Other Paths welcomes participants ages 15 – 18 to to join our experienced staff for life-changing opportunities to work on community-building projects during our two-week service and leadership program in rural Kenya.
Our comprehensive, service-learning approach enables program participants to develop leadership skills through teamwork and cultural exchange. This program inspires young people to reach beyond themselves and discover their true potential.
Program Design
Our Youth Service & Leadership Programs run in year-long cycles following these steps:
- Identification and Selection of Participants – We accomplish this via our organizational engagement strategy as well as through interviews with prospective participants and adults (parents, teachers, counselors, etc.) involved in their personal development. We introduce them to the general goals of the program, its commitment level, and our overall approach.
- Program Intake – In this phase, we provide program participants and adult sponsors with details on the expectations of the program, including the curriculum, timeline, and key events throughout the program cycle.
- Program Kick-off – During kick-off, we stress fund raising, project planning, team-building exercises.
- Outdoor Experience Sessions – The purpose of these outdoor experience sessions is to provide participants with opportunities to grow as leaders and team members through structured wilderness activities, such as hiking, snowshoeing, winter camping, and conservation activities.
- International Travel Workshops – Through these, participants and their sponsors learn about international travel and skills useful in our service areas, such as:
- basic safety & proper conduct
- introduction to basic phrases & customs of the service area
- required paperwork, including passports, Visas, and vaccination records
- Project-related Skills Workshops – Every year, we typically perform a range of tasks related to clean water, sanitation, and other public health issues in our service area. Our skills workshops offer participants training in the various tools and techniques we will be utilizing during our service activities. It is essential that participants be able to teach others what they have learned in these workshops.
Program Resources
International Service Project Outline (PDF)
International Travel Safety (PDF)