Below you will find a list of summer opportunities for high school students as well as some for students to pursue during the school year and/or after graduation (in lieu of or prior to a college experience).

MHS does not endorse any particular program. Families should investigate options carefully in order to make sure that the right match has been found for the particular student. I welcome input from students and parents about these and any other programs. I look forward to adding more programs as they come to my attention, and appreciate your sharing opportunities with me for inclusion. Consequently, do check back for updated listings.

A useful online resource for summer programs is www.petersons.com/summerop/index.html . Also, Allen's Guide lists a host of summer opportunities: general day and residential camps, teen travel, and camps focused on academics, the arts, self-improvement, religion, competitive sports, and special needs. The site includes summer job opportunities and other programs that would be relevant for students considering a gap experience.

Other sources available are Invest Yourself: The Catalogue of Volunteer Opportunities, A Guide to Action from the Commission on Voluntary Service and Action and the Educational Opportunity Guide – A Directory of Programs for the Gifted from Duke University's Talent Identification Program (TIP).

Whatever enrichment options our students pursue, I hope they'll use their summer months productively, to do something that truly does enrich their lives and perhaps those of the people around them, whether in their family, their school, or the larger community. Of course, I also want them to relax a bit so they come back to MHS in August renewed and ready for another challenging, exciting year!

Matthew Hollifield   NCC, LPC, NBCT

School Counselor                                         

828.688.2101 x16       828.688.4847      mhollifield@mcsnc.org

Tips on Trips and Camps , founded in 1971, is a camp matching and referral service provided free to prospective participants (aged 8 through 18) and their families (the company is compensated by program directors when a match is made). Categories include sports camps, teen tours, sleepaway programs, community service opportunities, arts programs, academic programs, language immersion programs, and other specialty programs. www.tipsontripsandcamps.com

The American Camp Association , founded in 1910 and the accrediting entity for over 2300 camps, has a parent website with a “Find a Camp” search engine, a camp planner, and other resources for positive summer experiences. www.ACAcamps.org/parents

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Academic Study Associates offers college courses and/or enrichment programs at Emory University, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the University of California-Berkeley, and Oxford University for rising 9th-12th graders (depending on the program and site). A rising CFS junior attended the 2004 program in Massachusetts. www.asaprograms.com

Alfred University in western New York offers summer institutes in astronomy, creative writing, and entrepreneurial leadership. www.alfred.edu/summer/html/hs_inst_.html

American College Adventures offers credit and enrichment courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in Seville, Spain.  www.acasummer.com

Appalachian State University's Martha Guy Summer Institute for Future Business Leaders is a three-week program for rising seniors with an interest in business. Participants in the first two weeks on campus gain exposure to the curriculum of the Walker College of Business, participate in leadership development and team building activities, interact with business leaders, and attend cultural events of the area. The final week is spent in Washington, DC and New York City. www.business.appstate.edu

Barnard College's Summer in New York City offers opportunities to explore New York both in and out of the classroom. There are five-week courses on a variety of subjects for young men and women, a one-week Young Women's Leadership Institute, and one-week mini-courses. www.barnard.edu/pcp

Boston University's High School Honors Program is a six-week program for academically talented students who can take two BU courses for credit in the General Honors Program or participate in research opportunities through the Research Internship Program in Science and Engineering. The Summer Challenge Program is a two-week, non-credit college preparatory program for rising 10th-12th-graders. Students choose two seminars from the areas of creative writing, persuasive speaking, law, visual arts, business, and science. www.bu.edu/summer/highschool

Boston University's Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists invites 60 high schoolers with an exceptionally strong interest in mathematics to spend six weeks engaged in creative mathematical exploration. PROMYS is sponsored in part by the  American Mathematical Society, the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, and Oracle Corporation. www.promys.org

Carleton College's Carleton Liberal Arts Experience is an all-expense paid week for 50 rising juniors who represent the “best and brightest college-bound African-American students.” Participants take courses taught by Carleton faculty, and receive a free return trip to campus during their junior or senior years, and, if they matriculate at Carleton receive a special financial aid package. This program requires nomination. The Summer Writing Program is designed for rising seniors with strong reading and writing abilities. Participants explore contemporary and traditional literature in a class with Carleton faculty and in discussion sections with current Carleton students and hone their own skills in writing workshops. College Horizons is five-day program to prepare rising juniors and seniors who are Naive American, Native Alaskan, or Native Hawaiian for college. www.carleton.edu/summer

Carnegie Mellon University's Pre-College Summer Programs for Diversity include the Academy for Mathematics and Science , for rising juniors and seniors considering careers in engineering, science, and other math-based disciplines; the Advanced Placement Early Admission , in which students take two regular CMU classes for full credit; and the Fine Arts Programs in architecture, art, design, drama, or music. The programs last seven weeks. www.cmu.edu

Clark University's Summer Science Program presents Minds, Matter and Medicine in the 21 st Century , an all-expense paid, three-week program for rising seniors. www.clarku.edu/prospective/undergrads/summerscienceprogram/index.shtml

Clemson University's Summer Science and Engineering Enrichment Program offers one, two, and three-week courses for rising juniors and seniors. Options include: Basic Electronics, Bioengineering, Biology I and II, Chemistry, Computer Science I and II, DNA Science, Earth Science, Engineering Graphics, Geometry, Physics and Astronomy, Psychology, and Robotics. http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/summerscience/index.htm

Clemson University’s Economics Summer Camp  sponsored by the Dept. of Economics and BB&T, offers students (9-12) the chance to study a broad range of real world topics in economics with Clemson professors.  Experience college life including several special events.  One week.  No cost plus receive up to $300 to defer the cost of travel.   http://business.clemosn.edu/bbtcenter/    

Concordia Language Villages include 13 world language immersion programs (from Chinese to Swedish) for students ages seven to 18 as well as travel abroad opportunities. www.ConcordiaLanguagesVillages.org

The Contemporary Science Center's Entrepreneurs in Science is a weeklong camp held each July at Cary Academy. Rising 8th through 12th graders delve into epidemiology and blood exposure, take a new compound through drug discovery, chat with venture capitalists, and design an ad with marketing professionals. www.contemporarysciencecenter.org

Converse College Young Writers Workshop , first held in June 2004, is a weeklong, coeducational, residential program for rising 10th-12th graders. It offers daily critique sessions led by professional writers and writing workshops, craft discussions, panels, and readings to hone participants' skills in poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction. www.converse.edu/Academics/WritersWorkshop/WritersWorkshop.html

Cornell Summer College offers three-week seminars and a wide variety of six-week classes in architecture, psychology, law, veterinary medicine, communication, and many, many more fields. Students can earn college credit. For juniors and seniors, there are special opportunities for research apprenticeship and career exploration in life sciences. www.summercollege.cornell.edu

