Transformative Learning through Cultures and Countries
Travel provides one of the greatest classrooms, exposing young people to experiences that are immersive, demanding, challenging and life- changing.
In today’s rapidly changing world, educators are called upon to go beyond the traditional curricula and prepare young people for global complexities and cultural nuances that cannot be fully captured in textbooks. At Haileybury, that preparation is not confined to classrooms, laboratories or lecture theatres, it stretches across continents and cultures.
Intentional travel, when thoughtfully designed, is far more than sightseeing or ‘being on holiday’. It becomes a crucial contributor to personal growth, empathy and global citizenship.
Haileybury’s Explore & Expeditions Program is built deliberately around this belief: that meaningful global experiences shape character, sharpen critical thinking and accelerate personal growth in ways few other activities can.
Cultivating Global Perspectives
When students walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, trek the Larapinta Trail in Alice Springs, camp and kayak in North-western Australia, or explore leading edge science at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, they are doing more than accumulating memories. They are building resilience, adaptability, independence, critical thinking, mastery and a sense of generosity and belonging. In Vietnam’s Na Bai region, working alongside local communities, students learn the privilege and challenge of service, while gaining intimate insights into different ways of life.
These experiences are part of the extensive Explore & Expeditions Program at Haileybury and, far from simply being a break from classroom routine, each year hundreds of students travel across Australia and the world to gain a deeper understanding of global lives and challenges.
These experiences do not simply complement academic learning, they redefine it. When young people encounter the realities of inequality, environmental degradation or cultural diversity first-hand, abstract concepts become lived truths. The result is the kind of “eureka moment” that can only arise from authentic, sometimes confronting, engagement with the world.
A design philosophy with purpose
When these moments happen in a meaningful context, they change perspectives and ignite a drive within young people to learn more, do more and make a real difference long after they leave school.
Each itinerary, every partnership and all activities are curated to ensure students are not passive observers but active participants in their own education and the community they visit.
“We design and deliver unique learning experiences that no textbook can capture, experiences that are innovative, that push boundaries, challenge perspectives, help share character and teach adaptability. Travel is not just sightseeing. It’s one of the greatest classrooms that we can offer our children,” says Amy Di Gregorio, Haileybury’s Travel and Operations Manager.
Sticky issues and global citizenship
While the destinations and experiences traverse time zones and the northern and southern hemispheres, the underlying aim of each itinerary is similar. Each carefully designed journey is all about building student character, fostering deeper thinking about some of the world’s stickiest issues and giving young people self-belief that their actions and understanding can be part of a solution.
The travel experiences help shape students into thoughtful, informed global citizens and while the program brings physical and intellectual challenges, it is the social justice component that often has the most profound impact.
“Discussions around social justice can be uncomfortable. However, when these conversations are approached openly and lead to meaningful action, they can also foster empathy, compassion, personal growth and a sense of accomplishment and hope,” says Amy.
“For some young people, these trips are the first time they come face-to-face with inequality, or with the consequences of actions or inaction on people and the planet. While those moments can be confronting, they’re also catalysts for growth.”
More than ticking a box
One hallmark of the program is its social justice lens. In June, Year 9 students travelled to far north Queensland and geared up in PPE to tackle plastic pollution impacting marine life. They collected more than 160 kilograms of marine debris, including a rubber tyre, that will be repurposed into products such as sneakers, credit cards, sunglasses and reusable shopping bags.
That’s not just a learning moment for them, that’s real positive impact on the world.
Moving from far North Queensland to India, another group of Year 9 students visited the Salaam Baalak Trust in Delhi. The organisation supports homeless children living on the streets in one of the world’s most densely populated cities.
“Students spent time with children who live in the slums, many of whom had never met a Westerner, let alone sat down to share a board game with one,” says Amy.
“This simple act of playing and connecting across vastly different life experiences was powerful. It gave our students an opportunity to demonstrate empathy, humility and a deeper understanding of privilege.
“An unforgettable moment was when one of our students shared food they’d bought from a local cafe with local children – something so normal for our students was a completely new experience for many of those children in Delhi. That moment opened students’ eyes to just how different everyday life can be for children around the world.”
Protecting pandas
1/4
In China, students volunteered at the Dujiangyan Panda Research Centre in Chengdu – a world-renowned conservation facility that plays a key role in protecting and rehabilitating endangered giant pandas.
Students rolled up their sleeves and helped prepare ‘panda bread’ – a specially formulated nutritional supplement, and sorted bamboo leaves for feeding. The experience brought home the importance of preserving endangered species and biodiversity.
Back in Australia, students partner with Earth Sanctuary in Alice Springs whose motto is clear – Think globally, act locally. Earth Sanctuary is a leader in sustainable tourism and environmental education and students are enriched by discussions around renewable energy, climate action and how we can sustainably manage our environment.
“That experience is a powerful reminder to students that you don’t have to travel across the world to make a difference. Sometimes, the most impactful learning happens right here on our own soil,” says Amy.
Shifting perspectives one trip at a time
Haileybury continues to build opportunities for students to travel with meaning. Next year, the NASA itinerary will include a visit to a ground-breaking organisation that is developing 3D-printed prosthetics for underprivileged children. A new partnership in South Africa will see students support on the ground conservation work in Kruger National Park.
“We do all this because it matters. Learning doesn’t always happen inside four walls. It happens in the real world when students are uncomfortable, challenged, inspired and exposed to experiences that shift their perspective,” says Amy.
Travel with purpose teaches students to stay curious instead of frustrated, flexible instead of rigid, and brave instead of fearful.
It teaches them that the world extends far beyond their comfort zone and when they have the courage and tenacity to step into that world, what they learn and the impact they can have lasts long after their suitcase is unpacked.
