2022 Greece: Mythology, Philosophy and Modern Democracy

Please see the NOTICE ON PROGRAM UPDATES at the bottom of this sample itinerary for details on program changes.

Please note that program activities may change in order to adhere to COVID-19 regulations.

GREECE: Mythology, Philosophy & Modern Democracy™

Explore Greece, from the ancient wonders of the world’s most infuential civilization, to the complexities of modern life.

OVERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS On this program you will travel to some of Greece's most infuential ★ and picturesque cities. Your adventure begins in Athens, a treasure Check out the ancient Acropolis of trove of ancient civilization that has been incredibly memorialized Athens citadel, a UNESCO World in the form of ruins, museums and iconic spaces that are still in Heritage Site which includes the use. Ferry to Crete, Greece's largest island and, according to Greek Parthenon and Temple of Athena mythology, the birthplace of Zeus himself. Stay and explore Nike ★ Heraklion and Rethymno, as well as several other colorful villages Sail along the caldera of Santorini in on the island. Finally, sail through the Aegean Sea to the dreamy a traditional wooden boat, just like a island of Santorini, known for its whitewashed cube dwellings. true argonaut ★ Climb atop Nea Kameni, a famous volcano 12-DAY PROGRAM Tuition: $3,999 ★ Dive deep into Greek mythology Service Hours: 10 through site visits, guest speakers, July 8 – July 19, 2022 Language Hours: 0 and local lore Max Group Size: 30 ★ Participate in community service to Age Range: 14-19 help support a meaningful local Student-to-Staf Ratio: 8-to-1 cause Airport: ATH

experienceGLA.com | +1 858-771-0645 | @GLAteens DAILY BREAKDOWN

Actual schedule of activities will vary by program session. The information detailed here is typical for what you can expect to experience; however, site visits, activities and service work vary depending upon a number of factors, such as the weather, scheduling and constraints of the location. .

DAY 1: WELCOME TO GREECE!

Welcome to Greece! GLA staf will meet you when you land in the Athens airport and we’ll travel together to your new home away from home. Get settled into your room and relax as you start getting to know your fellow travelers. In the afternoon, you’ll stroll around Athens for a walking tour, then gather for a brief orientation in the evening.

DAY 2: ATHENS AND THE ACROPOLIS

After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll step outside into Athens proper to meet our guide. We’ll spend the day visiting the modern city and exploring the ancient architecture that Athens has to ofer, including the Acropolis, Panathinaiko Stadium, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Learn to cook authentic Greek cuisine -- and taste the spoils of your labor. After exploring we’ll head back to the Home Base in Athens for the night.

DAYS 3: THE CANAL OF CORINTH

To start of our third day in Athens, we’ll explore the Vouliagmeni Lake area and enjoy the amazing blue waters by kayaking up to the archaeological site of Hera’s Sanctuary, where you’ll learn all about this ancient goddess. Visit the Athens Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and enjoy lunch at Loutraki. After, we’ll head back to the hotel in Athens for evening activities.

DAY 4: ATHENS: BIKE TOUR & COMMUNITY SERVICE

It’s almost time to move on to the next location! But frst, we’ll explore the city by bike. A bicycle tour is the perfect speed at which to view the city; fast enough to get to new places, but slow enough to enjoy what you’re seeing!

After the tour, we’ll spend a few hours volunteering in the community. Our project will depend on what the community needs most when we arrive. Afterwards, we’ll head back to our hotel in Athens for one fnal night.

DAY 5: TRAVELING TO CRETE

Wake up eager to check out our next location--the island of Crete! After some morning activities and a picturesque lunch near the sea, we’ll head out via ferry. The boat will serve as our Home Base for the night, as we will have dinner on board and lodge in the ferry’s passenger cabins.