Cushing Academy Summer Programs include an individually-tailored skill development program (Critical Skills in English, Math, Study Techniques & Technology), a College Prep program with choices in the humanities and natural and mathematical sciences, and core courses in a variety of disciplines. Students ages 14 through 18 may take advantage of these residential programs at Cushing, a boarding school 62 miles from Boston. www.cushing.org/summer/summer.shtml

Davidson College's July Experience at Davidson is a three-week "educational, social, creative and personal-development program for rising high school seniors." Participants take two courses from several liberal arts disciplines—biology, English, mathematics, physics, psychology, anthropology, and political science.  www.davidson.edu/academic/education/julyexp.html

Duke University's Howard Hughes Precollege Program in the Biological Sciences is a seven-week program in which 15 rising juniors and seniors from area schools do full-time, hands-on research in lab settings with Duke scientists. Additional components include a morning seminar on scientific topics, informational sessions on the college application process and college life, a once-a-week tutorial, visits to other Duke science facilities, and informal social activities. Participants receive a $1,500 stipend. www.aas.duke.edu/trinity/hhughes/introduction/outreach/precollege/index.html

Duke University Summer Programs offers camps for high school students in creative writing, drama, and Constructing Your College Experience (CCE).  www.learnmore.duke.edu/youth

Duke University Talent Identification Program offers a wide variety of programs on the Duke campus and elsewhere. In the on-campus Pre-College Program (for rising seniors), students live in dorms, take summer classes with Duke undergraduates, and attend special workshops to help prepare for college. The two-week Global Dialogues Institute on International Politics and Law is held at Wake Forest University. The two-week Leadership Institute is held on Duke's East Campus. Duke's Field Studies program offers a wide variety of workshops—filmmaking, creative writing, ecology, and astronomy—at locations around the US, as well as workshops in Costa Rica, Paris, London, and Italy. ww.tip.duke.edu See also the entry below about Iowa State University's CY-TAG/Explorations programs and Johns Hopkins University's CTY.

Earlham College's Explore-A-College is a two-week program at its Richmond, Indiana campus where students learn college-level study skills while taking classes in the arts, humanities, sciences, religion, or foreign languages. They can earn college credit. www.earlham.edu/~eac .

Education Unlimited's Summer Focus Program offers rising 11th-12th graders college courses for credit at the University of California-Berkeley. www.educationunlimited.com

Four Star Academics at the University of Virginia offers high schoolers the chance to take college classes and earn college credit in its Senior Program (rising 10th-12th graders) or to pursue non-credit courses and other enrichment activities in its Junior Program (rising 7th-9th graders). www.4starcamps.com

Furman University Summer Scholars Program includes ten one and two-week programs for rising juniors and seniors and taught by Furman faculty: French, graphic design, interactive animations, law, leadership, personal health/fitness, psychology, and writing about film. Furman students serve as counselors and coordinate and oversee extracurricular activities. www.furman.edu/summerscholars

George Washington University Summer Scholars Pre-College Program is a six-week residential program for rising seniors. Classes take place on the downtown Foggy Bottom campus, while students reside on GW's Mt. Vernon campus a short shuttle ride up the hill. Participants earn credit in a course of their choosing, and explore academic interests through specially organized seminars in a broad cross section of academic disciplines. Enrichment offerings such as First Year Writing, College Study, and Beyond Admissions prepare students for college life. www.gwu.edu/summer/scholars

Georgetown University Summer School allows students, recommended by their principals or guidance counselors, who will have completed their junior year with a B average or better, to earn credit for coursework. www.georgetown.edu/ssce/summer

Hampton University's High School Journalism Institute seeks a racially and ethnically diverse group of rising 11th and 12th-grade students for a free weeklong program through its Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications. With help from professional journalists and Hampton faculty and students, the 18 participants become print and broadcast reporters, editors and producers. The experience journalism theory and practical, hands-on application to produce radio news, a newspaper, a website, and a television newsmagazine. www.hamptonu.edu/shsjc/institute.html

Harvard University Summer School allows juniors and seniors to take a wide variety of college courses alongside undergraduates from Harvard and other colleges, while living in dorms with other high school students. Students can earn college credit. There are recreational activities and workshops on college selection and admissions. www.sp.harvard.edu

The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Environmental Studies Youth Summer Institute is a two-week, college-level interdisciplinary program. Rising juniors and seniors conduct research in a variety of locations: on a 65-foot vessel on Seneca Lake and in streams, quaking bogs, the Adirondack Mountains, and laboratories. Participants explore topics in environmental policy, economics, and ethics, and see the natural world through the eyes of artists, historians, philosophers, and scientists. www.academic.hws.edu/enviro/welcome.html

Hollins University's Hollinsummer for 19 years has given high school women a two-week taste of college life, including two classes taught by Hollins faculty members, at its Roanoke, Virginia campus. www.hollins.edu

Iowa State University offers for rising 8th-12th graders CY-TAG—accelerated, fast-paced courses (approximately 100 hours of instructional time, equivalent to a full year of high school or a semester of college material)—and for rising 8th-11th graders Explorations—learning experiences in areas of study not traditionally taught in the high school curriculum. Eligibility criteria include a high score on the ACT or the SAT I. www.public.iastate.edu/~opptag_info This program is similar to Duke University's Talent Identification Program (please see above) and Johns Hopkins University's CTY . www.cty.jhu.edu

Johnson and Wales University's Career Explorations weekends for rising 11th and 12th graders include accounting, business, culinary arts, equine studies, fashion, finance, hospitality, legal studies, sports/entertainment/event management, and technology, depending on the campus (Charlotte, Denver, Miami, or Providence). www.jwu.edu/ad_hs_pgm.htm

July at Bennington invites students to enroll in two courses concurrently in the performing or visual arts, political and social sciences, sciences, or writing and literature. www.bennington.edu

The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop in an intensive, two-week summer program for students aged 16 through 18 at Ohio's Kenyon College. Participants spend 5 hours each day in workshop groups (13-15 students), meet individually with instructors, attend public readings by visiting poets, fiction writers, and essayists, and read their own works at these public sessions. www.kenyonreview.org/Writing/young

Landmark College's Summer Program for High School Students is a three-week program designed to build the skills of high school students with learning differences or AD/HD through coursework, activities, experiential learning, and the development of self-understanding and self-advocacy skills. The Transition Program for Recent High School Graduates and Their Parents is an intensive, 15-day program to help students with learning differences--and their parents--successfully navigate the move from home to college. Parents participate in the initial and session-ending workshops and complete "thinking tasks" during the intervening two-week period. www.landmark.edu/admissions/programs.html

Meredith College's Math Week gives young women rising to the 10th-grade the opportunity to explore mathematics in daily sessions, group projects, interaction with professional women, visits to NC State and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, and other activities. Each participant also creates her own personal web page. www.meredith.edu/mathcamp

North Carolina Central University 's University College has academic, sports, and other enrichment programs (including SAT preparation). Phone: 919.530.7677. Email Elaine W. Reid, Coordinator: ereid@wpo.nccu.edu

