Capacity: 8-10 males
Ages: 18-22
Enrollment: 6-12 months
Educational Status: high school diploma completed (or near completion)

Strengths of NSA students include: Motivated to build a “successful” life for himself, through college or a productive occupation Curious & open to cross-cultural experiences Desire for personal growth & self-sufficiency Nontraditional learning styles (artistic, musical, active, or experiential) Introspective & empathetic Accountable & honest Interested in positive social interactions & teamwork

Challenges of NSA students include: Anxiety &/or depression Executive Functioning (Goal development & follow-through, organization, time management, decision-making, etc.) Identity development, self-esteem & confidence Independence, self-sufficiency & self-management Social anxiety or social confidence Entitlement and responsibility Nontraditional learning style Family conflict Unhealthy coping mechanisms such as isolation, substance experimentation or video-gaming

Vision

To support societal and global well-being through providing small scale experiences that will guide young adults to become more responsible, fulfilled, compassionate and contributing members of society on a larger scale.

Mission

Summit to Summit aspires to be a unique, empowering, engaging, and enriching growth experience for young men transitioning into adulthood.

Objectives

To provide an enriching environment and a well-rounded educational experience for young men to:

• Develop internal and external resources and support systems to provide a stronger foundation for a more stable core sense of self.
  
• Explore their personal and professional paths by providing a variety of multicultural, academic, vocational, emotional and social learning experiences.
  
• Discover how they can contribute to their communities in a productive and positive way.

Academics & Vocational Training:

• Vocational planning & coordination of logistics for transition planning (college &/or vocational)
• Internships with local bilingual experts in chosen field. Current options include: language/culture, nutrition/health, culinary arts, education, animal science, agriculture / environmental studies, computers/IT.
• Option to take online classes related to the Internship (costs are billed extra as a part of the track costs)
• Multimedia training as a part of the individual & group reflective projects.

Personal Growth:

• Individual therapy, group therapy, skill workshops, weekly family communication via telephone
• Opportunities for family visits with sessions

Experiencial Education:

• Recreational activities on the weekends and throughout the week (i.e. surfing, movies, dinner out on the town, sports, etc.)Cultural immersion opportunitiesCommunity service activities are requiredAventuras (1 community-oriented Aventura per quarter focused on learning about themes of adulthood and the production of a multimedia group project).

Medical Services:

• Medical coordination of appointments, health care, nutrition, etc. (costs are billed to parents)

Administration & Immigration Services:

• Students arrive to NSA on a “tourist visa” valid for up to 90 days. Once parents provide Apostilled birth certificate & police record, NSA facilitates the rest of the legal resources and paperwork to acquire a visa for the student.

• Recreational Trips: At the end of each quarter, students will have the option to participate in NSA’s recreational Aventura (usually an international trip for SCUBA certification, tourism, etc..)
• Weekend Recreation / Cultural Immersion: Students will plan recreational and cultural activities for the weekends, including but not limited to local cultural activities and possible homestay experiences.
• Spanish Lessons: Students will participate in intensive Spanish lessons during Orientation and then will continue with at least 4 hours of Spanish lessons per week.
• Multimedia Training: During the development of the group project, students will be trained in multimedia documentation, editing, and product development.
• Student Life: By living in dorms with roommates and participating in group activities at the club house (with house parents), students will practice cooking, cleaning, teamwork, positive social activities, electronics management (computers, internet, etc) and practice of group roles.
• Money Management: Students will be able to earn allowances by doing chores and “jobs” on campus. Once trained in budgeting skills, students may also have the opportunity to manage their own “track budget” to learn how to manage expenses.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays (flex days):

• Individualized classes & internships depending on track requirements.
  
• Is planned with Internship Coordinator

Mondays & Fridays (set days):

• Spanish Lessons
  
• Therapeutic Groups
  
• Skill-building workshops
  
• House maintenance (menu, shopping, repairs, cleaning, etc.)
  
• Group multimedia project development
  
• Community service experiences

Saturdays: Cultural, recreational, healthy-risk taking group activity

Sundays: Student choice - Varied cultural & recreational activities

Summit to Summit has three facets which allow students to gain different skills. Students may go from one facet to the other at various points in their process, either because it suits their growth process, or because it suits their goal plan. Nevertheless, students must always begin with raiz, and from there move to tronco, and from there to ramas, because one sets the stage for the other.

Successfully completing the Summit to Summit program implies that the student has:

• Actively participated in numerous life-changing activities, and has acquired and practiced useful skills through them.
  
• Demonstrated consistency and mastery of his actions toward a healthy lifestyle, involving all the values, dimensions of success, as well as goals of the program.
  
• Prepared to carry this success on to his next step, by making and documenting solid, realistic plans as well as learning the necessary skills needed to make this plan work.

The graduation requirements are:

• 150 hours of community service At least two successful quarters at different internships as an apprentice, or one successful one as an assistant.
• Two full active participations in the documentary group project.
• Completed transition documents and plans.
• Adequate growth on assessments of functioning.
• A “Semilla” (Seed) project for the S2S community or a community in Costa Rica, and a “Semilla” plan for after S2S.

Application Checklist:

• Educational Consultant Referral & Review of psycho-educational testing
• Online Application at https://crm.bestnotes.com/portal/newsummit
• Parent Supplements & Signature Pages
• Phone call with parents
• Phone call with current therapist & other professionals working with the family
• Student Application & completion of Initial Assessment of Individual Functioning
• Student Interview
• Admissions Decision
• Logistics of Enrollment, including visa paperwork (begin process of getting a newly issued birth certificate & police record both Apostilled)
• Enrollment Deposit
  

Admissions Contact Information:

USA Telephone: (414) 921-1388
Email: admissions@newsummitacademy.com
Website: www.NewSummitAcademy.com
USA Fax: (561) 892-3853