ACIS Global Conferences Summer 2015

Where would our society be without teachers? There are few vocations that have a greater impact on society as a whole than educators. That’s why at ACIS we do everything in our power to reward teachers for their hard work and dedication whenever we can. One of the most significant ways in which we help teachers feel appreciated is with our Global Conferences. Never heard of an ACIS Global Conference? Well, I’m happy to tell you all about it.

Every year, ACIS sends groups of teachers (without their students) to destinations all over the world as a reward for their hard work in recruiting and leading students on trips abroad. Teachers qualify for Global Conferences by recruiting defined numbers of students to their ACIS trips by defined dates. Everywhere from Iceland to Costa Rica to Japan, we organize tours for educators to meet and network with each other while enjoying the ACIS world-class travel experience they’ve worked to provide for their students.

In the summer of 2015, we hosted groups of teachers in three fantastic locations. Here’s a recap of each:

Cuba

We led two separate Global Conferences in Cuba in 2015–one centered in Havana and one that toured several places throughout the country. Both featured a rich exploration of the history and culture of the largest island in the Caribbean. ACIS Program Consultant, Ariana Breckner, described her trip, “Traveling to Cuba was a treat and an honor. Havana is a city completely frozen in time. Though the people do not have much, they are extremely kind and very welcoming. This week the US Embassy opened in Havana. The people could not be more excited about the potential that this reestablished friendship could bring to their country. The group was small with many different personalities. Fortunately everyone was an expert traveler and with the anticipation of knowing that EVERYWHERE we went there would be a mojito waiting, everyone was always prompt and ready to go!”

Japan

As one of our Ultimate Global Conferences, we led a group of educators on a tour of Japan including visits to Kyoto, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, and a variety of other cultural and historically significant sights along the way. ACIS Program Consultant Jill Federschneider described her trip, “The itinerary was a perfect balance of big cities and small towns, giving us a taste of real Japanese life from all ends of the spectrum. Our Tour Manager Junko was magic. She shared so much information about the culture, traditions, lifestyle, history and daily life that everyone left feeling like we were a part of it. We never stopped learning, but it never felt like ‘too much.’”

Greece

Our other Ultimate Global Conference for 2015 was a cruise through the Greek Islands featuring stops in Athens, Santorini, Syros, as well as stop in Cesme, Turkey and more. Lynne Freeman, ACIS West Coast Regional Director, shared her experience from the trip, “The Greek Cruise Global Conference was fantastic! We had a great group of people, all experienced travelers who got along great the entire trip. They loved the ‘off the beaten path’ feel of the trip visiting smaller islands and getting an insider’s view of Greece from our fantastic tour manager Dimitra Neonakis.”

If you’d like to explore the possibility of traveling with ACIS on a global conference, we’d be happy to help you arrive at that destination. Whether you’ve never led an educational tour before, or you’re a veteran group leader, we can help you change your students’ lives through travel. It’s our way of saying thank you because we think there just aren’t enough people saying thank you to teachers in our world today.