Summer Opportunities
Online Resources
Many organizations offer summer programs for students to learn more about themselves, get ready to continue their education, and figure out what they want to do or study. Programs can include independent or group travel, study, volunteer service, internship, student exchange, and more. (Note that many of these organizations also offer year-long Gap Year programs for older students and high school graduates.) A few organizations are listed below:
- AmeriCorps - www.americorps.org, annually offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups. AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency whose mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.
- California Conservation Corps, CCC - www.ccc.ca.gov, a state agency which provides meaningful work, training, public service, and educational activities for youth 18-23 years old.
- City Year - www.cityyear.org, a program for 17- to 24-year olds to do 10 months of full-time community service to their community and country.
- Council on International Educational Exchange, CIEE - www.ciee.org, provides international study programs and training opportunitues to high school graduates.
- Enrichment Alley - www.enrichmentalley.com, provides access to lists of organizations and program opportunities. Allows you to search (by all fields important to you, location, subjects available, type of program) and to connect with a large number of independent programs including academic enrichment, travel, community service, student exchange, internship experiences and distance learning. One particularly nice aspect is that the site includes many options for low income students, who are often shut out of summer programs because of cost. The site is still growing, but it is a terrific place to start your search for an enriching summer.
- LeapNow - www.leapnow.org, offers programs for 17- to 22-year olds lasting from 2 weeks to 3 months or more. Programs emphasize real and include internships, experiential for-credit alternative college programs in Asia and Latin America, and gap year programs throughout the world. For an overview, you can listen to the podcast of an interview with Sam Bull, the founder of LeapNow and LeapYear.
- National Outdoor Leadership School, NOLS - www.nols.edu, offers courses from 10 days to full semesters, training in outdoor skills, wilderness leadership, wilderness medicine practices and protocols.
- Paly Link - palylink.paloaltopta.org, PTSA web pages providing summer employment, internship, and community volunteer opportunities, requirements, and contact information.
- Student Conservation Association, SCA - www.thesca.org, offers conservation opportunities to more than 3,000 people each year. Projects are available in every conservation discipline, from archeology to zoology and everything in between. Volunteers can build trails, restore habitat, guide interpretive hikes, study plants and animals, and participate in many other conservation-related projects in America’s urban and rural parks and public lands.
- VolunteerMatch - www.volunteermatch.org, provides access to lists of non-profit organizations and volunteer opportunities. Using the VolunteerMatch volunteer search or organization search tools you can search for opportunities listed by city and distance, by interest area and skills, by volunteer category, and by agency name. To find out more about navigating the site and using the online services, you can visit the VolunteerMatch FAQ.
Information in the C&CC
IMPORTANT NOTE: The lists on this page have been retired. For 2009-2010, the current list is on Paly Family Connection, Naviance, updated weekly beginning in September. On Naviance, you can either Sign In using your login or Enter As Guest, then click the :: enrichment programs hyperlink under About College in the navigation list at left.
Each year Paly receives materials from schools and organizations describing programs available to high school students during the summer. Some of these are travel/study programs or work camps abroad. Many programs are offered on high school or college campuses. With the help of C&CC volunteers these materials have been organized in a file cabinet in the College & Career Center.
The inclusion of a program in this listing is not an endorsement or recommendation by Palo Alto High School. Students and their parents should look closely into any programs they are considering.
In the C&CC the information on file has been grouped by:
- International programs
Programs that take place outside of the US, and that may be offered by a college.
- USA high school and college programs
High school programs - General interest programs that take place on high school campuses.
College programs - General interest programs that take place on college campuses, sponsored by colleges or private programs.
- Special interest programs
Some programs may take place on college or high school campuses.
Special interests include:
- Architecture
- Art
- Camps
- Community Service
- Computer Science and Engineering
- Environmental Stewardship
- Internships
- Languages
- Math & Science
- Media Workshops
- Minority Programs & Financial Aid
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Politics and Leadership
- Sports
- Study Skills
- Medicine & Veterinary Medicine
- Vocational Training
- Wilderness Adventures
- Writing
IMPORTANT NOTE: The lists on this page have been retired. For 2009-2010, the current list is on Paly Family Connection, Naviance, updated weekly beginning in September. On Naviance, you can either Sign In using your login or Enter As Guest, then click the :: enrichment programs hyperlink under About College in the navigation list at left.
The online lists are designed to give students and parents a starting place when looking for summer ideas. Information on how to contact schools or organizations is provided where available. Paly parents and students are welcome to come into the College Center to review program brochures. If you come in, please ask for a C&CC volunteer to help retrieve the appropriate materials.