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While students were out here swimming in sacred cenotes and decoding Maya star maps at Chichén Itzá...
…the adults were on their own kind of learning journey. Syllabus includes:
🧢 How to hike through history without ever sacrificing drip
🧱 How to strike a pose on sacred ground
📸 Swipe for textbook-level execution.
@buglobalstudies
@etnicatravel
#Mexico #StudyAbroad #Cenote #ChichenItza
Oct 16
What have our student travelers been doing in Mexico this week?
Just…
🧵 Wove hammocks with Maya artisans
🌮 Cooked tamales in an underground oven
💦 Swam in a #cenote made by a meteor
🏛️ Climbed ancient temples at Ek Balam
And yes—they’re earning college credit for it.
Dual enrollment never looked so good, huh? @buglobalstudies @etnicatravel 😎
#Mexico #DualEnrollment #StudyAbroad #InstaTravel
Oct 14
Take a bite outta life… just like Carson.
One pastry at a time. One country at a time. 😎
#EatLikeALocal #CarpeDiem #Globetrotter
Oct 11
We’re traveling to Ghana, Togo, and Benin—walking historic slave trade routes, creating with local artists, learning spiritual traditions, and drumming in a local villages.
Other cool stuff you’ll experience:
🌊 Stand under Wli Waterfalls, Ghana’s tallest cascades
🏰 Walk the halls of Cape Coast Castle (a UNESCO site)
🌳 Dangle over the rainforest on Kakum’s canopy walkway
🏔️ Hike up Mount Gemi with views of Volta Lake
🏯 Visit the 300‑year‑old Palace of King Toffa
🚪 Face the Door of No Return on the Gulf of Guinea
🌳 See L’Arbre de Retour (Tree of Return) & wander the Sacred Forest
📅 Dec. 27, 2026 – Jan. 12, 2027
🎓 College credit + #scholarships available
Apply now → Link in bio
#UpcomingProgram #WestAfrica #TravelWestAfrica #Instatravel
Oct 10
We’re not crying, there’s just some #global impact in our eye… 😭
This month, GCAC turns another year bolder.
And for our birthday we want more moments like these.
Your monthly gift = endless horizons, life-changing scholarships, and one less fundraiser email in your inbox. 😜
Become a Pathfinder four our birthday → link in bio 🎂✨
#PathfinderEnergy #BuiltDifferent #Scholarships #InstaTravel
Oct 8
For less than the cost of one monthly airport latte… you can change a student`s life.
Become a Pathfinder today
Link in bio 🌎❤️
#InTheArmsOfAGlobalCitizen #FlyAwayFromHere #EndlessHorizons
Oct 4
We’ve blown out our birthday candles… now we’re making a wish:
🌍 More passports.
💛 More purpose.
📦 And monthly donors who believe in both.
Be their compass. One Monthly Gift. Endless Horizons.
Become a Pathfinder at l ink in bio 🧭
#BeTheChange #GiveBack #ThankYou
Oct 4
Another year around the sun.
Another reason to celebrate the people, the purpose, and the paths we’ve taken to get here.
If you’ve ever traveled with us, cheered us on, or helped someone pack their bag while pretending not to cry—thank you. You`re part of the story. ❤️
🎁 gcactravel.org/give
#ThankYou #Grateful #BirthMonth
Oct 3
Videos
Media Mentions
GCAC Blogs
When Rural Students See the World: How a Passport, a Journal, and a Visionary Community Changed Everything by Stacie Freeman, M.S.S.W.
What happens when you give high school students from rural West Tennessee more than just a seat in a classroom? What happens when you give them a passport, a journal, a college course, and a world-class itinerary? They don’t just see the world, they begin to understand it. From June…
What Happens When Nine Women Say Yes to Themselves in Brazil?
