The program is designed for teenager’s
ages 13-18 yrs old.
It is a combination of Spanish
classes, tours, and other sorts of educational experiences.
Surrounded by his or her peers, this will encourage
the teenagers to socialize and get to know each other and the surrounding culture.
The
program is generally offered in the summer time
between June to August and takes place at a
High School in the city of San Juan de Santa Bárbara
de Heredia, Costa Rica. The location is in a locala High School environment which further enhances the experience.
The school’s name is New Hope,
and it is located on six hectares (15 acres) of
land, which for Costa Rica standards is quite large. The
school has around 1,200 students from kindergarten
to high school.
Among the facilities, they have
51 classrooms, swimming pool, volleyball court,
basketball courts, soccer fields, cafeteria, and
computer lab. Schedules, prices, and tours are posted
below.
Sample Schedule
for Youth Summer Spanish Program
Pick a week or weeks that suits your schedule
Spanish classes are from Monday to Friday from 2:30-5:30 PM
WEEK
DAY
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
June 4-10
Morn.
Dancing class
City
Tour
Service Learning
Cooking class
Art class
Arenal volcano
& hot springs
Ev.
Bowling
Movies
Social
June 11-17
Morn.
Dancing class
Coffee tour
Service Learning
Zoo Ave
shopping
Punta Leona
Beach & rain forest
Activity
with host
family
Ev.
Karaoke & dancing
Indoor soccer
June 18-24
Morn.
Dancing class
Sports
Service Learning
Cooking
class
Art class
Poas volcano, river boat, waterfall
Amusement park
Ev.
Roller-skating
Movies
Social
June 25 – July 1
Morn.
Dancing class
Country
club
Service Learning
Butterfly Farm
Shopping
Isla Tortuga
beach Cruise
Activity
with host
family
Ev.
Karaoke & dancing
Indoor Soccer
July 2-8
Morn.
Dancing class
City
Tour
Service Learning
Cooking
class
Art class
Arenal volcano
& hot springs
Ev.
Bowling
Movies
Social
July 9-15
Morn.
Dancing class
Coffee
tour
Service Learning
Zoo Ave
Shopping
Punta Leona
Beach & rain forest
Activity
with host
family
Ev.
Karaoke & dancing
Indoor soccer
July 16-22
Morn.
Dancing class
Sports
Service Learning
Cooking
class
Art class
Poas volcano, river boat, waterfall
Amusement Park
Ev.
Roller-skating
Movies
Social
July 23-29
Morn.
Dancing class
Country
club
Butterfly Farm
Service Learning
Shopping
Isla Tortuga
beach Cruise
Activity
with host
family
Ev.
Karaoke & dancing
Indoor Soccer
July 30-Aug. 5
Morn.
Dancing class
City
Tour
Service Learning
Cartago Tour
Art class
Arenal volcano
& hot springs
Ev.
Bowling
Movies
Social
Aug. 6-12
Morn.
Dancing class
Coffee
tour
Service Learning
Zoo Ave
Shopping
Punta Leona
Beach & rain forest
Activity
with host
family
Ev.
Karaoke & dancing
Indoor soccer
Aug. 13-19
Morn.
Dancing
class
Service Learning
Sports
Cooking
class
Art class
Poas volcano, river boat, waterfall
Departure
Ev.
Roller-
skating
Movies
Social
Program Description
Dancing class:
This dance class teaches salsa and meringue
steps and lasts 1.5 hours per session.
Cooking class:
Students will prepare some typical Costa Rican
dishes.
Art class:
Students will draw, paint and create paper
collages. Students will be encouraged to use
their imagination and discover new things
in their environment. This class is in Spanish.
Volunteer work:
Participants have the opportunity to volunteer
in public schools in poor areas. Each volunteer
works with a group of students who are from
7-12 years old. Their activities include:
teaching some English to the children, singing
songs in Spanish and English, maintaining
the school facilities and working with the
children in the school’s vegetable garden.
Arenal Volcano:
Two days - one night (Transportation &
meals included).
Founded in 1995, the Arenal Volcano National
Park is relatively new. Visiting the active
volcano is an unforgettable experience. The
best time to see it is definitely at night.
Participants will visit a spa close to the
volcano. The resort there uses hot water which
springs naturally from the volcano.
Tortuguero
channels:
Transportation & meals included
This tour includes all meals and lodging in
double or triple rooms.
One of the most beautiful places in Costa
Rica is the area of Tortuguero. You can get
there only by boat. The beach is protected
since thousands of turtles come to nest their
eggs here every year from May to October.
Participants will travel to the Limón
province where they will go by boat to the
lodge. In Tortuguero, there are monkeys, crocodiles
(caymans), sloths, toucans, parrots, butterflies
and other animals.
Coffee
Tour:
You will visit the coffee farm (finca) where
there is a bilingual presentation that describes
the historical importance of coffee to Costa
Rica. The tour also shows parts of the production
process and ends with a coffee-tasting session.
Beach and Rain Forest Tour: Students travel to the Pacific coast
to the Carara Biological Reserve. They visit
one of the few places showing the transition
between rain forest and the dry tropical
forest. This characteristic has made this
trip very informative, since they can find
a wide diversity of birds, plants, reptiles
and other mammals.
After hiking the forest students will go
to a beach hotel where they can enjoy the
hotel facilities, as well as the beach.
Isla Tortuga:
This is a trip by the sea. Students enjoy
the sparkling ocean and the scenery offered
by the picturesque islands of the Gulf of
Nicoya. The Tortuga Island has an exootic
white sand tropical beach. The ocean on the
Tortuga Island is quite calm and appropriate
for swimming and kayaking.