North Carolina State University College of Engineering Summer Programs for High School Students offers residential workshops for rising juniors and seniors in aerospace engineering, autonomous robotics, civil engineering/construction management, computer science, mechatronics, motor sports, and nuclear science as well as a one-week engineering overview program. www.engr.ncsu.edu/summerprograms

North Carolina State University   SATELLITE (Science and Technology Enriching Lifelong Leadership in Tomorrow's Endeavors) is a non-profit organization run by students from NC State. It is designed to introduce students from rural North Carolina high schools to science and technology related educational and career paths through a five-day retreat on the NC State campus each May. Approximately thirty Satellite scholars experience a wide array of demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on laboratory experiments with the assistance of professors and currently enrolled students from the College of Engineering (COE), the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), College of Textiles (COT), and the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS).  www.ncsu.edu/stud_orgs/satellite   

Notre Dame University Summer Experience students participate in an intensive three-week course of study. This summer, six academic tracks will be offered: life sciences, business/entrepreneurship, literature, pre-law, psychology, and theology. www.nd.edu/~precoll

Northfield Mount Hermon School Summer Session offers college courses to highschool students and a chance to earn credits. The sessions are five weeks long and include extracurricualr activities and off-campus trips. www.nmhschool.org

Peace College Summer Programs include the Leadership Experience, taught by Peace faculty.  This weeklong residential program, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, emphasizes active learning, group interaction, confidence-building and fun to help rising 9th and 10th grade girls develop successful leadership skills, even if they don't consider themselves leaders now. Day programs include the Dance Experience, the Digital Video Workshop, and the Web Workshop. Another residential option is the Women's Writing Project. www.peace.edu/summerprograms.html

The Princeton Review College Discovery Experience is an intensive two-wwek College Admissions Prep Program which features dozns of College visits for students entering grades 11&12. discovery@summerfun.com

The Putney School Summer Writing Program is a three-week residential program at this Vermont boarding and day school. The program includes college-like round table seminars, free writing time, one-on-one instruction, group editing, production of a student literary magazine, presentations and readings by guest writers, open readings of students' work, and excursions into the landscape and resources on campus and in the local community. www.putney.com/summer

Putney Student Travel offers EXCEL AT…. pre-college academic programs at Amherst and Williams, as well as in Oxford/Tuscany, Paris/Provence, and Madrid/Barcelona. Language learning, community service, and cultural exploration options are available in locales around the globe.  www.goputney.com

Quantum Learning's SuperCamp Senior Forum is a ten-day college-prep program for students in grades 9 through 12. Academic skills addressed include strategies for improving reading, writing, note-taking, memory, and SAT skills as well as life skills (e.g. communication, creative thinking, goal-setting, and problem solving). The similar College Forum is for students in grade 12 and college. Programs are available at the Claremont Colleges, Colorado College, Hampshire College, Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin--Parkside, and Wake Forest University. International programs are offered in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Switzerland, and Singapore with additional sites under development. www.supercamp.com

Robert E. Cook Honors College of Indiana University of Pennsylvania hosts two summer honors programs, one which includes discipline-specific courses (art, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, film, finance, journalism, literature, and philosophy) in the morning and an Interdisciplinary Honors Core Course in the afternoon where students tackle some of the most basic and debated questions of human existence (e.g. How do we discern the good from the bad? ), and one which consists of an intensive, discipline-specific week of exploration and discovery. Call toll-free 800.487.9122, or visit www.iup.edu/honors

The Salisbury Summer School of Reading and English is a month-long session for about a hundred students who've just completed the 8th-12th grades and wish to improve their language arts and study skills. This program, almost 60 years old, is located on a 600-acre campus in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in northwestern Connecticut. www.salisburysummerschool.org

Saint George's University on the Caribbean island of Grenada offers 10-day pre-medical and pre-veterinary summer programs for interested American and Grenadian high school students. The schedule includes lectures, labs, and a variety of recreational events, including whale and dolphin watching, a catamaran sail, trips to historic sites, beach parties, and a wrap up dinner. www.sgu.edu

Shelton Leadership Challenge Institute for Youth - The General Hugh Shelton Initiative for Leadership Development will host its fourth annual Shelton Leadership Challenge Institute for Youth. The program will be held at two separate locations:  July 9-14, at the Eastern 4-H Environmental Education Conference Center, Columbia, and July 23-28, at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte. The Institutes are a one-week summer experience for high school students. The sessions focus on Leadership Roles and Accountability, Team Building, Leadership Styles and Situations, Motivating Others, Citizen Responsibility, Integrity as a Leader, Public Speaking, Changing Behaviors, and Goal Setting. Students also are placed in leadership roles and participate in a 360° evaluation conducted by the coach, mentor, trainers and peer leaders. Cost to attend the institute is $375, which includes lodging, meals and materials needed for the sessions and a graduation ceremony. For more information, please go online to http://www.ncsu.edu/extension/sheltonleadership/youth_leadership/leadership_challenge.htm or contact Debbie Reno at debbie_reno@ncsu.edu or at 919/513-0150.

Skidmore College's Pre-College Program in the Liberal Arts allows high school students to tale two college courses, a full semester of credit. www.skidmore.edu

The Smith Summer Science Program is a four-week residential program for exceptional young women in rising to grades 9-12 with strong interests in engineering, medicine, or science. www.smith.edu/summerprograms/sssp

UVA Writers Workshop offers two sessions of workshops for a range of experience levels. Students have the opportunity to participate in readings, conferences, workshops and have a variety of oppportunities for publication and performances. web.virginia.edu/yww

Stanford University invites current juniors and seniors to participate in its eight-week Summer College taking undergraduate courses for credit. Optional courses and seminars include "Working Smarter," "Writing Well at the College Level," "College Admission 101," and "SAT I Preparation." The three-week Stanford Discovery Institutes in Creative Writing and in Philosophy are available to current sophomores, juniors, and seniors. http://summer.stanford.edu

Summer Discovery sponsors three to six-week programs at UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, the University of Michigan, Georgetown University, the University of Vermont, and Cambridge University. Students can earn college credit. A wide variety of academic and sports programs are offered. The catalogue shows which courses are available at which campuses. www.summerfun.com

The Summer Study Program for rising 10th-12th graders offers college credit and enrichment opportunities—SAT prep classes, sport-specific clinics, discussion groups, intramural sports, outdoor activities, and other special events—at the American University in Paris, Penn State, and the University of Colorado. A shorter enrichment program is also available for rising 9th-11th graders. www.summerstudy.com

Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics is a free, four-week enrichment program run at six of the UNC system campuses for rising 11th and 12th graders. A school nomination is required. www.ncssm.edu/Outreach/svsm.html

Syracuse University's Summer College for High School Students offers six-week programs in acting and musical theater, architecture, art and design, engineering and computer science, fashion and textile design, law, liberal arts, management, and public communications. Students can earn college credit. www.syr.edu/summer

Tuskegee University's Pre-College Programs in Engineering run from one to eight-weeks and allow students to take classes, engage in research, attend seminars, perform experiments, and make field trips. www.tusk.edu

The University of Chicago's Summer Session includes colleges courses and unique experiential program offerings. www.grahamschool.uchicago.edu/summer

The University of Miami's Summer Scholars Program offers three weeks of "sun, fun, and study" for rising junior and seniors. University faculty teach the courses for college credit in: Art: Design & Images, Broadcast Journalism, Filmmaking, Forensic Investigation, Global Politics, Health and Medicine, Marine Science, and Sports Management. www.miami.edu/summerscholar

Virginia Tech's C-Tech2 ( C omputers and Tech nology at Virginia Tech ) is a two-week program for highly motivated young men or women. These rising juniors and seniors explore various applications of engineering, mathematics, and science through hands-on activities. www.eng.vt.edu/academics/ctech2.

