Junior Journey is a year-long program that culminates in a three week stay in Antigua, Guatemala. The program combines daily one-on-one Spanish language instruction with cultural immersion and community service learning.
Before they go:
Students spend the majority of the school year preparing for the trip by learning about Latin American history, culture, and customs, about foreign travel, and about effective teaching tools. In addition, a series of six parent evening forums are held to ensure parents are well-equipped to support their child's preparation for the trip and are comfortable sending their child to Guatemala.
On the trip:
At the end of May every year, the Junior Journey students embark on their much-anticipated adventure in Guatemala:
1. Homestays are carefully selected to ensure that there are no more than two students per family, that there are Guatemalan children of a similar age in the household, and that the students are integrated into the family life in order to fully experience the local culture, traditions, and language.
2. Students participate in four hours of individual Spanish instruction daily. 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 students in intensive language study.
3. Students perform extensive community service by teaching English at an elementary school in San Pedro, an impoverished community outside Antigua. Students team up in groups of two to prepare engaging and innovative classroom instruction ahead of time and teach large groups of energetic first-through-sixth graders.
When they return:
Students also have to prepare a “personal growth project” and return from Guatemala with specific documentation illustrating the impact they had on the local community and the impact the experience had on them. Projects range from bringing donated goods to Guatemala and distributing them to those most in need, to producing a photo diary, to writing a series of letters to the young students they taught in Guatemala.
Who gets to go:
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.