Youth Leadership in Costa Rica

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: San Jose

Depart from the USA. Arrive in the Costa Rican capital of San José meet your ACIS Tour Manager, and start exploring this vibrant and bustling city.

Day 2: San Jose

This morning your first leadership workshop will be at the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation (CRHF), operating since 1997 with a focus on using education as a way to fight poverty. Learn about the female founder and director's work, how her efforts and leadership have impacted one of the San José's highest risk communities and how collaborators in that community have been empowered to reach out to other areas and transfer their skills and knowledge. In the afternoon enjoy a Global Exchange at a local NGO (a non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization) focused on using soccer to engage, inspire and empower Costa Rican youth by providing tools and connections through the sport they love to cultivate leaders. This a perfect opportunity to try your Spanish conversation and soccer skills!

Day 3: Monteverde

Journey to your next leadership workshop at a responsible fishery on the Gulf of Nicoya, lead by a local fisherman who leads the way in sustainable fishing in his own hometown. Students will both learn about marine conservation efforts, and have the opportunity to meet and discuss challenges with the leadership of a community that is in great need of economic development. Then continue up to Monteverde.

Day 4: Monteverde

Today explore the important and fascinating ecosystem of Monteverde Cloud Forest. Originally settled in the 1950s by a group of Quakers from Alabama, it is a leader among the sustainable communities within Costa Rica and is home to more than 400 species of birds, 100 species of mammals and 2,500 species of plants including the jaguar, ocelot, Baird's tapir, three-wattled bellbird, bare-necked umbrellabird, and the famously elusive resplendent quetzal. Upon arrival, visit an NGO where engagement with one of its leaders includes a lecture on what makes Monteverde so different, followed by a hands-on activity to help the three-wattled bellbird and jaguars migrate between the mountains and the shoreline. In the afternoon you'll get a bird's-eye perspective on the forest as you enjoy the Monteverde Canopy Tour's thrilling series of platforms and zip-lines.

Day 5: Guanacaste Coast

Descend out of the mountains and into the tropical dry forest of the Guanacaste province. Today's leadership workshop introduces you to a young female entrepreneur who has created an award-winning program of sustainable honey production that helps to support and save the local farmers, bees, and the delicate ecosystem around them. Then continue your journey to arrive at the Pacific Coast.

Day 6: Guanacaste Coast

This morning join students from a local community school for a Global Exchange focused on comparative learning and sharing dynamics in the context of sustainability and environmental responsibility. Practice your Spanish, create connections, and share approaches to caring for our ecosystems. Then explore the Nicoya Peninsula's status as one of the world's very few longevity hotspots known as “Blue Zones”. Enjoy a Global Exchange with a family in this unique region, and learn about how responsible tourism can help connect longevity academics to empirical knowledge, and students to this area's centennial populations, supporting a better future for all. A delicious and authentic “Blue Zone” lunch with the family is sure to be one of the most delicious meals you will have, and a most rewarding visit.

Day 7: Guanacaste Coast

Your STEM-focused leadership workshop today has you boarding a research boat and sailing the Pacific Ocean alongside an NGO that connects people with the sea to promote sustainable fishing and marine life conservation. Along with an opportunity to snorkel, students will learn about data collection and be introduced to laser photogrammetry, experiencing how researchers use 3D laser scanning to measure sharks and rays as part of their research work on endangered elasmobranch species. In the afternoon, discover more of what this amazing region has to offer at your own pace. During tonight's final dinner, you and your fellow travelers will enjoy recapping the trip's unique education experiences. Reflect on some of the leadership skills you have learned and how you can impactfully apply those skills upon your return home. (Please note that flight scheduling may require your last night to be spent in San José.).

Day 8: Departure

Depart for the USA.