Washington University in St. Louis offers three, five and eight week sessions for highschool students. Students can choose from over 200 college courses and can earn college credits. www.ucollege.wustl.edu/summersc

Western Carolina University Legislators’ School for Youth Leadership Development (LSYLD)  All activities help students achieve program goals.  Opportunities provided for students to make choices and select activities based on interest.  Learn new skills in leadership, stretch to do more than you think possible, learn about self, broaden your “vision” of the world, have fun.  Usually one week in June.  Must be nominated.   Ore.wcu.edu/lsyld/legislators.htm

William and Mary's Pre-Collegiate Summer Program in Early American History offers a month-long opportunity for rising juniors and seniors to earn four hours of college credit by participating in a freshman-level course that teaches early American history through the use of historic sites. This program requires a nomination. www.wm.edu/niahd

Worcester Polytechnic University's Frontier Program is a two-week, residential program for rising juniors and seniors interested in biology and biotechnology, computer and electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physics, or robotics. www.wpi.edu/+frontiers

In addition to specific institutions mentioned above, many other colleges offer programs for high school students to take classes on-campus for college credit, including Birmingham-Southern College (AL) www.bsc.edu/admission , Brown University (RI) www.brown.edu/summer , Colorado College www.ColoradoCollege.edu/SummerSession , New York University www.nyu.edu/summer/highschool/index.nyu , Northwestern University (IL) www.scs.northwestern.edu/collegeprep , and Yale University (CT) www.yale.edu/summer .

Many colleges offer summer writing programs. A college counseling listserve recently listed the following “academic upgrading” programs that emphasize writing skills : Dean College, Curry College, Landmark College, Boston University, Salisbury Summer School of Reading and Writing (see details above), Wolfeboro Camp School, Project Advance at York University, Camp Kodiak, Ontario, Sheila Morrison School (summer academic program, located in Utopia, Ontario), Cornell University summer writing programs for high school students, and Columbia University College Preparatory Program. Northfield Mount Hermon Summer Session (Northfield, MA) offers a College Preparatory program which includes options to study expository and academic writing.

INDEX

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS PROGRAMS

Close UP Foundation offers weeklong government studies programs in Washington, DC from November through June for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. www.closeup.org

Congressional Youth Leadership Council sponsors the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC (six-day sessions throughout the year and 11-day sessions during the summer) and the Global Young Leaders Conference in both Washington, DC and New York City (12-day sessions during the summer). www.cylc.org

Junior Statesman Summer School offers “a challenging, dynamic academic experience to students who have a passion for politics and government.” Month-long sessions are held at Georgetown, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. Students take core classes in government, public speaking, law, etc. and participate in a mock US Congress. www.jsa.org

National Student Leadership Conference offers six and 11-day programs in Washington, DC and Palo Alto, California (Stanford University) on Law and Advocacy, Medicine and Health Care, International Diplomacy (including a United Nations simulation), and Mastering Leadership. College credit is available through American University in Washington, DC. www.nsicinfo.org

The National Youth Leadership Forum on Law is a Washington, DC-based, 6-day exploration of the legal profession. Activities include discussions with legal scholars and practitioners, seminars on current legal issues, visits to law schools, law firms, and local and federal courtrooms. The Supreme Court trip often includes a session with a sitting Justice. Students also participate in a Supreme Court simulation based on an actual case. The program is open to rising juniors and seniors. www.nylf.org

North Carolina Governor's Page Program allows students between 15 and 18 to spend a week delivering legislative bills, assisting in mass mailings, answering telephones, and delivering agency messages. Appointments are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Application forms may be submitted year-round and are available online. www.governor.state.nc.us

Presidential Classroom , begun in 1968, offers juniors and seniors 15 weeklong programs during the spring and summer: the flagship Presidential Classroom Scholars Program (US government and politics); the Global Business, e-Commerce, and Public Policy Program; the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program; the Media and Democracy Program; and the Law and Justice in a Democracy Program. www.presidentialclassroom.org

St. Alban's in Washington, DC has a School of Public Service in collaboration with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, and the National Association of Schools of Public Administration.  Fifty talented and highly motivated rising seniors from across the country will use factual cases and readings, meetings with policymakers, and visits to government agencies to enhance their public service education. www.staWeb.sta.cathedral.org/SPS

The University of Miami's Summer Scholars Program offers three weeks of "sun, fun, and study" for rising junior and seniors. University faculty teach the courses for college credit in a variety of concentrations, including Global Politics. www.miami.edu/summerscholar

The University of Wisconsin--Whitewater's World Affairs Seminar for almost 30 years has brought together for a week each June rising juniors and seniors, 1000 this year from some 50 countries around the world, to discuss global issues. www.worldaffairsseminar.org

Washington Workshops Foundation offers the weeklong Congressional Seminar during the spring and summer and the summer Diplomacy and Global Affairs Seminar in Washington, DC. The Advanced Congressional Seminar/Capitol Hill Internships offers the opportunity to work as an intern for three or six weeks during the summer on Capitol Hill and to earn college credit. www.workshops.org

INDEX

ARTS PROGRAMS

[see also ACADEMIC PROGRAMS ]

Art Institute of Boston at Lesley College Pre-College Summer Program is a four-week program for high schoolers to study art in a college environment with professional artists. The 25 courses in the Pre-College Summer Program include animation, clayworking, drawing, fashion illustration, graphic design, mural painting, painting, portfolio prep, sculpture, and video production. Founded in 1912, The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Photography, and combined majors. www.lesley.edu/aib/curriculum/precollege.html

Berklee College of Music (Boston) has weekend jazz workshops this summer for saxophone, bass, brass, keyboard, and percussion and other weekend programs on the business of music, music production, and songwriting. Other offerings include an intensive two day programs for the bass or saxophone, weeklong programs in guitar and strings as well as five-week and twelve-week programs. www.berklee.edu/summer/default.html

