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- Community Service
- Cultural Exploration
- Emerging Leaders
- Foundations Middle School
- Global Awareness in Action
- Language Learning
- Pre-College Enrichment
Community Service Argentina
Live and volunteer in a rural community, joining local people in completing important service projects on this summer community service program in Argentina for high school students. Help make building improvements to the village’s high school, tend community crops, and teach English to local children. Experience Argentina’s geographic and cultural diversity on visits to Colonial Salta, and to the avenues, monuments, and cafés of cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.
Community Service Costa Rica
Live and volunteer in a rural Costa Rican village and work side by side with local people as part of this summer community service program in Costa Rica for high school students. Wake each morning to the sounds of howler monkeys and exotic birds and spend your day helping build a community center or classroom, teaching English, or running a summer camp for local kids.
Community Service Dominica
Join us for three weeks of community service in a small Caribbean village tucked into the volcanic hills of Dominica’s windward coast on this summer community service program in The Caribbean for high school students. Organize a summer arts program for kids, join local workers to complete small-scale construction projects, snorkel in crystal clear ocean water among schools of tropical fish, and explore the Victorian capital of Roseau.
Community Service Dominican Republic (8th and 9th Grade)
Travel to a small, undeveloped village in The Caribbean to complete important volunteer projects on this summer community service program in the Dominican Republic. Spend your days volunteering at an enrichment camp for children, laying cement blocks to help build a new classroom, and learning about the lives of local families who support themselves by finishing semiprecious larimar stone for jewelry and ocean fishing from wood longboats.
Community Service Ecuador & the Galápagos
Spend three weeks living in Ecuador’s Andean highlands on this summer community service program in Ecuador for high school students. Join members of a local Quechua community in meaningful service projects, ranging from light volunteer construction work to teaching schoolchildren to helping with the local harvest. Then, explore the other-worldly landscapes and extraordinary wildlife of the Galápagos Islands – one of the most unusual places on earth and home to giant tortoises, lava tunnels, equatorial penguins, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies. Traveling from island to island by boat, cruise, hike, and snorkel through unmatched geographic and biological diversity.
Community Service Fiji
Join us for three weeks of community service and exploration in the South Pacific on this summer community service program in Fiji for high school students. Work alongside community members to complete a small-scale construction project and volunteer time at the local kindergarten. Gain a deeper understanding of the Fijian way of life and learn about this culturally diverse island nation. Fijians maintain strong ties to their heritage by preserving the traditional arts, ceremonies, and ways of life that make the island culture so unique. Experience this culture first hand as you get to know our Fijian hosts and explore the mountains, coast, and coral reefs of this charming country.
Community Service Ghana
Spend a month in a small fishing village in Ghana, West Africa on this summer community service program for high school students. Volunteer on meaningful projects at the Trinity Yard School with local friends, visit the breathtaking Wli Falls, and learn about Ghana’s history at the Cape Coast slave castle.
Community Service India
Volunteer on construction and agricultural projects on this summer community service program in India for high school students. Spend your days laying cement blocks, paving sidewalks, or teaching English to local children while absorbing the rich colors, sounds, and scents of village life from our unique base in a renovated castle.
Community Service Peru
Immerse yourself in village life in Peru’s Sacred Valley, on this South American summer community service program for high school students. In the course of one month, high school students complete meaningful volunteer projects, experience the colorful and rich culture of the descendants of the Incas, and visit some of the most important sites of the Inca empire, including Machu Picchu.
Community Service Rwanda
Immerse yourself in African village life as you join extraordinarily welcoming local people to volunteer on community-initiated projects on this summer community service program in Rwanda for high school students. Visit memorials of the 1994 genocide, and talk with survivors about Rwanda’s progressive approach to reconciliation. Explore the lush northern volcanoes region of Rwanda, and visit Lake Kivu before your return home.
Community Service Senegal
Immerse yourself in the rhythm of West African life as you volunteer alongside local friends on this summer community service program in Senegal for high school students. Explore the vibrant, historic cities of Dakar and Saint-Louis, view the abundant wildlife of the Bandia Reserve and the Sine-Saloum mangroves, and become a part of our small community, where Senegal’s national motto, “Teranga” or “Welcome” is a heartfelt way of life.
Community Service Tanzania
Immerse yourself in village life as you join local people to volunteer on community-initiated projects on this summer community service program in Tanzania, East Africa, for high school students. During the final week, enjoy a specially designed safari that combines world-class wildlife viewing in Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park with a stay at a remote Maasai village.
Community Service Vietnam
Immerse yourself in the life of a tiny Southeast Asian village on this summer community service program in Vietnam for high school students. Just five kilometers from the site of the My Lai massacre, our work provides an opportunity to engage in satisfyingly tangible service and to build lasting connections with the friendly and enthusiastic local people.
