Costa Rica Summer Camp Leadership Program - High School Summer Programs (800) 321-4353

Imagine a base camp hidden in the tropical Costa Rican countryside. All of a sudden, buses full of eager, laughing Costa Rican children arrive, enlivening the tranquil setting with their excitement for the next two weeks of soccer, arts and crafts, dance, games and songs with their new counselors in training.

BE PART OF A DREAM
The Costa Rica Summer Camp Leadership Program offers proactive, motivated and positive Rustic Pathways students the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children and youth from underprivileged Costa Rican communities. These children, who live in poor, urban areas outside the capital of San Jose, normally spend school vacations confined in their houses or on the streets of often dangerous neighborhoods, and have never dreamt of having an educational and fun summer camp experience. Through the Costa Rica Summer Camp Leadership program you will learn the leadership skills and techniques necessary to plan and run a day camp for elementary school students.

USE YOUR CREATIVITY
You will be directly involved in the planning of sports, arts and craft, teambuilding and other recreational activities for the students of the camp. We ask that you bring the best of your summer camp memories to help recreate the experience for children that never even imagined the fun that awaits them. After saying goodbye to the children on the final day of camp, you will embark on an exciting whitewater rafting trip on the world class Pacuare river to celebrate the hard work and successful completion of the program. Through the Costa Rica Summer Camp Leadership Program you will grow as a leader, learn how to work in a team of diverse individuals, improve your Spanish language skills and make friends to last a lifetime.

WHO SHOULD COME?
The Costa Rica Summer Camp Leadership Program requires exceptionally motivated, hardworking and mature participants who truly want to create an unforgettable experience for themselves and for the Costa Rican children chosen to attend the program. Acceptance to this program will be determined by an interview with the managers of Rustic Pathways Costa Rica. Students accepted for the program should be prepared for a life-changing and eyeopening experience. Up to 70 community service hours will be awarded upon successful completion of this project.

The Leadership Camp 2008 Itinerary

Day 1 (Tuesday) Depart United States for San Jose, Costa Rica
Upon arrival at the San Jose airport you will be greeted by your Rustic Pathways Staff. From here you will head over to the hostel rented out by Rustic Pathways where you will meet the other students on your trip and spend your first night. Good luck and enjoy your stay in beautiful Costa Rica!

Day 2-3-4 (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) Training - Team Building & Summer Camp Planning
During the first three days of training students will have a good chance to get to know each other, set personal and group objectives for the program and spend some quality time developing confidence in themselves and the group through teambuilding exercises. Team building exercises will include both physical and mental challenges that will be overcome through group strategy and supervised individual leadership. These days will also provide a thorough introduction to the concept of the summer camp that students will be running and will enable the group to plan how they will turn that concept into a real functional summer camp for a group of Costa Rican youth. Students will also visit some of the neighborhoods where the Tico children live which will give RP students a good chance to value the work they do for these kids and to understand their needs better. Meals will be provided at the location we will be staying and several unplanned fieldtrips to buy supplies and scout out the summer camp’s location may be added to the itinerary as the student leaders and guides see fit.

Day 5-6 (Saturday, Sunday) Rafting on the Pacuare river near Turrialba
During the next two days prepare to experience the beauty and exhilaration of whitewater rafting the Pacuare river. The Pacuare is considered one of the most beautiful rivers to raft in the world due to the lush greenery, the narrow canyons and above all, the exciting class III and IV rapids. This will be a perfect chance for the group to solidify their bonds as friends and co-leaders and prepare themselves for the big adventure that is still to come – taking charge of the camp. After two full days on the river, its time to head back to the base camp to have one more get together before the big event begins.

Day 7 - 12 (Monday - Saturday) Leadership Camp
Throughout the next six days dreams will come true for the Costa Rican children joining what for many will be their first ever experience at “summer camp.” There will be a fairly well set schedule for the camp. Early wake up and breakfast together as a group. Receive the Tico kids every day around 8.30-9.00am. Spend the day with the children, running various games and activities and projects, coordinating lunch and snack times, and then saying goodbye to them around 4.00pm. In the evenings the group will evaluate the day and prepare for the next one. Eat dinner together and enjoy a relaxing evening. On the final day there will be a chance to meet the parents and have a bar-b-q to celebrate the accomplishments of the week.

