Putney’s Community Service projects help sow seeds for progress around the globe. Each day, the group breaks into small work crews to improve schools or community centers, construct or repair housing for low-income families, run enrichment programs for local children, help people in need, and much more. Working alongside people from the host country, students build friendships and learn new skills. In selecting appropriate community service locations, Putney responds to invitations from host governments, and often collaborates with private foundations. Attention is given to safety, community stability, and proven need.

Last summer, among other projects, Community Service participants built simple houses for poor families near My Lai, Vietnam; planted an organic garden at a primary school in the Dominican Republic; built a greenhouse in Valle Grande, Argentina; organized a day camp for children in Costa Rica; renovated a sacred village temple on the remote Indonesian island of Nusa Penida; taught English to young Meru children in Tanzania; helped local farmers to weed millet and plant peanuts in Senegal; and built a kindergarten in Patacancha, Peru and a classroom in Cape Three Points, Ghana. Students need not be skilled laborers to participate. They must have a desire to work hard and to dedicate themselves to helping people in need. They must also have a sensitivity toward others, a sense of humor and of adventure, and the ability to live simply.

Students learn from their labor and commitment commitmentnot only that service is fun and educational, but that they can make a difference. They rise early and work throughout much of the day, with time for exploring and recreation in the late afternoon and evening. In most programs, each participant undertakes an independent project. Students learn about their chosen topic by spending time with local contacts, government leaders, teachers, craftspeople, musicians, fishermen, farmers, and others, and then share their findings with the rest of the group through informal presentations. Each summer Community Service alumni report the tremendous value of the cultural exchange that results from becoming a part of daily life in their host village.

Participants receive a certificate from Putney recognizing 80 to 100 hours of community service upon successful completion of the program.

Ecuador 9th-12th     Unit A: 6|28 - 7|28 $5490 9th-12th     Unit B: 7|05 - 8|04 $5490   Costa Rica 9th-12th     Unit A: 6|20 - 7|20 $5490 9th-12th     Unit B: 6|24 - 7|24 $5490 9th-12th     Unit C: 6|30 - 7|30 $5490 9th-12th     Unit D: 7|02 - 8|01 $5490   Nicaragua 9th-12th                6|28 - 7|28 $5490   Dominican Republic 9th-12th      7|07 - 8|06 $5490   Argentina 9th-12th               6|25 - 7|25 $5490   Dominica 9th-12th              6|26 - 7|23 $5490     Tanzania 9th-12th     Unit A: 6|19 - 7|21 $6490 9th-12th     Unit B: 6|26 - 7|28 $6490 9th-12th     Unit C: 7|03 - 8|04 $6490 9th-12th     Unit D: 6|30 - 8|01 $6490   Senegal 9th-12th     Unit A: 7|01 - 7|31 $5590 Nusa Penida 9th-12th  6|30 - 7|28 $5890   Vietnam 9th-12th        6|30 - 7|30 $5690 Ghana 9th-12th                6|26 - 7|26 $5690   India  9th-12th               6|27 - 7|27 $5890   Peru  9th-12th               6|25 - 7|25 $5490