FOR YOUTH AGES 12 TO 18
“Definitely the best two weeks of my life!”
- Fernanda, Mexico
•Develop leadership soft skills
•Identify your unique strengths and abilities as a leader
•Better understand yourself as an individual and leader
•Gain the confidence to be yourself through new experiences and new skills
•Create lasting connections with youth from around the world
•Build your cultural competency
•Expand your comfort zone
4. Community impact
•Gain skills and confidence to create positive change
•Make real impact both during and after the program
Identify your PASSIONS, values, and unique abilities
Discover your PURPOSE as an individual and a leader
Create positive CHANGE in yourself and your community
The Global Leadership Academy combines the best of a summer camp, pre-university program, service trip, leadership training program, and study abroad experience all into ONE unforgettable program!
• Be actively engaged in leadership learning with our experience-based approach
• Make new connections from around the world and develop cultural competency
• Convert your passions and interests into exciting changemaking projects
• Learn valuable skills and tools to help you reach your post-program goals
• Earn a certificate that details 60+ hours of community service impact and leadership development
• Benefit from personal help & support 24/7 with 1 staff for each 6 participants
• Take advantage of 6 months of postprogram support
Both programs share the same learning objectives - developing leadership skills, gaining confidence, and creating a global mindset - but accomplish these in different ways. At our Canadian location, the two programs are run concurrently on the same campus (unless stated otherwise) and the two groups spend much of their time together, including meals, free time, off-campus activities, evening events, and select program activities.
The Junior GLA program is offered in Canada for ages 12 to 14. Younger students become confident in their leadership abilities and learn more about different approaches to leadership. There is a focus on creativity and problem solving, as well as helping students build critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence. Students learn to use Stanford’s ‘design thinking’ framework to develop new ideas and solve challenging problems. Junior students complete a larger number of smaller projects compared to Senior students, including both group and individual projects with presentation components.
The Senior GLA program is offered in Canada for ages 15 to 18 and the UK for ages 14 to 18. It is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge to develop their own community leadership project with the intention of creating positive change. Students spend the first week focusing on skill building and gaining confidence, with the second week dedicated to better understanding themselves, the world around them, and how exactly they want to make a difference. Then, with the support of our coaches, they make a step-by-step plan to do just that, along with making a presentation to share their vision.
The Brookes Westshore School
1939 Sooke Road, Victoria, British Columbia Canada
Brookes Westshore was built in 2019 on the west coast of Canada in the beautiful city of Victoria. This IB World school accepts both local and international boarding students, and in the summer, the campus is home to the Global Leadership Academy Canada. Forests, hiking trails, a lagoon, and the historic Hatley Castle are all within walking distance from campus, along with a supermarket and other shops and restaurants.
GLA: US$ 3375
GLA + Tour: US$ 4995
Session size: Up to 75 students
for ages 12-18
Dorm rooms sleep up to 4 students and each have their own ensuite bathroom. Each participant will have their own bed and storage space in their room, and also have access to a shared lounge for Powerful Youth students with comfortable sofas, flatscreen TV, pool table, ping pong, board games, and more. Laundry and housekeeping services are provided once per week. Students also have access to oncampus facilities including an indoor gymnasium, art space, outdoor lounge, library, and more!
Session 1 *Junior only*: June 29 to July 12, 2025
Session 2 *Junior & Senior*: July 13 to 26, 2025
+ Best of BC Tour 2 (add-on): July 26 to 31, 2025
Session 3 *Junior & Senior*: July 27 to August 9, 2025
+ Best of BC Tour 3 (add-on): August 9 to 14, 2025
The Best of BC Tour offers an action-packed, activity-filled tourism program after the Global Leadership Academy Canada concludes. Tour participants stay in both Victoria (2 nights) and Vancouver (3 nights) and enjoy exciting daily adventures including whale watching, hiking, shopping, tourism highlights, university campus visits, and more. Join the tour to extend your time with us and explore more of beautiful British Columbia!
The Brookes United Kingdom School Flempton Road, Risby, Bury Saint Edmunds United Kingdom
During Global Leadership Academy UK, participants will stay on the Brookes United Kingdom campus in the village of Risby. This IB World boarding school boasts seven acres of campus space in the English countryside, making it a uniquely British experience! However, with historic and quaint Bury Saint Edmunds just 10 minutes away and iconic Cambridge 30 minutes away, students will also get to experience and explore British cities during the program.
Dorm rooms sleep up to 6 students, have ensuite bathrooms, and are large enough for each participant to have their own bed and storage space. A student lounge is available for participants to spend time together, along with multiple soccer fields, a tennis court, and an outdoor basketball court.
