Rustic Pathways has partnered with Thrival World Academies to create a program that will give all students the opportunity to travel abroad for three months as part of their junior year of high school.
Partnering with Thrival brings us one step closer to achieving our overall vision of making travel accepted as an essential part of every education, regardless of socioeconomic background. Both Rustic Pathways and Thrival believe that students learn specific non-cognitive skills while participating in immersive travel experiences. These skills, like self-awareness, intercultural competence, and openness to new ideas directly correlate to future success personally, academically, and in the workplace.
What is Thrival World Academies?
Thrival is a publicly-funded network of high schools designed to provide study abroad programming to all students—regardless of socioeconomic status—as part of an academically rigorous curriculum that meets common core state standards.
The first class of 11 students in Oakland began their coursework in September 2016. The group spent three months living and learning in Thailand based at our Ricefields Service Base in Udon Thani, Thailand.
In 2017, Thrival expanded to Indianapolis. Twenty students from Thrival Academy: Indy joined 16 students from Oakland for an immersive learning experience in northeastern and northern Thailand.
Thrival continues to build on its successes and strengthen its programming. The 2018-2019 school year is on track to be the largest and most impactful program yet.
How is Rustic Involved?
Our travel programs are intentionally designed and operated to help students understand the significance of what they experience while being immersed in other cultures.
We used our travel, operations, and safety expertise to develop the culturally immersive study abroad experience for Thrival students. We work closely with Thrival to create an academically rigorous curriculum that expands on what students are learning in the classroom.
What do students do in Thailand?
Students participate in a variety of activities and learning methods both inside and outside the classroom. These include:
- Classroom instruction and coursework
- Project-based learning through exchanges with community members
- Immersive community homestays
- Extracurricular enrichment activities and travel excursions
How do I learn more?
Read more about this partnership from our CEO, Chris Stakich. Please contact us if you have any questions.