-off on a 12-day trip to Costa Rica for this year’s Learning for Global and Social Impact (LSGI) Trip. LSGI immerses HEAF students through research, networking, hands on activities, community service and travel to foster critical thinking, creative problem solving, social philanthropy and leadership through service learning.
HEAF partnered with Global Routes to plan and run this meaningful excursion. Global Routes is a pioneer in the world of value-driven, experiential-based, international programming. Since 1967, they have led over 10,000 students around the globe on meaningful, fun, and growth-oriented summer programs. Through the program, HEAF students were offered an amazing opportunity to immerse themselves into small rural communities, make positive contributions that will last a lifetime, and develop long-lasting cross-cultural relationships.
Students hit the ground running with this fun and educational-packed trip. The focus of the trip was a service project to assist a local elementary school, Escuela La Angostura, with the beautification of the school by planting gardens with flowers and painting their sports court, classrooms, outside areas, benches and tables. Students spent 5 – 8 hours a day working on their projects while interacting with and getting to know students who attend the school.
While in Costa Rica, our students had the opportunity to get to know the La Angostura community on a personal level by living with local families. This allowed students to step out of their comfort zones and fully immerse themselves in the culture of the host community.
On the final night of the service project, the community hosted a despedida (a social event to mark a person’s departure) for our students. The night was filled with joy and gratitude from both our students to their homestay families and the community for the work HEAF students completed.
The second half of the trip was filled with adventures from ziplining through the forests of San Isidro to surfing and whitewater rafting in Uvita, Costa Rica.
When reflecting on the trip, HEAF Director Michael Mitchell said, “I am truly grateful and blessed that our HEAF community was able to voyage on, and be a part of, such a memorable trip to Costa Rica. Being able to experience the culture, customs, food, landscapes and lifestyles first-hand was a unique and powerful opportunity for cultural exploration.”