Asheville, NC  Date—August 17-19 2014

Trip to Asheville will allow students to experience a different environment--horseback riding and other outdoor activities they might otherwise not have an opportunity to experience. This site selection is based on students' need for life skills development, confidence building, and exposure to activities that motivate and encourage physical fitness. Research on other age-appropriate locations and activities is currently underway using these sites: www.kidsonline.com; and www.tripsforkidstriangle.org.  As the project matures, student input into the selection process will be a part of their learning about decision-making.

Charleston, SC Preliminary Date—April 13-14 2014

Johnathan Green's art studio http://www.jonathangreenstudios.com on Daniel Island will make a powerful statement on the contribution of African-Americans to American life and culture.

Charleston Aqarium www.scaquarium.org. Children Museum. www.explorecml.org

The curator at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture www.avery.cofc.edu will discuss civil rights and chronicle how Gullah influenced liberty and civil rights in America as far back as 1739. Recorded oral histories will also show the uniqueness of the language of the South Carolina Lowcountry, its relationship to African tongues, and its synthesis with European and Native American language.  Lunch on the porch of the Philip Simmons Museum www.philipsimmons.us will allow students learn about the late, renowned blacksmith and watch his nephew demonstrate how iron gates are made.  The findings demonstrate travel’s power to transform how students approach learning, deepen their understanding of the world and expand their career possibilities. Clearly, school and family trips are beneficial.  If your family is economically challenged and you, as a adolescent or teenager, must overcome what appears to be insurmountable problems, the motivation, money, and means is not within reach. Support of this effort can change students' life trajectories.