Cultural Exploration Australia, New Zealand, Fiji
Join us for an active cultural adventure Down Under on this summer program for high school students to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Experience subtropical Queensland, the alpine winter landscapes of New Zealand, and the South Pacific paradise of Fiji. Get beyond the typical tourist itinerary and experience these unique places in engaging and exciting ways.
Cultural Exploration Baja & the Sea of Cortez
Join us for two weeks of ocean exploration in what Jacques Cousteau called the ‘Galapagos of North America’ on this high school summer program on the Baja Peninsula. Experience everything that the warm, calm waters have to offer while living in seaside cottages, known as ‘casitas’, in the village of La Ventana. One of the most bio-diverse marine environments in the world, the Sea of Cortez is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Become an ocean-minded traveler while snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, surfing, boating, and exploring the “world’s aquarium.”
Cultural Exploration Farm to Table in Italy
Food – nutritious, abundant, and lovingly prepared – occupies a central role in Italian cultural identity. Together with fellow food lovers and culinary-trained leaders, discover the art and science of Italian food on this summer trip to Italy for high school students. Sow, harvest, cook, and savor as you explore the myriad ingredients of this vital cultural tradition.
Cultural Exploration Kilimanjaro
Join trekking experts to attempt an ascent of majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,340 feet high. During the final days, enjoy a specially designed safari that combines world-class wildlife viewing in Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park with a stay at a Maasai village on this summer outdoor adventure program in Tanzania for high school students.
Cultural Exploration Surfing & Service in Nicaragua
Learn how to surf on beautiful beaches, explore the city of León, and work with welcoming Nicaraguans to complete important community projects. You’ll receive individualized surf instruction during 3 separate surfing excursions. While in your village, spend your days running an enrichment camp for children, working to lay cement blocks with a local foreman, and learning about the lives of local families.
Cultural Exploration Switzerland, Italy, France, Holland
Join us on this European summer cultural exploration program for high school students in Switzerland, Italy, France, and Holland. From the mountain trails and summer snowfields of the Swiss Alps and the Italian Dolomites, to the rich culture of Florence and Paris, and on to the bike paths, cheese markets, and beaches of rural Holland, join us to experience Europe as an actively engaged traveler with a group of like-minded students. This is the original Putney program, first led 62 years ago by founders George and Kitty Shumlin.
Cultural Exploration Theatre in Britain
Join the storied ranks of the Putney Players as we work as a team to write and produce an original production for debut at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival on this summer theatre program in Britain for high school students. Deepen your knowledge of acting, playwriting, stagecraft, history of the theatre, and publicity on your way to a comprehensive understanding of the theatre world.
Cultural Exploration Writing in Ireland
Putney is proud to celebrate our distinguished legacy of writing programs abroad with an exciting new summer creative writing program in Ireland for high school students. Expand and refine your writing abilities with a select group of passionate, like-minded peers. Explore magical Ireland and study the craft under the guidance of published and often acclaimed young writers who understand that a writing program should be immersive, vibrant, meaningful, and fun. Write in cafés, ruined monasteries, grand estates, and windswept hilltop castles. Participate in Ireland’s amazing storytelling tradition at readings, concerts, plays, city parks, and evocative village taverns.
Cultural Exploration Yoga & Spirituality in India
Based in the South Indian city of Mysore, we start each day with yoga and meditation led by our very own yogi on this summer program in India for high school students. In the afternoons, dive into South India’s warm and welcoming community through engaging enrichment seminars and activities. Travel to iconic Kochi, the gem of India’s Keralan coast, and finish in bustling Mumbai with a visit to the world’s oldest yoga center.
Emerging Leaders South Africa
Explore the principles of leadership in the context of South Africa’s troubled past and its dynamic present on this summer program in South Africa for high school students. Learn from those leaders who forged a new post-apartheid path for South Africa, and interact with South African peers who are on their way to becoming the next generation of community-builders. Demonstrate your ability to work in a group, and develop new skills as you explore Cape Town and the stunning beauty of Africa’s southern coast.
Foundations Middle School Costa Rica
Enjoy the tropical white sand beaches of the Pacific coast and immerse yourself in the local culture while volunteering on this summer program in Costa Rica for middle school students.
Foundations Middle School Spain
With the storied southern city of Granada as a base, explore Mediterranean landscapes, white-washed villages, and winding cobblestone neighborhoods on this summer program in Spain for middle school students. Spend your days engaging with this fascinating city through a diversity of fun activities. Finish the program with a road trip to the alpine forests of Grazalema, and the breezy beaches of Cádiz.
Global Awareness in Action Brazil
Gain hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge of development in South America on this summer program in Brazil for high school students. Focus on the fields of education and agriculture in both urban and rural settings to better understand the challenges that many Brazilians face today, as well as the paths towards progress. At the end of the program, return to Yale to present your discoveries and experiences with other Global Awareness in Action groups.
