Date: July 27th - August 9th, 2026

Category: Youth Trips

Participants: 10 

Grades: Entering 9th - 12th in the fall of 2026

Focus: Seeking social justice solutions through technology and art

Essential Question: How can technology and digital arts education lead the youth of Lesotho to create societal change and social justice?

Highlights: Living in local villages, hiking and horseback riding, working with youth on social justice projects, Soweto visit, and safari! 

Spots Available: 8 

Cost: $3,500 with discounts for repeat travelers

Before Travel:

We will meet via Zoom to discuss our program and share our interests and goals for the trip. Each participant will choose one of the following topics to focus on during the trip:

Art and Activism

• Fighting gender-based violence through art and music

• Photography for Climate Change

• Film Making and Claymation for Social Justice

• Coding for Change (preference to those who already know how to code in one or more languages)

Ha Matela Youth Center:

• How does the youth center offer opportunity and growth for the village youth?

Days 1 and 2: Johannesburg, South Africa

Land in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, and spend the night at a game lodge outside of the city. After a night’s rest, we will spend the next day exploring the Apartheid Museum and touring Soweto Township to learn about the struggle to end apartheid.

Days 3 – 5: Malealea, Lesotho

After a short flight to Lesotho, we will drive two hours into the heart of the Maloti Mountains to stay in the village of Malealea. Here we will get our introduction to village life in Lesotho as we trek through the mountains on Basotho ponies, connect with development leaders, and explore local projects. We will sleep in traditional rondavels and take an introductory course on the Sesotho language. We will visit the Chief, try local cuisine, and participate in village life.

Days 6-10: Morija, Lesotho

After a short drive, we will make our home for the next few days at Morija Guest House, located in the Maloti Mountains' foothills. We will meet our counterparts at Ha Matela Youth Center and The Hub and spend time learning about and collaborating on our focus areas. Additional time will be spent hiking to dinosaur footprints, playing pick-up soccer games with the local youth, horseback riding, and exploring the village.

Days 11- 13:Pilanesberg South Africa

After saying goodbye to our Basotho friends, we will fly back to Johannesburg and make the 2-hour drive north to Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa for safari! The big 5 are all present in this non-malarial park. We will go on day and night safaris, have dinner at the boma and relax at the pool during the hottest parts of the day. We will spend time processing our learning and experiences in Lesotho and making plans for how we will continue our work when we return home.  

Day 14:Return to Johannesburg for our return flights 

Drive back to Johannesburg for our flights home.

After Travel:

We will meet after our trip to share our plans to continue our learning and work. All students will be given guidance to help prepare for their next steps, be it presentations, volunteer work or continued education based on the learning from our trip. We will have 2 formal gatherings after travel and each student will have multiple touch points to help them extend their learning for 6 months after travel.