Boston University's College of Fine Arts offers for serious high school students the Tanglewood Institute (with programs in composition, orchestral performance, voice, and a wide range of individual instruments) and the six-week Theatre Institute. www.bu.edu/cfa

California College of the Arts Pre-College Program provides a four-week opportunity for some 225 high school students to study in an art school setting, earn 3 college credits, and prepare strong portfolio pieces for college admissions. Participants choose one of fourteen courses: architecture, ceramics,
creative writing, drawing/painting-sculpture, fashion design, graphic design, illustration-painting, industrial design, jewelry/metal arts, painting-drawing, photography-black and white, photography-color, printmaking-drawing, and video. CCA offers a Ninth-Grade Summer Atelier for students who have completed their first year of high school, as well as a Young Artist Studio Program for students who have completed the sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. For more information, please call 510.594.3710. www.cca.edu/academics/extended/index.php

Camp Broadway , founded in 1995, offers a five-day, non-residential acting experience for students aged 13-17 in its CB2 program (the original Camp Broadway is for children 9 to 12). The program includes instruction in voice, dance, solo and ensemble singing while learning and rehearsing dialogue, musical numbers and dance routines for a featured musical of the week. The week concludes with a performance for family and friends. www.campbroadway.com

Camp Curtain Call in Carroll County, VA offers magic and circus arts along with dance, acting, and music for students aged 10 to 18. The summer season, divided into two three-week sessions (participants can stay for both), includes dance and music concerts, magic show and juggling and stage combat performances, as well as plays and Broadway musicals. Sports activities are also available. www.campcurtaincall.com

Carnegie Mellon University's Fine Arts Programs allow students to explore serious studio- or conservatory-based programs in architecture, art, design, drama, or music at this beautiful Pittsburgh campus. www.cmu.edu

Catholic University of America's Experiences in Architecture is an intense, three-week workshop for students interested in architecture or other related design fields. Participants have the opportunity to visit architects' offices and attend lectures and films in addition to individual instruction, group critiques, and hands-on design work. www.architecture.cua.edu

Clemson University's Summer Architecture Enrichment Program accepts 15 rising juniors and seniors and exceptionally gifted sophomores. This two-week course involves theory classes, a design lab and field trips, including to Atlanta. http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/summerscience/index.htm

Converse College Audition Accents is a two-day audition preparation clinic hosted each June by the Petrie School of Music, the only professional school of music within a liberal arts college for women. Participants--young men and young women--interact with musicians and teachers, learn about the different kinds of majors and degrees available in music, receive coaching and feedback in preparation for a college audition, and gain the experience of a practice audition. The $25 registration fee covers food and lodging on the Converse campus and a Friday evening social activity. www.converse.edu/Petrie/enter.asp

Corcoran College of Art and Design Pre-College Summer Portfolio Development Program is a two-week intensive program of classes designed to prepare rising juniors and seniors for college admission in the field of art and design. Each morning the students participate in an intensive drawing and portfolio development class. In the afternoons, students will work in their two electives, chosen from digital arts, painting, photography, or sculpture. One week will be spent on each chosen elective. Students will develop a portfolio of work and exhibit their work on the final Friday of each session in the Corcoran's White Walls Gallery. www.corcoran.edu/ce/pre-college.asp

Cushing Academy's Summer Programs include a studio art and portfolio preparation option for students between ages 12 and 18. This six-week residential course involves hands-on practice of the fundamentals of color, composition, line, and space used in such media from pencil, canvas, metals, photographs, watercolor and oil. www.cushing.org/summer/summer.shtml

Drexel University's Discovering Architecture program runs for two weeks at the Philadelphia campus and features a design studio, computer design instruction, lectures, field trips, and cultural events. www.drexel.edu/comad/architecture/summer1.htm

East Carolina University's School of Music Summer Choral Camp is open to rising 8th-graders through just-graduated seniors. The three-night program includes a festival chorus, a guest artist concert, and electives (computers in music, conducting, guitar, music theory, piano, and voice). www.music.ecu.edu

Education Unlimited's Actor's Workshop includes a high school option for rising 9th-12th graders and an intensive workshop for rising 10th-12th graders at the University of California-Berkeley. www.educationunlimited.com

iD Tech Camps operate at universities in a number of states and in Spain. The closest is at UNC-Chapel Hill. Students aged 8-17 choose weeklong day and overnight programs in a host of technology-related areas, including cinematography, digital music editing, documentary filmmaking, multimedia and game creation, programming and robotics, stop motion animation, and web design and graphic arts. www.internaldrive.com

Interamerican University Studies Institute's Artes en Mexico program brings together teens with a passion for the arts in a four-week immersion in the language, culture, and arts of Mexico. Student live with a Mexican family, speak Spanish all day, and explore the arts with professional Mexican instructors. The four-week, eight-student Costa Rica--Pura Vida program includes a family homestay, intensive Spanish language classes, presentations by a Costa Rican biologist, jungle travel by boat, hiking in the Cloud Forest, a visit to the San Miguel Marine Biology Station on the Pacific Coast, and a tour of a coffee plantation. Applicants for either opportunity must be between 15 and 17 years old and have completed at least four semester of Spanish at the time of the program. IUSI also offers independent travel/study options year round in Querétaro, Mexico (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and Costa Rica. www.iusi.org

Maryland Institute College of Art's Pre-College Studio Residency Program in Baltimore brings together some 200 students from across the country and around the world to earn three college credits, enhance their portfolios, and expand their art experience through in-depth studio instruction, workshops, and an art history seminar. www.mica.edu

New York Film Academy offers acting and filmmaking workshops where students write, shoot, direct, and edit their own films. There are four, five, and six-week summer programs in several locations including Hollywood, New York, Orlando, Savannah, the Harvard and Princeton campuses, Amsterdam, Florence, London, and Paris. (The Academy also offers year-round workshops and full-year programs in acting and filmmaking.) www.nyfa.com

New York University's Summer Programs at the Tisch School of the Arts include locations in New York City, Dublin, and Paris and programs in acting, musical theatre performance, musical theatre writing, dramatic writing, experimental theatre, and filmmaking. Rising juniors and seniors may take advantage of these residential programs that also offer six college credits. www.specialprograms.tisch.nyu.edu/page/hsStudents.html

North Carolina Central University 's University College has academic, sports, and other enrichment programs (including SAT preparation). Phone: 919.530.7677. Email Elaine W. Reid, Coordinator: ereid@wpo.nccu.edu .