DAY 6: CHANIA & RETHYMNON

We’ll arrive in Chania bright and early, where we’ll get our bearings

experienceGLA.com | +1 858-771-0645 | @GLAteens and tour the city. We’ll also visit the Venzelos Tombs, the fnal resting place of the famous Greek statesman Elefherios Venizelos and his son. We’ll enjoy beautiful views from the hilltop park before moving on down the road to our next destination.

After spending time in the large city of Athens, it’s time to get away from it all. You’ll spend the morning learning about life in authentic Crete as we ride through some of the most traditional Cretan villages. Our village tour will come to an end at Vatos Village and we’ll get a chance to visit Vangelio, a local woman who will wholeheartedly invite into her traditional Cretan home and give you a taste of freshly baked bread from a traditional oven. We’ll spend the night at a hotel in Rethymnon.

DAY 7: ZAROS: MONASTERY & HIKE

Travel through Sfakia to Frangokastello Village, home of the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, known for its clear, cool river and picturesque waterfalls. Next is a stop at the famous Byzantine Monastery of Preveli near the southern coast of Crete. We’ll hike along the path for a few hours until we reach the coast and enjoy lunch in the village of Agouseliana.

Upon our arrival in Zaros, we’ll get settled and explore Votomos Lake, an emerald green body of water with ample wildlife and walking paths.

DAY 8: EXPLORING HERAKLION - OLIVE GROVE & MATALA BEACH

Today we’ll head out early and explore the city of Heraklion. On the way we’ll pay a visit to the largest olive grove on Crete and spend some time on Matala beach on the south coast. Frolic in the waves and enjoy some time in the sand before heading onward to Heraklion. Once we arrive, we’ll take a city tour and wrap up with a traditional Greek dinner.

DAY 9: SANTORINI ISLAND

This morning, we’ll be catching a ferry from Heraklion to Santorini. On arrival, we’ll make a stop at our hotel in Santorini and get a feel for the beautiful, crescent shaped island. In the afternoon, we’ll take a tour from Fira to the charming village of Oia, with its white houses and scenic terraces set on the clifside over the blue waters of the caldera. We’ll also visit the towns of Pyrgos and Megalochori before returning to our Santorini island home base for the night.

DAY 10: SAILING AROUND SANTORINI

Following breakfast at the hotel, we’ll enjoy a six hour sailing guided tour along the Caldera starting from the Port of Athinios. We’ll cruise on a traditional wooden sailing boat to our frst stop, the famous Volcano of Santorini named Nea Kameni (New Burnt). Hop of the boat to enjoy an hour or two of exploring as you climb on the top of the volcano. Once back on the boat, we’ll sail to Palia Kameni (Old Burnt) where you can swim in hot springs created by

experienceGLA.com | +1 858-771-0645 | @GLAteens the volcano’s underwater heat. After that, we’ll sail back to Santorini for the evening.

DAY 11: RETURN TO ATHENS

We’ll be coming toward the end of our trip here in Greece. Today we’ll head back to Athens via ferry. In the evening, we’ll recount the past two weeks we shared together in Europe over a special farewell dinner celebration. Then, we’ll spend our last night in Athens and prepare for departure the next day.

DAY 12: DEPARTURE

Too soon, our trip to Greece has come to an end. After breakfast, you’ll have free time to relax, pack, and say goodbyes. Later you will depart from the Athens International Airport.

NOTICE ON PROGRAM UPDATES

Every year brings new and exciting opportunities for experiences we can ofer students on our programs. While this program is being planned for 2021, some activities or details may change between now and the program start date. Please note that references from past participants and previously published information may not accurately refect every aspect of this program. Refer to the sample itinerary above or to the GLA website for the most up-to-date version of program activities, and please note that further updates may be made between now and the program start date.

POSSIBLE CHANGES TO PROGRAM ACTIVITIES DUE TO COVID-19

Due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 outbreaks around the world, please note that program activities may change in order to accommodate COVID-19 regulations. In particular, service projects and other activities that typically involve close contact or engagement with members of the local community may be curbed, altered or skipped depending on staf evaluations on the ground and/or at the discretion of our Executive Director and Director of Program Operations & Risk Management. Every efort will be made to provide an exceptional experience on-location, at whatever level of community interaction is deemed safe at the time.

