Junior Journey
Posted 1.1.10
What
Junior Journey encompasses a three week stay in Antigua, Guatemala. The program combines four hours of daily one-on-one Spanish language instruction with cultural immersion through homestays with local families and service learning in an environment where each student can have a long-lasting impact on the people they serve.
1. Homestays are carefully selected to ensure there are no more than two students per family and that the students are integrated into the family life in order to fully experience the local culture, traditions, and language.
2. The Antigua-based language school, Sevilla (named after the city in Spain that is reputed to be the birthplace of the Spanish language) provides a beautiful setting of partially outdoor study cells conducive to engaging learning through individual instruction.
3. The service learning partner, Los Patojos ("The Little Ones"), provide students the opportunity to teach English at an elementary school in an impoverished community outside Antigua.
Who
All eligible Juniors are able to participate in the program. Eligibility is determined by responsible citizenship, meaning all students who habitually follow the Prospect Hill Academy Code of Conduct are welcome to participate. Every student must submit a written application and complete an interview process to demonstrate their commitment to and readiness for the journey.
Why
The Junior Journey provides Prospect Hill Academy High School Juniors the unique opportunity to grow personally, academically and intellectually as they near their transition to college. The Junior Journey also recognizes that in the expanding global economy of the 21st Century, young people need international experience in order to gain a competitive advantage in the workforce.
More than half the students at Prospect Hill Academy come from low-income families. 52% are black and 22% Latino, the majority of whom come from immigrant families and will be the first in their family to go to college. While foreign travel programs are available at independent schools and more affluent districts where parents are able to pay for the expenses, Junior Journey is entirely unique in that it provides urban and mostly disadvantaged youths an opportunity that they would not otherwise have the means to experience.
Cost
The Prospect Hill Academy Charter School Foundation, in conjunction with the school, is committed to raising the funds to cover at minimum 80% of each student's Junior Journey expenses. The total projected cost per student in 2010 is approximately $1,800, with $1,500 to be sponsored by the Foundation and $300 to be contributed by the student. This means that the Foundation is committed to providing support of up to $45,000 for the 2009-10 school year.
Levels of Sponsorship
Student Sponsorship - $1,500 each
Donors may sponsor one or more students for the Junior Journey. Donors will receive personal correspondence from their sponsored students and have the opportunity to meet their student(s).
Travel Sponsorship - $20 to $1,499
Donors may sponsor individual components of a student's Journey. Sponsorships may include a student's airfare, language instruction, homestay or any combination thereof. Donors will receive copies of letters describing the student's experiences and "journeys."
Costs Components
The students sponsorship covers the costs for the following:
- Airfare
- Individual Language Instruction
- Homestay (Room & Board)
- Passports
- Non-family Meals
- In-country Transportation
- Travel Insurance
The student's individual contribution cover the costs for:
- Weekend Excursions
- Spending Money
- Gift for Host Family
All donations are tax-deductible and will benefit the Prospect Hill Academy Charter School Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization which supports curriculum-enhancing programs such as Junior Journey.
For further information, please contact Anja Bresler at 617-284-7822 or abresler@prospecthillacademy.org.
To make a donation, please issue a check to Prospect Hill Academy Charter School Foundation and mail to Prospect Hill Academy, 50 Essex Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, Attn: Anja Bresler.