North Carolina School of the Arts ' Summer Session is a five-week experience in dance, drama, filmmaking, music, stage combat, or visual arts. www.ncarts.edu

North Carolina State University's Design Camp , sponsored by the College of Design, gathers some 80 rising 10th-12th graders for a week (day or residential) of work with faculty on projects from each of the College's disciplines--architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, art and design, and graphic design. A recent CFS alum participated in this program. www.ncsu.edu/www/ncsu/design/sod5/fac_serv/designcamp.html

Northwestern University's National High School Institute of Theatre Arts offers five-week programs in “theater arts and design/technical” and musical theater. Classes and rehearsals make for an intense schedule, seven days a week. (Northwestern's National High School Institute also offers programs in debate, journalism, Junior Statesmen, music, and media arts.)  www.northwestern.edu/nhsi

Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles Summer of Art is an intensive, four-week, pre-college program for students, ages 15 and older, in an art college environment. Serious young artists seeking to strengthen and enhance their art skills, as well as students with limited art training, are invited to participate. Participants take hands-on studio classes in am Area of Concentration and Foundation Studio courses. Each student, with help from the faculty, selects his or her best work for the culminating exhibition displayed throughout the campus. www.otis.edu/gmenu2.php?hed=72

Oxbow School Summer Camps are three-week experiences in the Napa Valley for students 12 to 16 years old. In the SFX (Special Effects) program, students apply their art-making and storytelling skills to create fantasy characters, situations, and imaginary worlds and then tell those stories in media from cartoons and storyboards to 3-D models and digital media. The Serious Art, Serious Fun program focuses on project-based art in computer, drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. www.oxbowschool.org/summercamp/home.html

Parsons School of Design's Summer Intensive Studies offers New York or Paris-based programs in animation design, architecture, design and management, drawing and painting, fashion design, graphic design, interior design, photography, product design, and robotics. www.parsons.edu/sis

Penland School of Crafts is a national center for craft education located on 400 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Founded in the 1920s, Penland now offers one and two-week courses during the summer as well as eight-week courses during the fall and spring in ten craft media. www.penland.org

Pratt University's Pre-College Program features opportunities in architecture, art and design discovery, art history, creative writing, cultural studies, fashion design, fine arts (drawing and painting), graphic design, illustration (traditional or digital), industrial design, interior design, media arts/video, photography, and sculpture in New York City. www.pratt.edu/precollege

The Putney School Summer Art Workshops include visual and performing arts options and take place over three weeks at this Vermont boarding and day school. Professional artists, performers, and teachers lead all workshops. After learning and reviewing approaches to the field, students undertake a project to be completed by the end of the session. Faculty, assisted by teaching apprentices, work individually with each student. Workshops offer field trips to local artists' studios, galleries, performances and museums. Each session culminates in exhibits and performances on the final evening and closing day. www.putney.com/summer

Rhode Island School of Design Pre-College Program introduces high school students to the curriculum of a college of art and design for six weeks. A 2004 CFS graduate participated in the program. Nearby Brown University and RISD collaborate to offer the four-week multidisciplinary Thinking and Making - Philosophy, Art, and the Human Condition as a combination of the Humanities and Studio Art. The focus is on developing a deeper understanding of the foundation of Modern Day thought and how the involvement of the individual in those ideas shaped and still shapes the making of art.
www.risd.edu/precollege.cfm

Rocky Mountain School of Photography , based in Missoula, Montana, offers photography workshops of varying lengths at a variety of locations. www.rmsp.com

Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh offers an annual Teen Summer Film Workshop for two weeks each June. Participants receive hands-on training in directing, acting for film, screenwriting, camera-work, sound, storyboarding, non-linear editing, and more. www.st-aug.edu/divs/lis/film/workshops.htm 919.516.4371/919.516.4364

Savannah College of Art and Design offers two programs for students interested in pursuing education and career in the visual and performing arts, design, building arts, or the history of art and architecture. The five-week Rising Star program is for rising seniors and offers college credit. The several one-week Savannah Summer Seminars are open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. www.scad.edu

School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Early College Program offers two and three-week programs in animation, digital imaging, fashion design, graphic design, interior architecture, painting and drawing, photography, sculpture, and video. www.artic.edu/saic

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Pre-College Summer Studio is an interdisciplinary four-week program in which 10th-12th graders explore drawing, painting, sculpture, and video for college credit. www.smfa.edu/continuing/precollege_about.asp

Skidmore College's AP/Art Program is designed for highly motivated and talented high school students who wish to augment their studio art experiences in a rigorous college environment. www.skidmore.edu

Snow Farm, The New England Craft Program in Williamsburg, MA offers hands-on, intensive three and six-week programs in ceramics; drawing and color; glassblowing; flameworking, fused and stained glass; metalsmithing and jewelry constructions; photography; and textile art. www.snowfarm.org

Syracuse University's Summer College for High School Students offers six-week programs in acting and musical theater, architecture, art and design, fashion and textile design, and several non-arts disciplines. Students can earn college credit. www.syr.edu/summer

United States Military Academy offers a Summer Leaders Seminar. The program focuses on academic courses, atletics, and social experiences for students. forms.admissions.usma.edu/AL

University of the Arts Pre-College Programs take place on the Avenue of the Arts in the heart of Center City Philadelphia and are open to students ages 15 to 19. Those 16 or older may choose to stay in UArts dorms and take part in a full program of evening and weekend activities. The four-week Summer World of Dance program includes African-American, ballet, Brazilian, hip hop, modern, tap, and other courses. The Summer Institute includes: Acting Studio (acting, movement, stage combat, mask, and speech), ArtsSmart (visual arts), Jazz Workshop (instrumental and voice), Media Workshops (animation, computer game design, screen directing and writing, and video production), Musical Theater (acting, dance, and voice), and PREP (visual arts for recent high school graduates). www.uarts.edu/precollege/index.cfm

University of North Carolina-Charlotte Architecture Summer Program , hosted by the College of Architecture, seeks to introduce 45 high school students (at least age 16) to architecture for a week each June. Students work in a studio setting and explore a variety of architectural issues through a series of design projects. Additionally, students use the College's computer labs, hear presentations by faculty and local professionals, and tour local architectural offices and important buildings. Participants live in University housing. www.coa.uncc.edu/files/college/collegeintro2.html

University of Southern California's Exploration of Architecture for more than 20 years has offered summer programs, now ranging from one to three weeks. Students explore architecture as a career but also learn about the design process and how cities are built. They experience lectures, site visits to significant buildings, and architectural office tours. www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/explor

The Vermont Arts Institute at the Lyndon Institute offers one and two-week residential programs where young artists in grades 9 through 12 can explore and learn the crafts of animation, film, screenwriting, theatre, visual arts, and writing. Middle schoolers may also take advantage of jazz and theatre programs. www.vermontarts.org

INDEX

VOLUNTEER/OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAMS

[see also INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS ]

America's Adventures & Venture Europe (AAVE) since 1976 has offered summer programs, 2-6 weeks long, for students aged 11 to 19. Locations include Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Asia, Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, the Rocky Mountain states, & Canada. Components may include biking, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, sailing, sea kayaking, surfing, service projects, and language immersion. www.aave.com

Asheville School's Summer Academic Adventures is a three-week program designed for academically talented students entering grades 7 through 10. Mornings are spent studying the humanities, math, science, art, and computer technology. Afternoons are spent playing games and sports, or whitewater rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, and hiking in the mountains of western North Carolina. www.ashevilleschool.org