Session 1: July 13 to 26, 2025 + Best of England Tour 1: July 26 to 31, 2025
GLA: US$ 3650
GLA + Tour: US$ 5415
Session size: Up to 40 students
The Best of England Tour offers an action-packed, activity-filled tourism program after the Global Leadership Academy UK concludes. Tour participants stay an additional 5 nights, including 3 nights in London, and enjoy exciting daily adventures including visits to museums, famous shopping streets, historical sights, universities, and top local attractions. We recommend adding the Best of England Tour to international participants interested in extending their visit and exploring more of this historic country with us!
The Global Leadership Academy is open to all youth from around the world. Our only requirement for admission into this youth summer program is that you are age 12-18 at the time of the program.
All instruction is done in English, however, we do not have any mandatory minimum English language requirements since we are an experiential learning program. We suggest that students have at least a proficient level of English (IELTS 4 or CEFR A2), or the ability to understand and speak English conversationally, but this is not a mandatory requirement. Students will be expected to speak in English at all times during the program, including in their dorm rooms and during free time, in order to create an inclusive environment.
The most important requirement is to have a positive attitude, be excited to go out of your comfort zone and experience new things, and have the desire to develop your skills as a young leader.
“Perfect balance of learning and fun”
- CLAUDIO, PERU
1. Apply via the online application form on our website
www. powerfulyouth.com/applynow/
2. Receive an acceptance confirmation email within 3 business days, and review all program details and information provided
3. Reply to the acceptance email to confirm your attendance
4. Make your US$ 325* deposit payment (via PayPal or wire transfer) within 30 days to officially register for the program
*For group applicants, a 10% deposit is required
5. Receive your letter of registration, and if travelling from abroad, your letter of authorization
6. If required, apply for a visitor visa to Canada or the UK
7. Complete your registration by May 31st, 2025 by making your payment in full and submitting all mandatory forms and waivers
“[GLA] helped me to know more about myself.”
- YORICK, TAIWAN
International participants require a visitor/tourist visa to enter the country to attend the program. A student visa is NOT required to attend GLA, and we do not provide the documentation required for study applications in Canada or the UK.
Do I need a visa to enter Canada?
www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp
What is required for minors applying for a visitor visa to Canada?
www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/ visit-canada/minor-children-travelling-canada.html
Do I need a visa to enter the UK?
www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y
What is required for minors applying for a Standard Visitor Visa to the UK?
https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/if-youre-under-18
We provide the following documentation for international minors to apply for a visitor visa (if necessary) within 2 weeks of receiving the deposit payment.
• Letter of Registration
• Letter of Authorization
We are not an accredited educational program and therefore do not require a study visa to attend, so we do not provide the custodianship documentation required to apply for study visas.
“An interesting and incredible experience”
- GABRIEL, BRAZIL
Global Leadership Academy CANADA 2025 TUITION
2-week GLA
US$ 3375
3-week GLA + Best of BC Tour
US$ 4995
All programs include:
Global Leadership Academy UK 2025 TUITION
2-week GLA
US$ 3650
3-week GLA + Best of England Tour
US$ 5415
• Full room and board (all accommodation and meals)
• All program materials and activity fees
• Local emergency health insurance for the duration of your program
• Pick-up and drop-off transfers at the select locations below
• 6 months of post-program support, including 1-hour virtual coaching session
GLA CANADA TRANSFERS
Arrivals
• Victoria Airport (YYJ) or Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal
Departures
GLA
• Victoria Airport (YYJ) or Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal Best of BC Tour
• Vancouver Airport (YVR)
GLA UK TRANSFERS
Arrivals
• London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Stansted Airport (STN), or Cambridge Train Station
Departures
GLA
• London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Stansted Airport (STN), or Cambridge Train Station
Best of England Tour
• London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Stansted Airport (STN), or St Pancras International Train Station (London)
“Nothing short of amazing!”
- SAMMY, USA
Once you have submitted your application online, you will receive an email letting you know if you have been accepted into your desired program. To accept your offer and guarantee your spot, you must pay a non-refundable $325 USD deposit within 30 days, which applies towards your total tuition cost. This deposit allows us to officially register you in our program and to provide you with the documents necessary for you to apply for a visa to Canada or the UK, depending on your country of residence.
Payments for Powerful Youth’s programs may be made securely and online through PayPal (credit cards are accepted) or through bank wire transfer to our US account.
Refund Policy:
• If you would like to cancel for any reason,
Before May 31st, 2025: Full refund of tuition paid, not including the nonrefundable deposit
After May 31st, 2025: Partial refund of tuition paid (depending on individual program costs already pre-paid), not including the non-refundable deposit
Within 4-weeks of program start date: No refund
• In the case of a denied visa, you are entitled to a full refund. Proper documentation must be provided.
• If the program is cancelled for any circumstance, you are entitled to transfer your registration to the 2026 program or receive a refund in full.