Monteverde
Cloud Forest:
(2 days, 1 night): this is one of the best
areas to see beautiful mountains with plenty
of animals. The hotel has a breath taking
view of both the Arenal volcano and lake.
Lava flows from the active volcano which is
best seen at night, creating an unforgettable
experience. Complementing this experience
the students hike through the cloud forest.
Country Club:
students visit a country club with swimming
pools, basketball courts, soccer fields and
other sports facilities.
Poas Volcano. River
Boat, and Waterfall Tour:
This field trip includes a visit to the Poas
volcano, La Paz Waterfalls, a boat trip on
the Sarapiquí river and a drive through
Braulio Carrillo national park (rain forest).
They will see along the way huge coffee plantations,
dairy farms and big cultivations of strawberries,
black berries, ferns and ornamental flowers.
They will take a jungle motor boat to see
the jungle and farms along the Sarapiqui River.
Later they will penetrate the heart of Costa
Rica's famous Braulio Carrillo National Park,
an immense tract of mountainous rainforest
with breathtaking views.
Concert Jazz Cafe:
This restaurant hosts live bands every evening.
Some of the most popular Costa Rican musicians
perform here.
City Tour:
Students learn about the history of San José
and visit the main points of interest in this
capital city.
Sports:
Students will play soccer (the most popular
game in Costa Rica). They will also play basketball,
volleyball and other traditional Costa Rican
games.
Indoor Soccer:
In the evening they will play soccer, the
most popular sport in Costa Rica.
Social Activities:
Students meet to share games, practice some
dances and have fun with the other students.
It is a great time to socialize and interact
among themselves.
Bowling Night:
In the evening students are taken in a bus
to enjoy the game.
Movie Night:
Participants are taken in a bus to watch a
movie in a mall. Movies will be picked according
to the season.
Roller Skating Nights:
Students go in a bus to a roller skating ring
which is open to the public and this is an
opportunity to have fun, relax and do some
exercise. It is a place where they meet locals
and practice their Spanish.
Shopping:
Students are taken to Moravia, famous for
handcraft stores and other shops where they
can get Costa Rican products.
Includes: Tuition, home stay (breakfast and dinner),
airport pick up and drop off, exit visa, activities
and tours
*Note: Some activities and tours do not include
meals.
Program Information
Arrival info
Students can
arrive a few days before starting classes.
If students arrive on a Saturday, they will
spend Sunday with their host family.
Accommodations
In San Jose, students will
stay with host families and will be placed
according to their preferences. They can choose
from either being placed with another student
or being placed by themselves. On weekend
tours, students will stay in hotels and share
rooms with students of the same gender.
Spanish Classes
Students will have 4 hours
of Spanish classes from Monday to Friday,
except for the Fridays when they will go to
the beach. Spanish classes will be in the
afternoon from 1 to 5 PM.
Transportation
Most of the transportation
will be provided by a private minibus, but
some will be on the public bus system.
Chaperone
There will be a chaperone
who will pick students up from the airport
and take them to their host family house when
they first arrive, as well as take them to
the airport when they are departing. Another
chaperone will pick them up at the host family’s
house everyday, take them to school, to the
activity sessions and will take them back
to the host family’s house after classes.
This chaperone will accompany students on
all weekend tours. On Wednesday and Thursday
evenings, students will have activities with
the chaperone. Students will be given the
cell phone number of the chaperones in case
of emergencies.
Extra money
Students will need money to pay for lunch
during the week and some weekend tours. They
might need around $60 per week for additional
meals and spending money. Credit cards (VISA
& MasterCard) can be used to pay for things
(when it is more than $10) or to withdraw money.
Calling parents
Students can call the USA collect or they
can use AT&T, MCI or Sprint calling cards.
Internet
Students will have Internet access at school
at a cost of $0.26 per 10 minutes.
Money exchange
It is advised that students bring traveler's
checks. These can be cashed at the school.
Health insurance
Participants must have health insurance from
their country. In case of illness or an emergency,
parents will be notified and we will then follow
any further instructions.
Rules and Regulations
Adult supervision
When students
are not with the chaperone, they will stay
with their host family. The host family might
take their student out in the evenings; however,
students will NOT be allowed to go out in
the evenings without an adult member of their
host family.
Night curfew
When students are not with
the chaperone, they will stay with their host
family. The host family might take their student
out in the evenings; however, students will
NOT be allowed to go out in the evenings without
an adult member of their host family.
Drinking alcohol
Participating students will
NOT be allowed to drink alcohol at any time.
If they consume alcohol they will be expelled
from the program, will not receive any refunds
and will cover any extra expenses.
FAQ's
Is the program
safe, well-supervised, challenging, and fun...?
The program
for teenagers is very safe because students
are under constant supervision either by a
chaperone or by a member of their host family.
They learn Spanish in a funny, amusing, and
challenging atmosphere. In most of the activities
and tours outside of class, students are encouraged
to practice their Spanish.
Do you offer any kind of
family program for adults & teens?
We have many options at
the school. A teenage student can either attend
the regular Spanish program or the program
for teenagers. Adults attend our regular Spanish
program.
My children are 15,16,..
years old. Do they have to attend the teenage
program?
If you come in June and
July, your children can attend the teen program.
During the rest of the year, all students
attend our regular program.
However, whenever possible, we suggest
that your children participate at the Teenage
Program.
If I come with my teenage daughter (son, niece,
...) can we stay in the same home? What kind
of program can you offer us?
Yes, you can stay in the same home. Please
do not forget to include this request into your
enrollment form. You can either participate
at the regular Spanish program together or the
teens can attend our program for teenagers while
the adults attend our regular program.
Do I need to go with my teenager?
Not necessarily, depending on the age he or
she can travel solo and we will have adult supervision
all the time.
For further questions, please feel free to contact
our coordinators. Click here
