This is bigger than travel. This is access.

The World Scholars Program isn’t simply a trip– it’s a year-long academic journey that culminates in an experience of a lifetime for students. Each school year, students explore the socio-cultural, political, and economic histories of a Community of Focus through coursework and preparation that results in an international, educational voyage. While abroad, scholars engage in cultural exchange, build friendships across borders, and develop a deeper understanding of the world and their role within it. For Village Leadership Academy students, the world is the classroom.

Since 2010, we have taken 13 cohorts to 13 different countries, opening global doors and expanding worldviews for more than 250 Chicago youth through experiences grounded in experiential learning, cultural exploration, community service, and global citizenship.

In June 2026, our scholars will travel to Japan, connecting classroom learning to real-world discovery and immersive learning opportunities. Your gift ensures opportunity is not determined, deferred, or delayed by income.

Donate today. Every gift matters, and every dollar brings a WSP scholar closer to Japan. We must raise $150,000 by May 15, 2026.

The World Scholars Program exists because international travel builds global awareness and empathy, deepens academic learning, encourages self-confidence and leadership, and fosters adaptability and critical thinking–a powerful learning experience that should be available for all students and not a privilege reserved for a few. The World Scholars Program provides the vast majority of our scholars with their first global experience, igniting a lifelong passion and commitment to global citizenship.

Japan offers a powerful learning context. Through visits to cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara, and Osaka, scholars explore:

• The balance between tradition and modern innovation.

• The cultural foundations of discipline, community responsibility, and respect.

• The historical consequences of war and the global imperative for peace, including direct study of Hiroshima and its legacy.

• The role of education, art, architecture, and technology in shaping national identity.

This experience is designed to be deeper than mere sightseeing–scholars will participate in guided academic study, cultural immersion, and reflective learning that deepens awareness and expands their understanding of the interconnected world. WSP participants undergo a transformation where they not only return with new knowledge, but also embody greater confidence, perspective, and aspiration.

Without dedicated fundraising initiatives, many of our students, the vast majority of whom come from low-income communities, would be excluded from this opportunity due to cost alone. Investing in the World Scholars Program is an investment in access and equity, academic rigor, and youth leadership development–quite simply, it is an investment in the well-being of future society. 

Service learning has always been a core component of the World Scholars Program. Across previous experiences, scholars have engaged in community-based projects rooted in partnership, cultural respect, and shared responsibility.

In Gemena, Democratic Republic of the Congo, students purchased and distributed books and flip-flops to local youth in response to community identified needs. In Yucatán, Mexico, scholars visited a Mayan school to donate school supplies and learn directly from Indigenous educators and students. Additional projects included painting a local playground and supporting the revitalization of the interiors of homes and a school. In Colón, Panama, students collaborated with Haitian-American artist Charles Phillippe Jean Pierre to paint a large mural in a Black community, using art to uplift local history, identity, and pride. In Rwanda, scholars participated in the country’s monthly Umuganda community clean up, working alongside local residents to care for shared public spaces.

These experiences reinforce a key belief of our program that service is not charity–it is action and commitment rooted in partnership that involves listening, learning, and contributing with humility.

WSP has provided ITAV LA students with global learning experiences, taking them to destinations such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico’s Yucatán region, South Africa, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Cuba, Ghana, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Kenya.