“I love that we did something new every day”
- LIZZY, USA
For our Canada programs, participants will stay on the Brookes Westshore campus located at 1939 Sooke Rd, Victoria, BC V9B 1W2. The school dorm rooms sleep up to 4 students, have ensuite bathrooms, and are large enough for each participant to have their own bed and storage space.
Laundry and housekeeping services are provided once per week.
For our UK programs, participants will stay on the Brookes United Kingdom campus located at Flempton Rd, Risby, Bury Saint Edmunds IP28 6QJ. The school dorm rooms sleep 3-6 students, have ensuite bathrooms, and are large enough for each participant to have their own bed and storage space.
Laundry and housekeeping services are provided once per week.
For our add-on tour programs, participants will stay in local group accommodation. Rooms sleep 1-6 participants (depending on available accommodation), typically with separate shared bathrooms for each gender. When possible, participants stay on a local university campus in dorm accommodation so they get to experience campus life for a few nights.
We assign students to dorms according to gender, age, and to promote diversity. We reserve the right to decline all rooming requests to stay in the same room with someone you know.
“Awesome, unique, inclusive”
- RORY, CANADA
In order to allow as many youth as possible to have access to our program, we offer both partial scholarships and full tuition scholarships for individual applicants who would not otherwise be able to attend due to financial barriers. Our scholarships are open to youth worldwide.
What does a GLA scholarship include?
Scholarships of up to 50% of the GLA tuition costs are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year, but larger and full scholarships are awarded after the scholarship application deadline of March 31, 2025.
We award scholarships exclusively for our 2-week GLA programs, not including any add-on tour programs.
Our scholarships do not include the cost of airfare or travel to/from your home country to the program, nor do they cover the cost of visas or related documents.
1. Submit your online program application, and indicate you require financial aid to attend
2. Submit your essay or video by email. More info:
The deadline to submit a scholarship application is March 31st, 2025.
Our scholarships are highly competitive. We award scholarships on the basis of leadership experience, leadership potential, motivation to attend the program, and financial need.
“Unexpected and amazing” - EMANUEL, MEXICO
In order to help participants with the implementation of their projects or to work towards other leadership goals, we offer support from senior staff members via email. This can include giving feedback on documents (including grant funding applications, job applications, or project proposals), providing a reference letter, sharing information about their projects with our network, offering encouragement, etc.
We also offer each participant a 1-hour virtual coaching session in order to provide them one-on-one support with their projects and/or goals. There is no set coaching schedule as we have participants worldwide in different time zones with different school calendars, so the coaching session can be organised by contacting our team directly by email to find a time that works for both a senior GLA coach and the participant.
“I realized the great leader in me” - FERNANDA, MEXICO
As the program is focused on building a learning community that is engaged and connected to one another, it is important that participants are not only physically present, but also mentally present during the activities. For this reason, our programs are electronics-free with the exception of select project planning blocks and select free time blocks. Participants will agree to this policy as part of signing the code of conduct.
Participants will only have access to their personal electronics for a limited time each day. All personal electronics will be turned in and kept by program staff, to be distributed during select free time periods (1-3 hours daily). Cameras and digital watches can be brought and kept at all times. Program staff carry phones at all times, and emergency contact numbers will be provided in advance if families need to urgently contact their children for any reason.
During select project planning blocks, participants will be able to use laptops, tablets, or phones to conduct research or develop presentations. However, as part of the signed code of conduct, participants will agree to using them only for relevant tasks or risk having them taken away and returned at a later time.
“I grew by challenging myself every day”
- SARA, JAPAN
“A great opportunity to find your inner self, connect with other people, and live amazing experiences with an amazing group of people.”
- Fran, Peru
“It is a chance for you to build connections and understand your strengths and how you can use them to create a better world.”
- Chaucer, Taiwan
“It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. … I found myself and left behind some fears I had.”
- Gabriel, Peru
“The experiences in GLA changed my life. I found my strengths and myself as a leader. I have been proud of myself since this program!”
- Tsugumi, Japan
“[GLA] offers different types of experiences that normally we wouldn’t do that brought out my confidence.”
- Ana, Georgia
“I
DIDN’T HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MYSELF BEFORE , BUT NOW I CAN SAY THAT I AM ONE OF THE LEADERS.”
- MAORI, JAPAN
“It was so much fun and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
- Murci, USA
“Something totally different from anything I’ve ever experienced, ... unforgettable!”
-João Paulo, Brazil
“You get to make new friends, learn more about yourself, learn about different cultures, and learn how to make a difference in your community, and it’s FUN!”
- Galia, Mexico
“[GLA] helps you grow as a person and gives you confidence.”
- Fernanda, Bolivia
“I learned so much about the world and about myself in a fun way.”
- Samaya, Canada
