Global Link is our signature global education program that connects students and their families with partner and host communities across the United States and around the world.
Through short-term domestic and international travel programs and hosting experiences in Seattle, Global Link places students in cross-cultural contexts beyond their comfort zones. Global Link provides them with opportunities:
- To learn about themselves in order to build meaningful relationships with others
- To seek out new environments and perspectives to deepen their understanding of complex issues and histories
- To embrace the unfamiliar in order to adapt, adjust, and demonstrate resilience
- To process, reflect, listen, and collaborate within a team environment
- To engage in shared responsibilities and collective solutions
All Global Link programs feature required pre-departure training activities, local field-based learning experiences, a domestic or international travel program centered on relational global learning via host or partner communities, and post-program debrief, reflections, and Bring-It-Back presentations and projects.
Domestic
Global Link provides select 7th and 8th grade students an opportunity to collaborate with their teammates in order to respectfully engage community partners in Seattle; Albuquerque, NM; and Montgomery, AL. Through local field trips and a week-long expedition to New Mexico or Alabama, these January intensive courses explore historical and contemporary social justice issues, such as the Civil Rights Movement, criminal justice reform, education, youth-led grassroots organizations, and environmental justice.
International
For Upper School students (10th–12th grade), Global Link is a co-curricular cultural immersion experience that connects students with host communities in Colombia, Lithuania, France, Botswana, Nepal, Taiwan, Japan, and Samoa. Select groups of students, led by UPrep trip leaders, travel to one of our international partners for a 10- to 12-day program focused on cross-cultural exchange and ambassadorial leadership. Travel typically takes place during spring break, and most groups live with host families for the duration of their program.
Students in all grades are invited to participate in Global Link exchange visits. During the fall and spring semesters, select students from our international partner schools travel to Seattle for a 10- to 12-day cultural exchange experience. Hosted by UPrep families and supported by Global Link student ambassadors, Global Link exchange visits are a powerful way to connect our community to our international partners, foster meaningful cross-cultural relationships, and reciprocate the hospitality UPrep receives during our travel programs.