Christ School Summer Learning Adventures provides academic enrichment and experiential outdoor learning opportunities for rising 9th-12th-graders in an intensive five-week summer session in the mountains of North Carolina. www.christschool.org/sumpro.html

Cottonwood Gulch , founded in 1926, maintains a 540-acre base camp and ecological preserve in the Zuni mountains of New Mexico. Its summer programs provide individuals an opportunity to experience the historic, cultural, environmental and natural significance of the American Southwest. Programs emphasize outdoor living skills, scientific inquiry, wilderness camping, fun and frontier adventure. www.cottonwoodgulch.org

Deer Hill Expeditions programs have combined community service with outdoor adventures—backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, mountaineering, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting—in the American Southwest for rising 9th-12th-graders since 1985. www.deerhillexpeditions.com

Duke Hospital Summer JR. Volunteer Program offers students between the ages of 14 and 18 service opportunities at the hospital. tel# 818-684-3646

Eagles Nest Camp offers three-week “Hante” outdoor adventure programs for high school students, including backpacking, mountain biking, and mountaineering. This is the same group that runs the semester-long Outdoor Academy program in Brevard. www.enf.org

The Earthwatch Institute sponsors more than 140 projects in 18 states and 50 countries. Individuals may join short-term volunteer opportunities directly assisting scientists in their field research. Most projects are 10-14 days long, but one-week, three-week, and weekend opportunities are also available. Expeditions relate to archaeology, biodiversity, cultural diversity, endangered ecosystems, global change, oceans and world health. Programs include ones focused on cacti and orchids in the Yucatan, butterflies in Vietnam, dolphins in Costa Rica, coastal archaeology in Maine, and coral reefs in the Virgin Islands. Team members must be at least 16 years of age. www.earthwatch.org

Eno River State Park seasonal positions as assistant park ranger, naturalist, natural resource management intern, park attendant, and general utility worker are available this spring, summer, and fall. The positions, both part time and full time, are paid and wages range from $6.00 to $7.25 an hour. Phone 919.383.1686 or email eno.river@ncmail.net.

High Mountain Institute's Leading Edge is designed for young adults as an intensive two-week summer leadership development program through a balance of hands-on experiences, academic study, and thoughtful evaluation, The Leading Edge faculty will lead students to consider carefully their own skills, areas for development, and roles as leaders within their own communities (home, school, peers, family, etc.). Experiences such as living and traveling in the backcountry of the Colorado Rockies provide fodder for spirited and honest consideration of each student's strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Intensive intellectual study of leadership theories and practices build a foundation of knowledge for each student. A solo, peak ascent, and careful final evaluations (by faculty, self, and peers) conclude the program. The program is designed for students who have completed their senior year of high school and for exceptional students in the summer between junior and senior year. www.hminet.org

Interlocken Crossroads Adventure Travel includes community service, wilderness and other outdoor education experiences, and performing arts programs in the US and abroad, including Cuba. www.interlocken.org

Kieve , in addition to its Maine summer camps for boys and girls and semester-long program for sophomore girls, offers a 25-day co-ed summer wilderness experience in Colorado's Rocky Mountains for 16 to 18-year-olds. Backcountry skills include off trail navigation, small group travel, river crossing, and rock climbing. www.kieve.org

Landmark Volunteers offers two-week summer service programs in parks, historic and cultural sites nationwide. Students live and work in groups of 13 with an adult leader. They mainly do manual labor – painting, building and grounds maintenance, trail clearing, fence building, etc. www.volunteers.com

National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) builds outdoor skills and leadership through extended expeditions, some offered for college credit. NOLS courses are offered throughout the year. www.nols.edu

North Carolina Outward Bound offers programs in backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, sea kayaking, etc. in the NC mountains, Outer Banks, and other locations. Summer courses range from nine to 49 days. Ages 14-18 and adult. The Counseling Resource Library includes a video about Outward Bound. www.ncoutwardbound.org The national organization organizes five-day to semester long programs around the world, some for college credit. www.outwardbound.org

Pendle Hill , as part of its Youth and Social Witness Programs, offers a weeklong Youth Camp for High School Students in July. Participants ages 15-18 engage in a two-day workcamp, justice education, Pendle Hill service projects and meeting for worship, and community building activities. www.pendlehill.org/youth_programs.htm

Putney Student Travel , in addition to its pre-college and language learning programs, offers community service options in locales around the globe. New for summer 2005 are the Global Awareness in Action Corps, five teams who will have three week experiences working with local residents on major issues (in Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, and Senegal), bookended by meetings at Yale University. www.goputney.com

Rustic Pathways for more than 20 years has organized international adventure and community service experiences for students aged 13 and over. Participants can go on a four-wheel drive safari in Australia, surf in Fiji, practice their Spanish and help with a turtle conservation project in Costa Rica, study Buddhist life or work in elephant conservation in Thailand, ski and snowboard in New Zealand, sea kayak in Hawaii, and mountain bike in the American Southwest. Programs range from a week to 66 days (the Extreme Planet program in five countries on three continents). www.rusticpath.com .

Student Conservation Association offers month-long volunteer experiences in US national parks. Crews of six to ten high school students with two adult leaders do projects such as trail building and maintenance; constructing shelters, rock walls, and bridges; habitat and riparian restoration; and invasive species removal. These projects may take place deep in the backcountry, in more accessible parklands, or within well-populated communities. Crews live and work out of a base camp, sleeping in tents and sharing camp responsibilities such as cooking and cleaning. www.thesca.org

Wild Rockies Field Institute was founded in 1993 by several instructors at the University of Montana. Students learn about environmental issues and the threats to specific ecosystems while traveling in the field, from Alaska to Mexico. Courses range in length from a week to two months during the spring, summer, and fall. College credit is offered through the University of Montana. www.wildrockies.org/wrfi

Woods Hole offers several summer programs for high school students. Science at SEA (SAS) is a 19-day program for sophomores, juniors and seniors, and focuses on the coastal and offshore marine environment around Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Oceanography of the Gulf of Maine (OGM) is an 18-day program open to high school juniors, seniors, and college freshmen. Each section has two components: one on Appledore Island at the Shoals Marine Lab and one at sea on board one of SEA's tall ships. Oceanography of the Southern California Bight (OSCB) is a three-week program for sophomores, juniors and seniors focused on marine environments off the Southern Californian coast. Half of the program takes place on Catalina Island and half aboard SEA's new 134' sailing vessel. College credit is available for all three programs. www.sea.edu

INDEX

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

[see also SCHOOL YEAR AND POST-GRADUATION PROGRAMS ]

Academic Study Associates offers language and culture programs in France, Italy, and Spain. www.asaprograms.com

AFS , since 1947, has sponsored international exchanges. Now, some 10,000 young people and educators participate each year. Students may choose from summer, semester, and year study abroad programs as well as community service programs. Scholarships are available. www.afs.org

Phone: 800.AFS.INFO.

