Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
The day has finally arrived for the students to come to Beachside Service Adventure!
We were so excited to see their smiling faces at the airport in Liberia. Students have been arriving and loading up onto the GLA bus to make the hour and a half drive to homebase. They are making friends and getting to know each other!
Once we arrived at homebase, students got to see their cabin and set up. They also got to spend some time with their new roommates for the week before completing health checks and swim tests. We spent some time playing volleyball in the pool and taking pictures on the beach! Some of them were lucky to see the beautiful sunset and the full moon rising!
We finished the evening with some announcements and plans for the next day. They are excited for the adventures that await us!
Thank you for trusting us with your teens, we are excited to experience this adventure with them over the next 9 days.
Students will have busy days fostering in-person community and getting to know each other. To keep you in the loop, we’ll send regular blogs and be available as a staff support team 24/7.
Our blogs will start with myself, Kaitlyn Johnson, a mentor, and Isa Bertoli, international director, and will transition to students writing from their perspective.
¡Pura Vida!
Isa, Jorge, Kaitlyn, Ella, and Kyle
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
After arrivals and introductions, our Costa Rica adventure officially began with a full day focused on building community, preparing for service, and connecting with the environment around us.
The morning started with orientation, creating roommate agreements, and reviewing our community expectations, code of conduct, and leadership principles for the program. These conversations established a foundation of trust, respect, and accountability to guide us throughout our time together.
Students quickly got to know one another through icebreakers, team-building activities, and free time. The afternoon was filled with pool games, charades, volleyball, giant Jenga, and the always-popular imposter game.
Meals throughout the day provided a first taste of local cuisine. Breakfast included eggs, gallo pinto (rice and beans), cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruit. Lunch featured rice, beans, and French fries, followed by tacos for dinner.
One of the most important milestones of the day was learning about the service organizations students will partner with during the program. After an introduction to each organization, students voted on the projects they were most interested in joining.
This year’s service partners are:
- Grupo Ecologista Avellanas (GEA): Students will support environmental education, beach cleanups, mangrove restoration, and community projects while building connections with local youth and residents.
- Uniendo Comunidades (UC): Students will collaborate on community improvement projects, including school enhancements, reforestation efforts, murals, and public awareness initiatives.
The day concluded with a specialized sea turtle conservation workshop. Students learned about the challenges facing sea turtles along Costa Rica’s coast, explored active protection efforts, and practiced locating simulated turtle eggs. The evening’s highlight was a turtle release, where students participated firsthand in guiding young hatchlings as they began their journey to the ocean.
Day 1 established new friendships, meaningful learning experiences, and the first steps toward the service and leadership work ahead.
Pura vida!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
This morning, we woke up and had breakfast before heading out for the first day of service
The group split into two service projects today. Grupo Ecologico de Avellanas (GEA) and Uniendo Comunidades (UC) are the two non-profit organizations we will be working with this week. The GEA group went into a local elementary school and worked with recycling, moving construction pieces, interacting with kids, and even being so fortunate to witness a traditional Costa Rican/Guanacastean song and salute. After which, we left to go home and chill out from a lot of sunlight and work before departing to the beach for some boogie boarding!
The UC group went across the street from home base to clean up plastics from the beach. They worked with two amazing program leaders, Ester and Freddy, to collect and dispose of the trash that was washed up by a storm earlier that month. They then joined the GEA group at playa callejones.
Both groups joined for free time after the beach and enjoyed some community time tanning and playing in the pool.
After lunch and dinner the groups had ice cream and some quality time and stories at Ms. Sherry’s store at the front of home base. After Sunset circle and dinner they split up for leadership activities and personal reflection. They ended the night with pool time and a movie together!
Pura Vida
Group Leaders of the Day: Thomas and Bristol
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Today we woke up in our dorms to a beautiful day. We walked to breakfast and were delighted with some eggs, a traditional Costa Rican rice dish and cereal.
Afterwards, we heard back to our rooms got ready for service, which we were told was a beachside service clean up for Uniendo Comunidades (UC). We took a short 20 minute bus ride to the beach which was a local spot for locals where you could over look houses, the ocean and stood at the edge of a gorgeous mountain. However, the beach was filled with trash and microplastics and needed our help. We put our work gloves, sneakers and got to work! After 3 hours of organizing, sorting and picking up left behind trash. Afterwards, we took a dip in the ocean and enjoyed the sun and sea life. During our service we were introduced to new spanish words and phrases and got to experience the communities kindness.
The other service group students (GEA) went to a primary school in Guanacaste where we worked around the school recycling, building, organizing and much more including interacting and playing with the students. We took a break from hours of work to enjoy a game of soccer with the kids and just playing around on the field. After that we got back to work on the school and finished the work at the school as it was our last day working there. We said goodbye to the students and wished them well.
After our service we went back to home base and rested up for our next activity. We made fresh empanadas with a 200 year old mortar and pestle and enjoyed some beet juice. After that we played a soccer game in the rain and got our exercise in for the day.
We finished up the day with dinner and a room cleaning competition. We have an early night tonight, as tomorrow is our first adventure day!
Pura vida!
Group Leaders: James, Ellie, Alekos, and Savannah
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
This morning we excitedly woke up early to leave at 6:30am for our first adventure day! We prepared snacks and empanadas for a lively 2 and a half hour drive. Filled with laughter, singing, and amusement we drove to the Hacienda Guanchipelin hotel deboarding ready to start tubing. Getting our helmet, life jacket and a tube we started an amazing hour of fun! We navigated white water rapids, boulders, and obstacles to have the best time. Some falling in and everyone getting soaked. It was a blast! Finishing a short hike back, we hopped back on an another bus, full of more singing, to arrive at ziplining.
After a short break we suited up in our gear and headed down to watch the announcements and rules. Our first zip line, the longest, crossed a beautiful canyon. Going upside down, and zipping into a gorge, we arrived at another canyon. We had the option to repel into a base to rock climb up the wall back into the zipping! We arrived at a gorge jump, leaping into the ground, arriving at the other side.
We continued our trek in the jungle finishing after 9 long, amazing lines. Arriving back at our base, we regrouped and headed back on the bus on our way to lunch. We ate at an all you could eat buffet where they had rice, beans, sweet maduros, and carne mechada. After lunch we headed to a little strip mall on the side of the road where we got some good souvenirs to bring back home for us and our families. All in all, today was a very adventurous day where we all used our courage to have fun and persevere through the activities. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
From the leaders of the day – Ashley, Graham, Jacob, and Tyler
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
We started our morning with a delicious breakfast of beans and rice, yogurt, salad, fresh fruit, and tasty juice.
The first thing we did during our service project was redesign the signs we had made during our last mentor session. After that, we drove around the village to put them up. Our first stop was a mangrove forest, where we hung signs encouraging people to protect the mangroves. Next, we went to the beach and posted signs reminding visitors to protect marine life. Finally, we drove into town and hung up signs warning drivers about monkey crossings.
After a long morning of work, we returned for lunch, where we enjoyed fried chicken, fries, salad, and iced tea.
Later in the afternoon, we split into three groups to debate the topic of gentrification in Costa Rica. Each group represented a different perspective: the government, local Costa Ricans, and tourists.
Next, we had a salsa dancing lesson. After learning the basic steps, we met with our mentor groups to create our own choreography and then performed it for the rest of the GLA group.
To finish off the day, everyone gathered in the office for a fun karaoke session. We sang a few songs together, making it the perfect way to end the night.
Group Leaders of the Day: Micah and Ben
