How It Works

Two weeks. One archive of primary-source material. No trip recap.

Every program follows the same structure wherever it runs — small cohorts, a host community, a daily collection ritual, and a real output at the end that a student can put their name on.

Structure

The shape of a program

Small cohorts

Groups stay small enough that every student gets real time with artisans, hosts, and guides — not a bus tour with a translator at the front.

Two weeks, on the ground

Long enough to move past first impressions. Short enough to fit a university term without derailing a semester.

A named coordinator

Students and parents have one point of contact before, during, and after the program — not a call center.

Daily Rhythm

The Evening Five

Each evening, fifteen minutes, no more. Every student completes one entry across five lenses before the day is called done.

By the end of two weeks, a student holds 14 named people, 14 place descriptions, 14 unresolved tensions, 14 real questions, and 14 precise details — the raw material for everything that comes next.

The Output

What students actually produce

Not a travel journal. A piece of work built from what they collected — chosen from three formats.

Presentation

A 15–20 minute talk built around one claim the student can now make because they were there — opening on something that makes the room uncomfortable, curious, or both.

Documentary

A 5–10 minute visual portrait of one person, place, or craft — built to hold up without the student's narration explaining it.

Podcast

A 10–15 minute audio piece centered on voices other than the student's own, built so a listener at home feels present in a room they'll never visit.

Logistics

What's handled, what to expect

Housing, in-country transport, a full daily itinerary, and 24/7 on-the-ground support are built into every program — students and parents get a detailed logistics packet well before departure, covering packing, health prep, and what a typical day looks like.

Deliberate open space is built into every itinerary. Some of the most-cited moments from a program happen in unplanned time with a host family or an artisan willing to keep talking — the schedule protects room for that, rather than filling every hour.

Want the full breakdown?

The Program Guide covers day-by-day structure, packing lists, health and safety protocols, and academic credit options in one document.

Download Program Guide