When you think of Global Service Learning, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the presentations that have opened most of the assemblies this year. From GSL French Polynesia’s choreographed dance routine to GSL Fiji’s matching outfits, they’ve certainly been memorable. But GSL, a cornerstone of Lakeside’s Experiential Education department, teaches so much more than dance routines, providing students with the rare opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the life and culture of another community. 

With that in mind, I sat down with Lakeside’s Associate Director of Global Programs, Ms. Devine, in order to find out what students can expect from GSL in the summer of 2024. This year, in addition to recurring fan favorites such as Fiji, Thailand, and Costa Rica (which will offer a semester of Spanish credit for Spanish II and higher), Lakeside is adding three new trips to the roster. 

First on the docket is a trip long in the making: Peru. Next summer, Lakeside will be partnering with the nonprofit Awamaki in order to facilitate the experience. Awamaki, which you may remember from their featured assembly from last year, is a collaborative social enterprise that highlights female Quechua artisans by way of market access and sustainable tourism. Students can expect Peru to be a high-altitude trip filled with beautiful mountain scenery. 

Next is Senegal, a location where Lakeside hasn’t run a GSL trip for over ten years. The program’s Senegalese partner for this trip, who acted as a cultural interlocutor for previous GSL trips long ago, lept at the opportunity to start a new partnership with Lakeside nearly a decade later. “Our partnerships are really key to the success of our programs,” explained Ms. Devine, noting that having a community that is excited about hosting GSL and really wants to engage with the students is what makes these trips so special. 

GSL’s last addition boasts a completely new partnership for Lakeside: Tanzania. This trip, geared towards outdoor enthusiasts with a fondness for backpacking, opens with a six-day backpacking trip through Maasai territory that meets the requirements of the Outdoor program. Its unique setting will allow students to learn all about the modern impacts of tourism on the Maasai and how it incentivises them to leave their ancestral homelands. “It’s a perfect blend of the Outdoor program and GSL,” added Ms. Devine, “having an outdoor experience but blending it with cultural experiences.”

Though the inclusion of these new trips does mean that Lakeside won’t be sending students to former locations such as Ecuador and Morocco next summer, that doesn’t mean any of these trips are — or ever will be — gone for good. As Ms. Devine told me, turnover is necessary in order to keep the trips fresh and geographically diverse. Looking towards the future, she hopes to bring students an experience that goes beyond the traditional idea of service learning through physical work. “Service is broader than just manual labor,” she noted.“It’s cultural engagement, gaining empathy and perspective, and applying that to future endeavors.”