Up with People Global Education Program

- Multi-Country

Locations Throughout the World,  Locations in Asia,  Locations in North America,  Various cities in each country

  Belgium

Brussels

  Mexico

Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico)

  United States

Colorado Springs,  Denver

Term: Fall, Spring, Throughout the year 
Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Dates: Contact us for dates

Description: Travel with a purpose, Perform for thousands, Impact communities!
For four decades, participants who traveled in Up with People have gone on to become enthusiastic leaders in their communities and the world. Equipped with the life skills and broad perspectives learned on the road, they have made tremendous differences through a myriad of career and life choices and have truly become global citizens. Participants in the Up with People program travel for 5 1/2 months, beginning in January and July of each year, participating in various community service projects, performing a dynamic musical show and experiencing a global education curriculum. At Up with People we don't just say it, we live it.

* INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS
Traveling, living and learning with young people from more than 20 countries, participants learn how to work cooperatively while exploring the similarities and differences of people from other nations and cultures. Through both casual interactions and facilitated in depth discussions, participants have countless opportunities to see each culture through the eyes of its own people; to see beyond stereotypes; to challenge and re-evaluate views and beliefs often taken for granted. Up with People participants take time to learn about others and, as a result, find they've learned a lot about themselves in the process. Meeting and becoming lifelong friends with people from all corners of the world has other benefits as well. Being surrounded 24/7 by such diversity provides participants a unique opportunity to learn and practice speaking foreign languages some of which they may not even have heard spoken before. With language skills and an address book to match Up with People alumni often continue learning as they travel the world, staying with their new found friends wherever they go.

* INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND HOST FAMILIES
During the Up with People program, participants travel in international casts of 100+ people to cities on a multi-continent tour, experiencing the cultural sights, sounds, and tastes of each community. From blending in with the locals to acting like tourists, sometimes even gaining VIP insider access to local points of interest they learn to explore and explore to learn. As students of the world, participants discover what makes each region unique, gaining a better understanding of its politics, history, culture, geography, environmental issues, religions and economics. The experience changes the hearts and minds of participants, preparing them to embrace their roles and responsibilities as global citizens. The Up with People program also provides the opportunity for participants to live with and learn from host families in the communities they visit, gaining a sense of what day today life is like in their corner of the world while sharing lifestyles and experiences. Living with community members in their homes urban flats, rural farmhouses or thatch huts offers an unparalleled level of cultural immersion and the opportunity to form international friendships, many of which last a lifetime.

* PERFORMING ARTS
Up with People was founded on the principle of using music as a means to communicate with and inspire people. In each city the cast visits, participants perform in a vibrant and moving musical stage show that brings the community together, highlighting local partnering organizations and sparking people to action in meeting the needs of their communities, countries and the world. From a small gymnasium in Nebraska to a prestigious concert hall in Europe, even a large arena full of school children in Thailand, Up with People participants have performed for diverse audiences in a wide variety of venues. Among its historical performance highlights are four Super Bowl halftime shows, television broadcasts in countries around the world, and performances in Red Square in Moscow and at the Great Wall of China. Up with People has performed for royalty and heads of state, including Jordan's Queen Noor, Pope John Paul II, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and many U.S. Presidents. Recent appearances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade both viewed by television audiences numbering in the tens of millions from 150 countries are evidence of Up with Peoples' continued appeal to audiences both large and small around the world.

* COMMUNITY IMPACT
Social responsibility and dedication to community service are core elements of the Up with People program and, as such, service projects are an integral part of the cast's time in each city they visit. By giving back through community service projects that are not only helpful but also impactful, participants develop insights into how different cultures address social and political challenges. More importantly, they find that in working to contribute to and improve the lives of others, their lives are also forever changed. The Up with People program helps young people internalize that it's not getting, but giving that leads to personal growth. Projects are diverse and range from working alongside handicapped adults to reclaim firedamaged land, to mentoring children and assisting with local substance-abuse programs. Cast members have lifted sandbags during floods in the Netherlands, formed cement bricks with their bare hands to build homes in the slums of Manila, sung to residents in a nursing home in Quebec, and painted over graffiti in Mexico. Others have visited people in shelters and refugee camps, served the homeless at soup kitchens, even comforted terminally ill patients at a hospice. Wherever Up with People goes, the hearts and minds of both participants and recipients are changed forever.

* GLOBAL EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Each city Up with People visits becomes a classroom and learning laboratory. Participants meet with political, corporate and social leaders around the globe, visiting regional points of interest, such as the European Union and United Nations Headquarters. The Up with People program offers truly unique access to opportunities to develop and refine leadership skills beneficial to any career or life path.

* INTERNSHIPS
Up with People provides a variety of professional development opportunities, allowing participants to build skills and gain valuable hands-on experience in a real-world setting. Participants interact with local business and community leaders, and they develop critical public speaking, presentation and interview skills through a variety of internshipts. While on tour, participants can apply for those internships to actively assist staff members responsible for various aspects of the program. Education interns, for example, plan, coordinate and implement community service projects. Technical interns take on the task of managing the set-up crew, overseeing lightning, sound and stage preparation. Advance Team interns travel to a city ahead of the cast to assist staff members in planning, logistics, marketing and public relations essential to making the tour a success. The opportunities are as diverse as the participants themselves.
Internships are available in all areas of the operation, including marketing and public relations, merchandise, admissions, logistics education, sound and lighting, dance, band and vocals, finance, business and more.

* COLLEGE CREDIT
Up with People has been redefining global education for over 40 years. The Up with People tours are scheduled to allow students to take one academic semester-before, during or after college-to experience the world in a unique way while gaining college credit. Up with People participants often continue their education, earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and employing their international and leadership experiences. Partner and affiliate universities award specific academic credit in the form of equivalent courses (e.g. Communications 201) or a semester worth of credit for the full program. Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, Hawaii and Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts are universities with which we currently have official partnerships. Up with People also has an affiliation with the University of Arizona in Tucson.

* INDEPENDENT STUDY
In addition, based on university specifications, students have the option of setting up an independent study that can be applied during the semester long program. Students are responsible for creating their own independent study with their home university if they so desire. Up with People admissions staff can advise interested students on the process.

Highlights: Started in 1965 during a turbulent period in the United States, Up with People was founded by J. Blanton Belk as a positive voice for young people. In 1968 Up with People was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) as an international, educational non-profit entity. The organization is not affiliated with any religion, political group or country.

Over the years, Up with People has become known as a tremendous force in international relations, education, and entertainment.

More impressive than where Up with People has been is the very real and sustainable change it has inspired across the globe through its contingent of alumni. For four decades, students who traveled in Up with People have gone on to become enthusiastic leaders in their hometowns, their countries and the world. Equipped with life skills and broad perspectives learned "on the road", they have made a tremendous difference in a myriad of careers and, through their life choices, have truly become global citizens.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: 14,250

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18 to 29 years old

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 80 with teams of 6-18

Scholarships are Available. The Scholarship Committee reviews applications based on any one or a combination of the following: * Need and financial situation and status of the individual and family; * Effort that the student has put forth raising the funds; and * Merit that the student brings to the program such as leadership and/or musical ability.

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Up with People's Mission Statement: The mission of Up with People is to train people in global leadership and to spark them to action in meeting the needs of their communities, countries, and the world while building bridges of understanding as a foundation for world peace.

Year Founded: 1965