What Happens When Nine Women Say Yes to Themselves in Brazil? A Journey of Rhythm, Sisterhood, and Rediscovery with Women Celebrating Women Across the Globe by Dr. Julie Hill. Co-Founder/President/CEO of Global Citizen Adventure Corps If you’ve ever felt the quiet tug of adventure—not just to go somewhere, but to…
What Monkeys, Kids, and Trash Taught Us in One Week
By Jenna Patton, GCAC Co-Leader They say no two GCAC trips are ever the same—and Costa Rica just proved it again. This spring, our group of travelers stepped into a week of unforgettable connection, conservation, and community service on the Nicoya Peninsula. From wildlife sanctuaries to sandy shorelines, we showed…
Bethel University Continues Annual Visit to Sister School in South America
COLOMBIA, South America — For ten years, groups of Bethel University students have regularly traveled abroad to Cali, Colombia, and volunteered at the local school named Colegio Americano. The teams are continuing a relationship that began in 1928 when Reverend L. Swartz arrived as the first Cumberland Presbyterian Church Missionary…
A Decade of Partnership Continues a 100 Year Tradition
BY GARRETT BURNS, CHAPLAIN, BETHEL UNIVERSITY A Colombian “college” with an American twist, Bethel University students continue the tradition of service begun by the missionary founders of Colegio Americano back in 1928. The 2025 trip marked a 10 year anniversary partnership between Colegio and the BU Global Studies program and…
PARIS, FRANCE PROGRAM
A Transformative Journey:How Study Abroad in Paris Encourages the Development of Essential Soft Skills By Stacie Freeman, MSSW Traveling to Paris as part of our study abroad program at Bethel University was more than just an educational excursion—it was a profound opportunity for personal growth and the development of critical…
GCAC News
Nine Women from Across the U.S. Embark on Transformative Journey Through Afro-Brazilian Culture in Salvador da Bahia with Global Citizen Adventure Corps
by Dr. Julie Hill, Co-Founder, President, CEO of Global Citizen Adventure Corps. Salvador da Bahia, Brazil – [June 2, 2025] – In an extraordinary cultural immersion, nine women from diverse corners of the United States recently completed a life-changing journey in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, with the nonprofit Global Citizen…
Bruceton, Camden Residents Make an Impact in Central America
COSTA RICA — Thirteen adults and high school students from Bruceton and Camden made a positive impact during their volunteer service in Costa Rica at an animal rescue center and along the beaches of the Pacific coast. Jenna Patton, a Spanish teacher at Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central High School, served as…
Go Abroad Press Release
National Recognition GCAC Named Finalist for Two Prestigious International Awards Global Citizen Adventure Corps (GCAC), a nonprofit based in West Tennessee, has been named a finalist for two international awards by GoAbroad, a leading platform for global study, volunteer, and work experiences. GCAC is recognized in the categories of Global…
Global Citizen Adventure Corps Featured on WLJT-TV
Global Citizen Adventure Corps (GCAC) is the featured organization on “Tennessee is Talking,” a weekly segment on WLJT-TV, West Tennessee’s Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). GCAC is featured during the March 2025 airings. In an interview conducted by veteran TV personality and news anchor Tom Britt, GCAC’s co-founders, Stacie Freeman, M.S.S.W.,…
PARIS, FRANCE (March 2025)
A group of 22 travelers embarked on a 10-day trip to Paris, France, through Bethel University’s Global Studies and Global Citizen Adventure Corps. The group explored iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the recently reopened Notre Dame Cathedral, and enjoyed boat cruises on the Seine River, as well as…
Travel Vlogging Teen Realizes Her Dream
When 17-year-old Rachael Libby reflects on first dreaming of world travel, she points to the days of the pandemic and spending a lot of time watching the travel vlogging of others on YouTube. Among her favorites were Kara and Nate, a Tennessee couple who started their channel with a goal…
Keeping the Beat in Cuban Classrooms
DRESDEN/UNION CITY, TN – Julie Hill has more than 27 years of experience as a music educator, scholar, performer, lecturer, administrator, and non-profit arts leader/advocate. And a recent exploratory excursion to Cuba had the Union City resident tapping into all those roles as she, fellow Global Citizen Adventure Corps co-founder…
Paris Surgeon Ready to Take Lead with Global Citizens
PARIS, TN – Dr. Ray Compton’s medical knowledge and surgical skills have previously taken him to Tanzania, Ecuador, Mexico, and Iraq. But his latest trip to Honduras in early October had him in a dual role and one which will translate into return trips in the years ahead. As co-leader of a…
West Tennesseans Bring Clean Water and Medical Assistance to Honduras and Return Home with Much More
DRESDEN, TN – When Stacie Freeman and Julie Hill founded Global Citizen Adventure Corps one year ago, they wanted to offer travel service-learning experiences to their home communities in West Tennessee and throughout the Midsouth and Ohio Valley. They believed in partnering with international nonprofits to meet the needs as…
GCAC Makes Global Studies a Turnkey Option for High Schools and Universities
Tracking flight deals, coordinating tickets, ensuring passports are in hand, developing relationships with in-country partners, discovering best deals for lodging and dining for groups of 15-20, arranging in-country transportation, working through an itinerary that is both educational and entertaining and staying within a low-cost budget are just some of the…