Global Awareness in Action Cambodia
Join a small team to learn in-depth about the lives of contemporary Cambodians on this summer program in Cambodia for high school students. As a team, prepare a production that fuses Cambodians’ accounts with your perspectives. Present your team’s work at Yale University at the conclusion of the program.
Global Awareness in Action India
Join us for one of Putney’s most “off the beaten track” programs as you explore issues related to conservation and education on this summer program in India for high school students. Live and work with young students at an innovative school, hike from village to village over high passes, stay with Tibetan monks in monasteries, and contrast the calm majesty of the mountains with the frenetic pace of New Delhi and the serenity of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Travel to Yale University during the last three days of the program to share your experiences with all Global Action groups.
Global Awareness in Action Rwanda
Join a small group of students and two leaders in an in-depth examination of health care in Rwanda—a small, lush, mountainous Eastern African nation with a horrific recent history, but a remarkably progressive and positive approach to confronting its challenges. Visit and work in settings ranging from a remote rural health clinic to more modern and better-equipped facilities in a small city, and return with a nuanced understanding of the human, social, economic, and technical issues affecting public health provision in a developing nation. Travel to Yale University during the last three days of the high school summer program in Africa to share your experiences with all Global Action groups.
Language Learning Argentina
Immerse yourself in Argentine life by living in a rural village on this summer Spanish language immersion and service program for high school students. From the gregarious people and rugged natural beauty of your South American host village, to the colonial splendor of Salta, to sophisticated and thriving Buenos Aires, explore the fascinating cultural and geographic range of this South American gem.
Language Learning China
Whether you are just starting to explore Chinese language and culture, or already have several years of high-school Mandarin, experience the richness of China’s cultural heritage through field-based learning on this summer language program in China for high school students. Build your Mandarin through real world interactions, as you delve into China’s economics, religion, the arts, and current events. Begin in Beijing, then visit the Great Wall, Nanjing, the Yellow Mountains, and Shanghai.
Language Learning Costa Rica
Immerse yourself in the life of a rural Latin American village on this summer Spanish language program in Costa Rica for high school students. Practice your Spanish with a farmer while you harvest coffee beans, learn to lay blocks as you build a wall at the community center, run a day camp for children, and delve into Costa Rican life during a week-long family homestay.
Language Learning France (10th, 11th, and 12th Grade)
Immerse yourself in French language and culture as you explore the cosmopolitan cities and off-the-beaten-track villages of France on this summer language immersion program in France for high school students. Visit the chateaux of the Loire Valley, swim and picnic beneath the Pont du Gard, go zip-lining and canyoning in the Alps, and spend a homestay week becoming part of a French family.
Language Learning France (8th and 9th Grade)
Immerse yourself in French language and culture as you explore the cosmopolitan cities and off-the-beaten-track villages on this summer program in France for high school and middle school students. Visit Mont St Michel and the D-day beaches in Normandy, swim and picnic beneath the Pont du Gard, try zip-lining or surfing, and spend five days becoming part of a French family.
Language Learning Spain
Immerse yourself in Spanish language and culture on this active summer language program in Spain for high school students. Visit El Museo del Prado in Madrid and the Alhambra palace of Granada, learn to surf on Spain’s northern coast, hike and horseback ride in the Picos de Europa mountains, and spend a week paired with a local teenager.
Pre-College Enrichment Amherst College
Join us for three weeks of college-style learning on the historic, tree shaded campus of the prestigious liberal arts school, Amherst College. Excel’s small seminars are engaging, interactive, and free from the pressure of grades and exams. Explore your artistic side with a Drawing or Photography class, or debate investment strategies in a Business and Economics seminar. Make new friends from across the country and around the world, and be inspired by your supportive and talented instructors. Take weekend excursions to some of New England’s most beautiful cities, beaches, and natural areas.
Pre-College Enrichment Madrid/Barcelona
Get to know modern Spain through the complementary lenses of its two largest cities: Madrid, the stately hub, and Barcelona, the cosmopolitan port on this summer program in Spain for high school students. Choose from fun, field-based seminars to improve your Spanish skills, build a photography portfolio, or learn about dynamic Spanish artists such as Goya, Dalí, and Picasso. Spend a weekend in the Pyrenées and take days trips to Segovia, Toledo, and the Mediterranean coast.
Pre-College Enrichment Oxford/Tuscany
Join us for a month of cultural and intellectual exploration in three of Europe’s most evocative and historic cities on this pre college summer program for high school students in Oxford, Paris, and Florence. Choose two fun, field-based seminars as your focus. Build a photography or design portfolio, learn about the complexities of European integration, hone your creative writing skills, and much more! Spend three days in Paris, and take day trips to the vibrant cities of London, Venice, and Rome, as well as the seaside villages of Cinque Terre.