America's Adventures & Venture Europe (AAVE) since 1976 has offered summer programs, 2-6 weeks long, for students aged 11 to 19. Locations include Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Asia, Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, the Rocky Mountain states, & Canada. Components may include biking, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, sailing, sea kayaking, surfing, service projects, and language immersion. www.aave.com

ASSE was established in 1976 as the American Scandinavian Student Exchange by the Swedish Government to organize student exchange programs between Sweden and the United States but has since grown to include almost 30 countries and summer and year programs. www.asse.com

Audubon Expedition Institute allows high school seniors to do a first-semester experience as part of its undergraduate and graduate programs, a collaboration with Lesley University (MA) and the National Audubon Society. Participants travel North America to immerse themselves in ecological issues. www.getonthebus.org

AYUSA , a non-profit organization founded in 1980, offers summer, term, and semester home-stay programs in countries around the world. www.ayusa.org

Broadreach offers experiential educational trips and leadership courses for teenagers including marine biology, rainforest field studies, community service programs, wilderness adventures, and live-aboard scuba/sail training. Locations include the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Australia. www.gobroadreach.com

China Workcamp is a program of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, and is now in its third year. Participants from the US, China, Japan, and Korea gather in Beijing for four days before moving on to live and teach in rural Hunan Province for three weeks. www.pym.org/workcamps

Experiment in International Living has three- to five-week programs in many countries and the Navaho Nation. Students stay with a host family and participate in group activities including travel, language study, community service, ecology, and the arts. www.usexperiment.org

Global Volunteers is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian organization devoted to local empowerment and community development in the US and around the world. Volunteers choose from some 150 programs in 90 host communities spanning 19 countries for one, two, or three-week stints. Participants may work on a literacy project in Mississippi, teach English in Ghana, care for orphaned children in the Ukraine, help with environmental conservation in the Cook Islands, repair community facilities in Costa Rica, or assist with basic health care in Tanzania. www.globalvolunteers.org

Global Works offers cultural exchange, language experience, and language immersion programs in Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, Bolivia/Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Fiji Islands, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Trips generally include service, adventure, and cultural activities. Globalworks' director visited CFS in spring 2004. www.globalworksinc.com

Global Youth Village offers an three-week international summer camp in Virginia. Sixty youth (ages 13-18) and staff from more than 20 countries explore skills and perspectives on development issues, prejudice, peace building, and community action. www.globalyouthvillage.org

Interamerican University Studies Institute's Artes en Mexico program brings together teens with a passion for the arts in a four-week immersion in the language, culture, and arts of Mexico. Student live with a Mexican family, speak Spanish all day, and explore the arts with professional Mexican instructors. The four-week, eight-student Costa Rica--Pura Vida program includes a family homestay, intensive Spanish language classes, presentations by a Costa Rican biologist, jungle travel by boat, hiking in the Cloud Forest, a visit to the San Miguel Marine Biology Station on the Pacific Coast, and a tour of a coffee plantation. Applicants for either opportunity must be between 15 and 17 years old and have completed at least four semester of Spanish at the time of the program. IUSI also offers independent travel/study options year round in Querétaro, Mexico (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and Costa Rica. www.iusi.org

LEAPNow offers seven-week summer programs of cultural exploration and self-transformation on 5 continents—Africa (South Africa), Asia (Bali), Europe (Italy), North America (US), and South America (Bolivia/Peru). www.leapnow.org

The Oceanic Society seeks to "protect marine wildlife worldwide through an integrated program of scientific research, environmental education and volunteerism." Advanced high school students and others may choose the Caribbean Coral Reef Ecology Program , a weeklong field study of Belize's coral reef environments by boat, snorkeling, and walking/wading the beaches and intertidal reef, lagoon, sea grass beds, beach, storm beach, and mangrove islands. High school and/or university credit is available. The Bahamas Dolphin Project is a two-credit, hands-on field research experience studying the behavior of wild spotted dolphins in the Bahamas. Other research expeditions (open to young people but not focused on them), usually a week, are available in the Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, and Surinam and include crocodiles, dolphins, giant otters, manatees, and sea turtles. Natural history expeditions go to a host of locales, including the Amazon, Antarctica, the Galapagos, Micronesia, New Zealand, Vancouver Island, and the US. Programs run throughout the year. www.oceanic-society.org

123TeachMe is a free directory and search engine of French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish language schools around the globe. www.123teachme.com

Oxford, Cambridge, and Paris . The Cambridge Tradition, a four-week program at Cambridge University in England, offers courses in the arts, humanities, languages, sciences and social sciences. Similar programs are offered at Oxford University and the Académie de Paris. www.oxbridgeprograms.com

Putney Student Travel offers:

ADVENTURE TRAVEL: a series of extended stays, sometimes including homestays, balancing city life and country life, to Europe and Australia/New Zealand/Fiji.

LANGUAGE LEARNING: immersion language experiences in Costa Rica, France, and Spain.

COMMUNITY SERVICE: in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe.

EXCEL AT…. academic programs at colleges in Cuba, Madrid/Barcelona, Prague/Krakow, and Oxford/Tuscany.

www.goputney.com

Rustic Pathways for more than 20 years has organized international adventure and community service experiences for students aged 13 and over. Participants can go on a four-wheel drive safari in Australia, surf in Fiji, practice their Spanish and help with a turtle conservation project in Costa Rica, study Buddhist life or work in elephant conservation in Thailand, ski and snowboard in New Zealand, sea kayak in Hawaii, and mountain bike in the American Southwest. Programs range from a week to 66 days (the Extreme Planet program in five countries on three continents). www.rusticpath.com .

Spoleto Study Abroad , based in Raleigh, offers talented secondary school students interdisciplinary cultural studies in a European setting. A "Renaissance program for the Renaissance student" interested in studying instrumental or vocal music, drama, creative writing, photography, or visual arts.   www.spoletostudyabroad.com

TASIS , the highly regarded American School in Switzerland founded in 1956, offers summer academic and enrichment programs, many for credit, in England, France, Spain, and Switzerland.. www.tasis.com

The University of Dallas offers summer programs for high school students in Europe. These college courses focus on Latin or Shakespeare in Rome and Winston Churchill in London. www.udallas.edu/travel/hs.cfm

The University of St. Andrews Scottish Studies Summer Program offers high school students broad exposure to the archaeology, history, literature, art and music of Scotland through traditional British seminars and tutorials as well as field trips and other activities. www.st-andrews.ac.uk/admissions/SSSProg.htm#Background

Where There Be Dragons offers six-week travel programs in Asia and Latin America for students age 15+. “Through cultural immersion, home-stays, service projects, wilderness exploration, and an introduction to the world-views and development issues of the nations we visit, students return with a broad understanding of life in the developing w