by Charlie Hammond, Outpost staff
|
Sam Bull, founder of LEAPNow Photo courtesy of LEAPNow |
Sure, it's secure. But at the period in your life when you're young, restless and open-minded, it doesn't offer much adventure. You would much rather do something ambitious and off the beaten path, like learning to build guitars in England or managing wildlife in Australia. The only problem is you don't know where to find something like this.
Now a company does it for you. LEAPNow specializes in placing young people in wildly diverse and exotic internship programs throughout the world.
"Our mission is to let people know that there are many, many ways to learn other than in a classroom," said Sam Bull, founder of LEAPNow.
The company's aim is to find alternative employment and experiences for young people looking for a transition in their lives. Often these are high school or college students who want to get away from a traditional classroom setting, who want to see the world.
"I felt that the program redirected and refocused me," Chris Saeger, 23, a LEAPNow client, said. "I learned how I respond to instruction and challenges - everything was more meaningful."
Saeger, who is now an intern with the company, taught English in Nepal, worked as a teacher's assistant in Costa Rica and completed cultural studies in Japan and Israel. He was abroad for 2 years and is now finishing his BA at the University of Redlands in Southern California.
Currently, LEAPNow's website offers nearly 20,000 different internships and adventure tours. Prospective applicants can choose from environmental assistant assignments in New Zealand to working on a sailboat off the coast of Greece, from monitoring hawks in Utah to teaching English in Central America. If you can perceive a desire to do anything, chances are LEAPNow offers a program up your alley.
And LEAPNow can tailor a program to meet your financial and academic needs and time restraints. Some programs can be taken for high school and college credit. Many of the positions that involve serious manual labor pay a wage or offer free room and board. Certain programs can last only a week while others can stretch for 3 years. Adventure touring programs, like those that offer extended backpacking and ski touring, are generally the most expensive, often several thousand dollars. LEAPNow charges $1900 for a two-year retainer that allows for as many placements as you want.
Bull founded the company in 1996. If the aim of his company is to broaden people's horizons, he certainly practices what he preaches. Before attending Princeton University, he taught skiing in the Alps and traveled through Australia. His brother Neil, a graduate of Cornell University, spent 11 years living and traveling in both Europe and Asia. He speaks five languages and is currently working on a book about philosophy. Neil now works for the company.
For those curious about LEAPNow, the company's website is an easy way to familiarize yourself with its policies, a list of some of the programs offered and ways to contact it.
|
On the Web
|
Posted April 19, 2000
Copyright 2000 Nevada Oupost
|
Nevada Outpost is produced by
students at the |
|
