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Summer
Programs
Last
update: 11/06/06
The
following programs are independently run. Some are run by non-profit
organizations and others are not. They have no connection to Harvard-Westlake,
but our students have been attending most of them for years. All
have received positive reports from students or faculty and, in
our view, deserve serious consideration. In most cases, you can
access the organization's web site directly via the link provided
and/or contact them via email to request further information.
NOTE: We have
discontinued the practice of listing past student participants due
to security rules. You may, however, request that information personally
by contacting Dianne Tritica in the US Foreign Language office.
Academic
Study Asociates
This is a private company that organizes 4-5 week programs in France
(Paris, Nice and Royan, which is near Bordeaux) and another program
in Spain. All involve some classroom instruction. Our students have
been quite enthusiastic about their offerings. One note is that
some programs do not include homestays, an aspect which will make
some students less anxious about the experience, but which will
limit the amount of true language immersion. http://www.asaprograms.com.
American
Field Service (AFS)
Originally only for students who spent a full year abroad, this
granddaddy of exchange programs now offers summer programs for current
10th-12th graders that are four to six weeks in length. They have
a variety of programs available, some oriented around a homestay,
others around other themes such as language study or community service.
The approximate cost ranges from $3,400 - $4,500. For more information,
access their site at www.afs.org/usa.
amerispan
For students of Spanish, this company has some very interesting
programs in Mexico, Central America, South America and Spain. They
offer numerous options for study programs, homestays and internships,
both for the student who wants an established program and for someone
who is looking for contacts to create an individualized experience.
See their web site at www.amerispan.com.
Amigos
de las Américas
This program is a nonprofit organization that provides students
age 16 and above, with at least 1 year of Spanish, the chance to
do volunteer work by teams in schools and health clinics in Latin
America. They offer numerous options that are four to six weeks
in length. The approximate cost is $3,300 including international
airfare. For more information, access their site at:
www.amigoslink.org
Columbia
University High School Programs "Barcelona Experience"
A
student who paticipated in this program in 2004 is highly enthusiastic
about the courses and the cultural trips organized by this program.
He noted that there was a midnight curfew in this city noted for
its nightlife as well as its wealth of culture. A couple of things
to consider are that students are housed in a university dorm rather
than in families and that Barcelona is increasingly a cith where
Catalan, and not Spanish, is spoken.
http://www.ce.columbia.edu/hs/introBarcelona.cfm
Concordia
Language Villages
Run by Concordia College, these well-run language/culture immersion
camps in Minnesota are an alternative to foreign travel and are
a great way for younger students to discover the love of language
learning in a very supportive environment. Programs vary between
one week and one month in length. Programs available in Chinese,
French, Japanese, and Spanish. Access their site at www.cord.edu
or call (800) 222-4750.
Council
on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
This is a large non-profit organization that is involved in a number
of activities related to educational exchanges. They issue the widely
recognized International Student Identity Card and cardholders may
obtain low-cost student airfares through the travel branch, Council
Travel. Their "Work Abroad" program is one of the few
ways that US college students can work legally in Europe. They run
year-long university programs as well as high school summer programs,
and do this all over the world. Contact their high school program
at (800) 448-9944. Their web site is www.ciee.org.
The
Experiment in International Living/ World Learning
Similar in many ways to AFS, this excellent non-profit program has
summer programs of various sorts oriented towards different goals,
such as language study or community service. Programs are three
to five weeks in length, and the cost can run between $1,900 - $5,000.
Contact them at (800) 622-3553 or at www.worldlearning.org.
Global
Volunteers
This is a program
that focuses on humanitarian projects, primarily teaching, around
the world. A student who worked last summer with native children
in the area around Cuzco, Peru called it an eye-opening expeience
that taught her a lot. The catch is that if you are under 18 you
need to go with a parent or legal guardian. Feel like taking a family
humanitarian vacation? There are programs in several Central and
South American countries, as well as in Ghana (French). http://www.globalvolunteers.org/
Nacel
Cultural Exchanges
Nacel is a non-profit organization that offers very good value.
