Global Service Program Details 2011

	Global Service Program China		Global Service Program Cuba

Please note: This is the last year that the Global Service Program will travel to Cuba. Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience Cuban culture and understand the intricate relationship between Cuba and the United States.

Program Dates

June 20 to 22	Faculty Institute workshops and trip preparation at George School
June 21 to 22	Student Institute workshops and trip preparation at George School
June 22 or 23	Depart for China, Cuba, or Ecuador
July 10	Cuba and Ecuador trips return to U.S.
July 13	China trip returns to U.S.

Note: the travel dates are subject to change depending on available flights, visa, and travel license restrictions.

Fees
Cuba: $3,250
China: $3,500
Ecuador: $3,250

The fees include all costs upon arrival and return to George School. You will be responsible for getting to George School prior to the start of the workshops and back home upon our return to the United States. We will assist you in making alternative travel plans home if it is cheaper to fly directly to your hometown instead of the airports near George School.

Other costs include any spending money you may wish to bring to purchase snacks or gifts while overseas. Typically, $200-$300 is more than adequate.

Financial Aid
There is limited financial aid available for both faculty and students through the E.E. Ford Grant. Because aid is limited, please carefully consider all the resources available that might help fund your trip before deciding how much aid to request. Faculty might be eligible for faculty enrichment funds or chair money from their schools. Students could consider a part-time job, birthday/holiday money, or special funds available from their school. You also might consider holding a fundraiser.

To demonstrate personal commitment to the program, we expect faculty to contribute a minimum of $500 of their own funds toward the cost of the trip. Students are expected to contribute at least 10 percent of the total cost of their trip ($325 for Cuba and $350 for China).

For students to be considered for aid, they must already receive financial aid from their school.

You can request financial aid by completing the appropriate sections of the application form.

Thanks to a partnership with the Sino-US Cultural Communication George School Foundation, we are able to offer a number of financial aid grants to teachers who would like to participate in the China program. Please contact Pauline McKean at 215.579.6547 to learn more about this opportunity.

How to Apply
All application materials are due by January 31, 2011. Please email Pauline McKean at pauline_mckean@georgeschool.org if you need an application extension.

Who Can Apply?

-	Faculty and staff from independent schools are welcome to apply.
-	Students must be current high school sophomores or juniors to apply.
-	Space is limited; we can typically only take sixteen to eighteen participants on each trip.
-	Because we aim to have a ratio of one adult to two students, we encourage applicants from the same school to apply in groups of this ratio, when possible. There is a place on the application forms to list the other members of your application group. If you are applying as a group, please send in all your applications together.
-	More than one group per school is welcome to apply.
-	All the members of a single group application must apply for the same trip/country.
-	Individual students and teachers are welcome to apply, but preference will be given to those applying as groups. Individuals are likely to be accepted to help balance the desired ratio.
-	For the China trip, we especially encourage speakers or students of Mandarin to apply, but this is not a requirement.
-	Students applying for the Cuba and Ecuador trips should be able to demonstrate some proficiency in Spanish.

Teachers, to help you decide which students would be competitive applicants for the program (especially if your school is submitting a group application), we have provided some guidelines in choosing international service trip participants. These are not requirements, but simply some things you might want to consider; in the sixty plus years of running international service trips, we have found this to be quite helpful.