TRAVELING TO GREECE

GLA CELL PHONE POLICY |We want to make sure parents, students, and staf are on the same page regarding cell phone usage during GLA programs. Cell phones may be used only during designated times on the program as we are striving to create an environment to allow students to unplug and immerse themselves in the experience. Use of phones and electronic devices will never be allowed during meals, Mentor groups, leadership workshops or group excursions and may be collected by staf during these times. While we encourage students to challenge themselves to disconnect and leave their cell phones at home, we understand that many families feel more comfortable with that connection. That said, some locations may have unreliable cell phone service. Please know, Wif will not regularly be available for student use. Once you are enrolled in your GLA Program, please take a moment to review GLA's policy on phones and internet on the Travel Portal and be sure to review this with your student.

experienceGLA.com | +1 858-771-0645 | @GLAteens CLIMATE | Greece is a temperate climate, but there is some fuctuation in temperature and weather throughout the islands. The coast is usually fairly mild in temperature but there can be chilly winds, so make sure to bring a jacket! Days will usually be in the mid 70’s and sometimes up into the 80’s. You’ll receive a full packing list closer to your program start date.

LEADERSHIP

Global Leadership Adventures started as an educational institute, so we continue to think and act like educators—not tour operators—as we deliver life-changing programs. We intentionally weave a leadership curriculum into the daily experience on our programs. Through group discussion, meaningful service, workshops, speakers and excursions, staf guide students to refect on program events through the lens of leadership, and celebrate outstanding examples of leaders they encounter in the local community. Lending this context to the experience creates opportunities for students to dig deep into their vision, purpose and knowledge of themselves and the world.

ABOUT GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ADVENTURES

Global Leadership Adventures was founded in 2003 by Fred Swaniker, a native of Ghana, TED Fellow and educational entrepreneur whose work has been praised by Barack Obama. Born as a global extension of the revolutionary African Leadership Academy, Global Leadership Adventures now operates programs centered around leadership, sustainable community service projects, and meaningful travel across Africa, Asia, Europe or the Americas. Through life-changing adventures, we strive to inspire the next generation to realize their potential to transform the world and their role in it.

GLA HAS BEEN FEATURED IN:

Our Expectations

Be present Our mission at GLA is “to inspire the next generation to realize their potential to transform the world and their role in it.” To that end, we expect GLA students to maintain high standards of personal behavior and to be open-minded. The culture may be diferent, sometimes shockingly so. GLA will challenge students as they are expected to work hard and be present physically and mentally for all activities. We also ask students to take a step back from regular use of technology - particularly their smartphones - so as to maximize their engagement with the program and their fellow participants. Students may get hot, dirty and bug-bitten along the way, but their contribution can transform the community. The goal is for each student to return home having had a life-changing experience.

No tolerance

experienceGLA.com | +1 858-771-0645 | @GLAteens GLA has a no-tolerance policy towards drugs, alcohol, tobacco and disruptive behavior. Those who violate or are suspected of violating this policy will be immediately dismissed from the program at the sole discretion of GLA staf.

Community-Led experiences GLA makes every efort to ofer thoughtfully crafted programs for teens and young adults. Detailed planning and exhaustive communications with partners are indispensable parts of our program development process. However, occasionally service and activities are adjusted from session to session, due to weather, changing needs of our local community partners and/or various cultural celebrations and customs. We expect participants to be open-minded and fexible, willing to embrace the experience when plans change. GLA makes every efort to communicate adjustments to students and families with advance notice. We expect you to be open-minded and fexible.

Mentorship GLA is not a therapy program. Our staf are highly skilled, professional, caring and fun, but they are not licensed therapists. GLA programs can be physically and emotionally demanding, and applicants should be in good physical and mental health.