Program Overview
Up with People brings together 100 participants from more than 20 countries for a multi-continent tour, immersing them in the local customs and culture of each community. Cast members travel for one or two semesters beginning in January and July of every year, participating in various community service projects, performing a dynamic musical show and experiencing a global education curriculum.
Up with People differentiates itself from other leadership, service, and study abroad programs through its unique combination of program components. For over four decades, participants who traveled in UWP have gone on to become enthusiastic leaders in their communities and the world. Equipped with the life skills and broad perspectives learned 'on the road,' they have made tremendous differences through a myriad of career and life choices and have truly become global citizens.
UWP offers flexible options to fit your schedule and
budget. With programs beginning twice each year and the option of
touring
for either one or two semesters, we offer an affordable, comprehensive
way to explore the world.
International Participants
Traveling, living and learning with young people from more than 20 countries, participants learn how to work cooperatively while exploring the similarities and differences of people from other nations and cultures.
Though both casual interactions and facilitated in-depth discussions, participants have countless opportunities to see each culture through the eyes of its own people; to see beyond stereotypes; to challenge and re–evaluate views and beliefs often taken for granted. Many even learn to speak new languages. Up with People participants take time to learn about others and, as a result, find they’ve learned a lot about themselves in the process.
Meeting and becoming lifelong friends with people from all corners of the world has other benefits as well. Being surrounded 24/7 by such diversity provides participants a unique opportunity to learn and practice speaking foreign languages – some they may not have even heard spoken before. With language skills – and an address book to match – Up with People alumni often continue learning as they travel the world, staying with their newfound friends wherever they go.
International Travel & Host Families
During each semester of the Up with People program, participants travel in international casts of 100 people to cities on a multi-continent tour, experiencing the cultural sights, sounds, and tastes of each community. From blending in with the locals to acting like tourists – sometimes even gaining VIP insider access to local points of interest – they learn to explore and explore to learn.
As students of the world, participants discover what make each region unique, gaining a better understanding of its politics, history, culture, geography, environmental issues, religions and economics.
The experience changes the hearts and minds of participants, preparing them to embrace their roles and responsibilities as global citizens.
The Up with People program also provides the opportunity for participants to live with and learn from host families in the communities they visit, gaining a sense of what day–to–day life is like in their corner of the world while sharing lifestyles and experiences.
Living with community members in their homes – urban flats, rural farmhouses or thatch huts – offers an unparalleled level of cultural immersion and the opportunity to form international friendships, many of which last a lifetime.
Current Tour Schedule
Performing Arts
Up with People was founded on the principle of using music as a means to communicate with and inspire people. In each city the cast visits, participants perform in a vibrant and moving musical stage show that brings the community together, highlighting local partnering organizations and sparking people to action in meeting the needs of their communities, countries and the world.
From a small gymnasium in Nebraska to a prestigious concert hall in Europe, even a large arena full of school children in Thailand, Up with People participants have performed for diverse audiences in a wide variety of venues.
Among its historical performance highlights are four Super Bowl halftime shows, television broadcasts in countries around the world, and performances in Red Square in Moscow and at the Great Wall of China. Up with People has performed for royalty and heads of state, including Jordan’s Queen Noor, Pope John Paul II, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and many U.S. Presidents.
Recent appearances in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade – both viewed by television audiences numbering in the tens of millions from 150 countries – are evidence from Up with People’s continued appeal to audiences both large and small around the world.
UWP Historical Highlights
Multimedia
Community Impact
Social responsibility and dedication to community service are core elements of the Up with People program and, as such, service projects are an integral part of the casts' time in each city they visit. By giving back through community service projects that are not only helpful but also impactful, participants develop insight into how different cultures address social and political challenges.
More importantly, they find that in working to contribute to and improve the lives of others, their lives are also forever changed. The Up with People program helps young people internalize that it's not 'getting', but 'giving' that leads to personal growth. Projects are diverse and range from working alongside handicapped adults to help reclaim fire-damaged land, to mentoring children and assisting with local substance-abuse programs.
Cast members have lifted sandbags during floods in the Netherlands, talked about their homeland to elementary school children in Oslo, sung to residents in a nursing home in Quebec and painted over graffiti in Mexico. Others have visited people in shelters and refugee camps, served the homeless at soup kitchens, even comforted terminally ill patients at a hospice. Wherever Up with People goes, the hearts and minds of both participants and recipients are changed forever.
Service Across the World
Global Education and Professional Development
Each city Up with People visits becomes a classroom and learning laboratory. Participants meet with political, corporate and social leaders around the globe, visiting regional points of interest, such as the European Union and United Nations Headquarters. The Up with people program offers truly unique access to opportunities to develop and refine leadership skills beneficial to any career of life path.
Internships
Up with People provides a variety of professional development opportunities, allowing participants to build skills and gain valuable hands–on experience in a real–world setting. Participants interact with local business and community leaders and they develop critical public speaking, presentation and interview skills through a variety of internships.
While on tour, participants can apply for those internships to actively assist staff members responsible for various aspects of the program. Education intern, for example, plan, coordinate and implement community service projects. Technical interns take on the task of managing the set–up crew, overseeing lighting, sound and stage preparation. Advance Team interns travel to a city ahead of the cast to assist staff members in planning, logistics, marketing and public relations essential to making the tour a success. The opportunities are as diverse as the participants themselves.
These unpaid internships are available in all areas of the operation, including marketing and public relations, merchandise, admissions, logistics, education, sound, lighting, video, dance, band, vocals, finance, business and more. The intern application process begins during the orientation period in Denver.
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