Cold showers, mosquito bites,
5 a.m. alarms.

Sound like a good time? With Roots & Shoots and Global Explorers, it is.

Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Global Explorers is a non-profit organization committed to sharing educational, fun, transformative international immersion experiences with students and teachers.

Through Global Explorers, young people from the United States travel to far-flung places, like Mount Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu and the Arctic Circle. Roots & Shoots partners with Global Explorers to give our members and Youth Leaders the opportunity to travel abroad.

"An international experience that combines travel with cultural exchange, service and ecological awareness is becoming more and more critical in the education of the coming generations of youth," said former Roots & Shoots Director of Outreach and Leadership Hans Cole, who has been on several Global Explorers trips.

Lessons Learned

During the trips, participants focus on four core disciplines: science, culture, leadership and service. Depending on the locale, young travelers might hike through the frozen tundra, give a school a fresh coat of paint or get a crash course in medicinal plant use.

"I learned so much, and not just about Amazonian animals and habitats," said Roots & Shoots group leader Kate Lairmore. A former member of the Roots & Shoots California Youth Leadership Council (CAYLC), Kate went on a Global Explorers trip to Peru. "I also learned a lot about leadership, including my own leadership style. This is something I will be able to use for the rest of my life."

Ideas Found

"Roots & Shoots connects us with amazing youth who want to explore the world and make a difference," said Dave Shurna, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Global Explorers. "Our immersion program can provide a spark that ignites youth to become active members of the Roots & Shoots network for the rest of their lives."

After a trip to Tanzania in 2006, CAYLC member Bryan Lairmore came back from Tanzania with the idea for the ReBirth the Earth: Trees for Tomorrow youth campaign.

Lives Changed

"Being that it was my first time ever to travel outside of the United States I had no idea what to expect when arriving in Peru," said Holly Tuers, former member of the Roots & Shoots National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC). "By the end of the trip I had fallen in love with the country and its people."

"It was all amazing," said former NYLC member Mary Barbour who traveled with Global Explorers to Peru and Tanzania. "Yes, I did stink and sweat and was eaten alive [by mosquitoes], but I wouldn't have it any other way."

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