Over a lifetime, most people will have travel experiences all around the world. However, how many of these travel experiences provide a meaningful opportunity to help change the world and do some good in local communities? 

That’s why here at The Road Less Traveled (RLT), we are passionate about providing teen community service programs that give students the chance to give back, and help important causes as part of their summer of travel.

Here at RLT, we are great believers in community, connection, and service. From the first moment we begin to design each and every one of our summer travel programs, we place a strong emphasis on the impact of our activities on the environment and communities we visit. 

We believe small actions or changes can have far-reaching and expanding impacts over time. Teens positively contributing to meaningful service projects, help feed into a growing community of collective action, which can lead to significant and widespread improvements in small communities, natural ecosystems, or even on a large scale across the world. 

What community service projects could your teen be supporting this summer? 

Teen community service has always been a strong component of our summer travel programs. If you are currently looking for meaningful summer programs for your middle or high schooler, you might be able to find an RLT service trip that matches their interests. We partner with a wide range of different service project that include: 

• Helping important turtle conservation projects in Greece. We work with a marine conservation organization to help protect nests, collect turtle data in harbor studies, and do snorkeling research to monitor the impact humans are having on marine wildlife. 
• Teaching English to local children in Bangkok elementary schools, and supporting elephant care and conservation efforts in the Himalayan foothills outside the Thai city of Chiang Mai 
• Assisting with the running of a kids’ activity camp in Kenya, in partnership with nearby schools 
• Helping with animal care and basic construction tasks at an animal sanctuary in the plains of Wyoming and Colorado. 
• Working on local community projects within the Turrialba Valley, Costa Rica to help develop local infrastructure and village resources. 
• Helping with food equality and distribution projects to people in need in Spain. 
• Working at a wolf sanctuary in Colorado to help care for this incredible species. 

As you can see from the above examples, responsible and effective teen community service can manifest in many different ways. There is no such thing as “too small” a form of support that can be provided to the communities we visit, when that support is genuinely meaningful and positive. All of our projects are in partnership with local organizations and directed and led by the local people. We only ever go where help is wanted and needed, and work alongside communities to help wherever is needed.

To find out more about our teen community service programs, including the enrolment process, please feel free to schedule a call with an RLT director today.