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Combating Climate Change

A Custom School Program

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13 Days

Through hands-on work with community organizations, students learn about local efforts to restore ecosystems and come away feeling more empowered to effect positive change at the community level.

Community-immersed peer dialog and hands-on work

Andalusia, Spain’s southernmost region, is a diverse area rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. Here, where European, Arabic, and North African cultures have mingled for millennia, students step into living history while confronting challenges of population growth and resource competition.

The Combating Climate Change in Spain Program offers firsthand experience and cultural immersion to deepen understanding of human activity’s climate impact. Through exchanges with local organizations, guest speakers, and youth, students explore contemporary and historical climate change issues, aiming to adopt sustainable lifestyles. An optional community-hosted homestay and Spanish lessons offers a unique opportunity to immerse in daily life, practice Spanish language, and build relationships with local families.

people digging in dry land

Highlights & Outcomes

Spanish Language Immersion

Rapidly improve conversational Spanish skills through an optional local homestay and formalized language instruction and activities.

Climate Change Remediation

Participate in hands-on work restoring local ecosystems alongside Spanish youth and consider local and global human environmental impacts.

Landscapes and History

Explore local ecology and landscapes, ancient civilizations, castles, Moorish influences, and the oldest irrigation system in Europe.

Gain Global Competencies

Experience new cultures, explore different perspective, and build confidence by navigating unfamiliar environments.

Spanish city on hillside
line drawing of Spain

Our Journey

Beginning in the Natural Park of Alcornocales in Cádiz, students immerse themselves in nature, hiking through lush Mediterranean forest as we frame the program, build a group culture, and introduce important health and safety considerations. We learn about mycology and botany, begin Spanish lessons, and partake in a cooking workshop. In the Axarquia region we learn about the area’s famous grape and raisin production and how it is being jeopardized by the proliferation of water intensive tropical fruit production. 

Next, we arrive into the small community of Huétor Vega outside the picturesque city of Granada, where we settle into optional local homestays (or alternative accommodations) and begin our daily routine of Spanish language practice and collaboration with local youth around issues of desertification, reforestation, and environmental education. Other activities include learning about irrigation systems with reused materials, a tree nursery and reforestation workshop, visits to the oldest aqueduct irrigation system in Europe, and language exchange activities with Spanish  high school students.

We depart Granada for the Costa del Sol, and the storied seaside city of Málaga. Here, we settle into  comfortable group lodging for our final two nights of the program, focusing on our transference curriculum, dedicated to reviewing and reflecting on our program to help us transfer our experiences to life back home. 

View Itinerary

Program Title

Sample Itinerary
The following itinerary is subject to change based on your goals and availability.

  • Day 1: Málaga

    Arrival in Malaga, resting in Málaga after arrival. Welcome ceremony.

  • Day 2: Málaga - Jimena de la Frontera

    After breakfast and morning check in, travel to Los Alcornocales Park for orientation workshops and activities, introduction to Spanish culture language, historical migration, contemporary climate migration. Evening cooking lesson on traditional native cuisine and wild super foods.

  • Day 3-4: Jimena

    After morning check-in, travel by 4×4 with local guides into  the forest for a  hike focused on mycology, mushroom foraging, and botany.  Introductory  Spanish lessons and walks through villages to explore local conservation, riparian ecosystems, and natural cork production. Afternoon visits to the castle and discussions on historical and contemporary borders and migration.

  • Day 5: Jimena to Axarquía (el Borge)

    Travel to Antequera. Lunch in El Torcal and exploration of Kast landscape, explore rock formations, and connection to forest ecosystems. Afternoon arrival at El Borge in the region of la Axarquía in a local Villa. Dinner and walk to the heart of the village.

  • Day 6: El Borge

    Visit local farms and learn about El Borge raisin production system and impacts from new tropical fruits, jeopardizing the local water supply. Hike to a local farm, opportunity to work in the field and learn about agroforestry, followed by raisin production workshop and communal cooking experience with views of the sea.

  • Day 7: El Borge - Granada

    After morning check-in and breakfast, travel to Granada. Prepare and settle into homestays. Introduction to local desertification and ecosystem restoration. Framing of Spanish youth exchange and collaborative reforestation project.

  • Days 8-12: Granada

    Daily Spanish activities and work on reforestation projects along the historical path to Sierra Nevada Mountains National Park. Learn about water management, tree nurseries, biodiversity and conservation efforts.  Visits to the ancient aqueduct system and possible visit to the world famous Alhambra Palace. Learn about eco-living in cave homes in the Sacromonte neighborhood.

  • Days 12-13: Granada - Málaga

    Travel from Granada to Málaga, transference activities and workshops, final souvenir shopping and ceremonial closing dinner. Prepare to return home with newly gained perspectives and lessons learned.

flamenco dancing lesson

Custom School Programming

How We Do It

Each Custom School Program is tailored to meet your needs. Through a close, hands-on collaboration, we take the time to understand what matters most—and draw on decades of experience to create something unique, thoughtful, and authentic.

Together, we’ll design a program that’s cohesive, purposeful, and fully supported from start to finish—never a collection of tourist stops or disconnected activities. We’re ready when you are.

Start Building Your Program

Program Components

Our Program Components are the building blocks of your itinerary. During the customization process, these components can be dialed up or down to meet the goals and vision for the program. Each program component is thoughtfully planned to ensure that your students engage meaningfully and authentically connect with the places they visit.

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Homestay

ln Huetor Vega students have the opportunity to stay with local families in pairs who attend the local high school.

Focus of Inquiry

This program explores impacts of climate change in Southern Spain, and local initiatives to remediate and adapt to changing climate conditions. We learn about environmentalism, sustainability, and youth leadership.

Language Study

In Huetor Vega, students will have the opportunity to partake in formal language lessons, as we as peer dialog and activities in Spanish throughout the program.

Religious & Spiritual Traditions

Students explore the influence and role of the Catholic Church on the history of Spain. They learn about the inquisition, and reconquista through visits to historical sites, castles, and cathedrals.

Learning Service

Working alongside a local environmental NGO focused on replanting the native oaks outside of Granada, students may have the opportunity to plant trees, work in nurseries, and participate in workshops at local elementary schools.

Social & Environmental Justice

Climate change, and its impact on access to fresh water resources, arable land, and ecological integrity. Environmental justice, and the impacts of agribusiness on peasant lifestyle.

Independent Study Project

Students interested in exploring topics related to agriculture, ecology, and climate change will have ample opportunity to pursue personal lines of inquiry. Flamenco, ceramics, and other artforms are also available in Granada.

Rugged Travel

Southern Spain offers opportunities for off-the-beaten path exploration of mountain communities and agrarian lifestyle.

Trekking

Students will engage in day hikes through cloud forests, and other diverse landscapes of Andalusia.

Featured Instructors

Our instructors are more than guides—they’re mentors, educators, and trusted companions. Each member of our team is thoroughly vetted, background-checked, and trained in our unique pedagogy and risk management practices. With an average of over four years living abroad and fluency in local languages, our instructors serve as meaningful cross-cultural liaisons.

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