Programs are available in a number of different countries, including
Argentina, France and French-speaking Canada, Japan, Mexico, and
Spain. Students may generally opt for pure homestay programs or
add group travel options. In some countries, one can extend the
homestay for a modest cost. Contact them at (800) 622-3553 or access
their site at www.nacelopendoor.org.
The
Oxbridge Academic Programs: Académie de Paris
(for students
ages 15-18)
Some students
are reluctant to try living with a host family and prefer a program
that gives them the freedom to explore a major European capitol.
The July Oxbridge program in Paris is four weeks in length. Students
live in dorms and choose two courses of study from offerings such
as Art History, Literature, International Law and Business, Contemporary
French Culture and Society and French Language. Numerous cultural
field trips take advantage of the remarkable resources of the Paris
region. The approximate cost is $5,000. They also run similarly
priced programs in England that have been very popular with our
students. The "Oxford Tradition" and "Cambridge Tradition"
programs use the same study format, with students living in the
college residences. For more information, contact Mr. David Coombs
in the Upper School Summer Programs Office (email: summerprograms@harvardwestlake.com)
and/or check out the Oxbridge web site: www.oxbridgeprograms.com.
Loomis
Chaffee Summer Programs
Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT has two programs, a five-week
Spanish program in Barcelona (four-week homestay plus travel and
a stay in Madrid), and a similar program in France, which is moving
in 2003 from Lyon to the charming Breton capital, Rennes. This trip
includes time in Paris, morning language classes, cultural excursions,
travel. The small program in France is particularly well-run by
a dynamic director who is also a key faculty member at School Year
Abroad in Rennes. About $4000 plus airfare. Description and contact
information at www.loomis.org.
Go to "At School" and choose "summer options."
Putney
Student Travel
These programs
in a variety of foreign countries as well as in certain parts of
the United States emphasize cultural immersion, learning by doing,
getting of the beaten track, making friends and giving back rather
than just touring or sightseeing. Very popular with our students,
they are not homestay programs, but go to great lengths to
put students in immersion situations. Adventure Travel and Language
programs are 5-6 weeks and Community Service programs are 4 weeks.
Excel programs give students a taste of foreign university life.
They range in price from $3,890 - $8,390. For more information,
call (802) 387-5885 or see http://www.goputney.com/.
Rassias
Language Programs
This is an excellent program with intensive conversational classes
for part of each day using the Rassias method, developed at Dartmouth
College. Only a two-week homestay, but you speak the language during
the entire day. There are 5 programs, each limited to 22 students.
Interesting travel segments. Cost: approximately $6000.http://www.rassias.com/programs.html
Rotary
Club
The Rotary Club supports a well-run program that allows students
to live with host families and, for longer exchanges, to attend
local schools in a number of foreign countries. Students apply for
sponsorship from a local Rotary Club, and acceptances are based
on character and academic achievement. Students generally are financially
responsible only for their transportation and their pocket money.
Contact www.rotary.org
(Look under programs, then youth exchanges.)
Service
Learning in Paris
This
is a program of cultural immersion through academic study and community
service. It involves a relatively small group of students who take
language classes according to their level. They also choose an academic
seminar that interests them, such as "Art and Architecture"
or "French Politics and History." Finally, they work with
a community service project chosen from among a variety of options.
Students live together but in close contact with French-speaking
staff. There is an expectation that all students will make an effort
to speak the language whenever possible. The four-week program in
July costs $5600, not including transportation: www.study-serve.org
Where
There Be Dragons
There are both four and six week Dragons programs, both with and
without homestays, in China, Nepal, Tibet, India and in Southeast
Asia. These tend to be adventurous trips where students, accompanied
by skilled leaders who are native speakers, venture into areas rarely
seen by tourists. Contact them at (800) 982-9203 or check their
web site at www.wheretherebedragons.com.
Youth
for Understanding
This is another highly respected non-profit organization. They have
4 week homestays, combined 6 week school/homestay programs, and
some interesting travel options (i.e. live with a family in Chile
and study anthropology on Easter Island). Other programs in Ecuador,
Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Spain, Japan, France. Scholarships
available. See their web site at www.youthforunderstanding.com.
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