Do something extraordinary this summer. Leave Israel better than you found it through living and serving in an Israeli community. Along the way, get to know the issues facing Israeli society first hand and learn how to play a part in shaping the future of the Jewish State. Then continue to Central America to discover the natural beauty of Costa Rica on Eco-Quest.

IMPACT: Israel is a three-week service learning program designed primarily for teens looking to return to Israel for a deeper, community-based experience. The heart of IMPACT: Israel is a service learning experience. Dedicate your summer to living in a town in the Galilee; working hand-in-hand with the community to improve infrastructure, education, and social services (~70 total service hours). Get to know the people of Israel on a much more personal level and make a difference in the process.

As a leadership experience, you will also meet citizen activists, public officials and leaders from across Israeli society who will give you an insider’s understanding of the major issues facing Israel today — absorption, poverty, democracy and Jewish-Arab co-existence. Immerse yourself in Israeli society and help define your own vision for the future of the Jewish State.

Is IMPACT: Israel right for me?

IMPACT: Israel is a unique Israel experience that combines community service, social advocacy, and experiential touring. The trip is open to Jewish teens of all backgrounds and is appropriate for teens who have never been to Israel as well as for those who are returning for a different perspective.

Part 2 / Eco-Quest Costa Rica

Join teens from around the world and head for the cloud forests of Costa Rica to explore a country rich in bio-diversity, culture and plenty of adventure.

Eco-Quest Costa Rica is a two-week teen travel experience that combines outdoor touring, a Costa Rican approach to sustainable living, and opportunities for peer-to-peer connections with local teens.

• Looking for adventure? Hike on an active volcano, zip-line over a rainforest, snorkel on a tropical beach, raft down a raging river, swim under a waterfall, relax in thermal hotsprings, and go on a night safari. Costa Rica is a stunningly beautiful country that is lush with colorful plants, rare animals, and endless opportunities for outdoors exploration.
  
  
• Living in harmony with nature. Although Costa Rica is a very small country, it contains more biodiversity than America or Europe! On Eco-Quest, we will learn about Costa Rica's unique approach to sustainable living. Spend the weekend on a "Costa Rican-style kibbutz", explore an organic coffee plantation, and eat deliciously fresh food at every stop along the way.
  
  
• Building cross-cultural connections. Costa Rica is a very friendly country. So friendly, it is one of the only countries in the world with no army at all. Spend an afternoon getting to know fellow teens from a local high school, celebrate Shabbat with the Jewish community of San Jose, and leave your mark through a series of service projects.
  
  

As a BBYO Passport experience, Eco-Quest is also an opportunity to explore your Jewish identity through the lens of life in Costa Rica. Delve into the meaning of being "eco-kosher", fulfill the Jewish value of Tikun Olam (fixing the planet), and celebrate two very memorable Shabbats.

• Participate in meaningful community service projects that make a true impact
• Meet emerging Israeli leaders and social entrepreneurs who are building the Jewish State of tomorrow
• Build your leadership skills, explore your Jewish identity and the meaning of contemporary Zionism
• Experience the beauty and power of Shabbat in Jerulsalem. Visit the Kotel and the Old City
• Enjoy an entirely off-the-beaten track experience in Israel
• Connect to your Jewish soul through community building and spiritual experiences
• Experience Israel with fellow Jewish teens from Europe & Israel
• Walk in the footsteps of 3000 years of Jewish history
• Explore Monteverde's cloud forests & swim under waterfalls
• Hike to an active volcano & take a dip in a thermal pool
• Search for jungle wildlife on a night time safari
• Learn salsa dancing & experience local Costa Rican culture
• Learn how to surf in the Pacific ocean & relax on the beach
• Stay at an ecologically sustainable farm
• Celebrate Shabbat together with San Jose's Jewish community
• Raft down the Pacuare River

WEEK #1: Land at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel and travel to Tiberias where we will spend the first part of the week meeting our Israeli partners and participating in an orientation for our service work. From Tiberias we head to Tel Aviv where we spend our first Shabbat together, have some relaxing time Shabbat on the beach, as well as meeting refugees from Sudan and a variety of other social change leaders in Israel. We then return to Tiberias for our service work, coordinated with the Department for Youth Volunteerism of Tiberias.