Day 13-14 (Sunday, Monday) Relaxing time on the beach
After fun filled, challenging week of running a summer camp for Costa Rican youth the group of Rustic Pathways students will take off for the beautiful and peaceful beaches of the Costa Rican Pacific. These next two days will give everyone a chance to enjoy some down time, practice surfing or body boarding, get some sun, play beach volleyball or soccer, eat seafood and enjoy beautiful Pacific sunsets. The group will stay in a hotel near the beach and will eat in local restaurants.

Day 15 (Tuesday) Heading back to San Jose
The last full day before new Costa Rican Rustic Pathways adventures commence or you head home. This will be a great chance to spend some quality time as a team enjoying each others company, hanging out at the beach, shopping for souvenirs, and taking care of any other last minute things you can think of after two intense weeks together. Breakfast and lunch will be spent at the beach then the group will take off for San Jose in the early hours of the afternoon to spend their final night together.

Day 16 (Wednesday) Homeward bound or off to new adventures
If you are heading home, you must say your last goodbyes to your new friends and head off to the airport bright and early in the morning. If you are heading off on another Rustic Pathways adventure in Costa Rica, get ready!

*** PLEASE NOTE: The itinerary described above is typical but not set in stone as work and optional activities vary depending upon the needs of the various communities, as well as the weather. This itinerary is designed to give you a good, general idea of the day to day schedule and activities on this program but may be changed during the summer as staff see fit. Students will work hard on this program, and will probably get wet, muddy, and bug-bitten in the process. This is all part of the rural Costa Rican service experience and is a small sacrifice when compared with the positive impact this program has on local communities and on RP participants. ***

1 - How long is the flight to this country?
1A – Direct flight from Newark to San Jose takes approximately 5.5 hours.
Direct flight from Houston to San Jose takes approximately 3.5 to 4 hours.

2 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?
2A – Yes. All flights between Costa Rica and the USA will have a flight leader starting in both Newark and Houston. Return flights to the USA will also have a flight leader as far as Newark and Houston. Flights between Costa Rica and Peru will not be escorted.

3 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
3A – Students from the United States and Canada will be issued a 90 day tourist visa on entry into Costa Rica. Students from other countries should check with their consulate.

4 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?
4A – See CDC or WHO websites.

5 – What Costa Rican province(s) does this program pass through?
A – Students will mainly remain in the Alajuela region throughout their stay. They will also visit the San Jose, Cartago and Puntarenas provinces for short periods of time.

6 - How does this program connect to other programs?
6A – On Tuesday afternoon students will depart from the base for San Jose. They will have a final dinner en route then sleep in a hostel rented out for Rustic Pathways students in San Jose. Wednesday morning students will take off with their new group for their new program.

7 – How long is the drive from San Jose to this program?
7A – The base camp for the leadership program is only a 30 minute drive from the airport. Students will also take some field trips during their program of which the longest drive will be around 3 hours.

8 - Is this a good program for students interested in practicing their Spanish?
8A – This program focuses mainly on leadership skills however students will be in close contact with Costa Rican children who will only be able to speak in Spanish. For students that are looking forward to practicing their language skills this would be a good program to do so.

9 - What costs are not included on this trip?
9A – The majority of activities will be included in the program fee for students. There may be additional activities offered as determined by the guides on this program.

10 - What kind of food will we be eating? Where?
10A – For the most part students will be eating at the base camp’s restaurant where traditional Costa Rican food will be offered daily such as rice & beans with beef, fish, chicken or pork and other local specialties (expect a lot of rice and beans!). When away from camp they will be eating at local restaurants and will have a variety of meals to choose from.

11 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?
11A - There is no need to drink bottled water in Costa Rica as most water is potable. If students don’t feel like drinking tap water, they can get bottled water at their expense.

12 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?
12A – Students will be living in comfortable cabins in a mountainous region outside of San Jose. The cabins are furnished and equipped with basic commodities such as running water (hot & cold), bed sheets, pillows etc. Whenever outside of camp they will be placed in comfortable hotels or hostels.

13 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?
13A – There are typically more girls than boys however the exact numbers vary from week to week.

14 - How often (if at all) will students be able to do laundry on this program and what will it cost?
14A – Students will be offered laundry service one time during their program at an approximate cost of $5-$10 (depending on the amount of clothes). Those that will be connecting to another program will have the access to another laundry service in San Jose at the end of their program.