WEEK #2: We will continue our service projects, as we get to know our host community better. We will spend time with Israeli teens and learn about their lives as they prepare for their military service. We then begin the ascent to Jerusalem where we explore the Old City, Ben Yehudah Street, and immerse ourselves in matters of domestic and international policy from the vantage of Israel's capital city.

WEEK #3: We head back north to have our most intense week of service. Our knowledge of the city and the impact of our projects will deepen. During this final week we will explore other parts of the Galilee region as as well complete a series of leadership development workshops. These skills will be serve you in your continued leadership back home.

WEEK #4 / Cloud Forests & Volcanoes!
Land in San Jose and get acclimated to Costa Rican society by visiting with a local high school. We then head up to the highlands of the Monteverde cloud forests where we will search for exotic animals and fly high above the canopy forests on a world-renowned zip-line course. From Monteverde we set off for Arenal, a volcano so active that bright red flowing lave is visible most nights. This region of Costa Rica is especially beautiful, and we will explore it on horseback, on foot, and in the water. Our first week caps off with a visit to Ranch Margot, a small Costa Rican agricultural community that can best be described as a "Costa Rican kibbutz". Here we will celebrate a unique Shabbat with yoga, community-building, and well deserved relaxation time.

WEEK #5 / Pacific Coast, River Rafting & San Jose
Our second week in Costa Rica begins descending from the mountains and heading to the Pacific coast where we snorkel, ocean kayak, and enjoy a beautiful sunset over the open ocean. From the Pacific we head back up into the highlands for a white-water rafting adventure on the raging Pacuare River and a tour of a local organic coffee plantation. The Eco-Quest experience wraps up where it started in San Jose, Costa Rica's capital. Here we will take part in a service project and spend Shabbat with the local Jewish community and learn about their history and special place in Costa Rican society.

Program Package

• Airport pick-up & drop-off in San Jose, Costa Rica. Participants are responsible for arranging own transportation to/from Costa Rica. An optional chaperoned group flight from New York or Miami is available.
• Round-trip flights to Israel from NYC, with an overnight stay in NYC between programs
• Accommodations (hotels, kibbutz lodging, country lodging and Bedouin tent!)
• All meals (kosher or vegetarian/allowance)
• Activities & entrance fees
• Deluxe motorcoach
• Dynamic staff team
• Security escort & monitoring (Israel)
• Medical insurance (excludes pre-existing conditions)

Trip Links

• Costa Rica Program Itinerary, IMPACT: Israel Itinerary COMING SOON!
• Pre-Trip Prep Costa Rica 2011
• Pre-Trip Prep Israel 2011
• Why Israel, Why Now?
• Safety & Security
• Register Now for Eco-Quest Costa Rica + IMPACT: Israel

As a connected experience, this program combines the following two travel experiences:
IMPACT: Israel + Eco-Quest Costa Rica #3.

The program tuition for Eco-Quest Costa Rica + IMPACT: Israel does not include flights to Costa Rica. For travel to Costa Rica, participants can choose to either book a ticket on a staff supervised flight or make their own arrangements on the airline of their choice:

OPTION #1 / Purchase Your Own Ticket on a Supervised Flight
An optional supervised flight is available from New York and Miami. Participants are responsible for booking seats on the supervised flights on their own from their home city 

OPTION #2 / Meet in Costa Rica
Alternatively, for those participants who wish to make their own flight arrangements to San Jose, Costa Rica on a separate airline, they will be met personally upon arrival and escorted back to the airport for their return flight at no additional cost.

For more details, please review the 2012 Pre-Trip Flight Info:

Eco-Quest Costa Rica 3

As a connected experience, participating in this program actually means combining two separate experiences. Participants opting for the connected experience should book their own ticket to Costa Rica (a supervised option is available). Upon return to NYC after IMPACT: Israel, there will be a staff supervised overnight in NY. They will then return to the airport the next day to catch flights to Costa Rica. The overnight in NYC gives teens a break between travel experiences.