Custom Programs

Operation Groundswell has been instrumental in helping us ensure the safety of our students participating in their programs. Over the past three years we have relied on their safety policies, experience, and preparedness to effectively respond to any emergencies or challenges that may come up on the ground while our groups are abroad. From the care that goes into the planning of their participant safety prior to the program, to the training of their staff, to the safety and contingency planning of their daily activities, we have selected them with the confidence of knowing we can rely on them to support and care for our students. … all while providing a seamless on the ground experience where the safety and contingency planning goes unnoticed by participants.

- Veronica Vasquez, University of Toronto - Mississauga Abroad Coordinator

I came to Guatemala hoping to learn about how the country’s coffee industry works, how it fits into the larger global coffee industry, also have a chance to experience Guatemala’s culture and communities in a more authentic way than I could my own. OG created an itinerary that accomplished all this and allowed me to truly connect with the people and the culture. OG’s leadership did an amazing job of affording us the opportunity to experience a new country in a way that connected us to the people behind the purely intellectual questions most of us had going into the trip.

Susan, 2013

OG’s coffee program provided a multi-faceted introduction to an immensely complicated industry. In only one week, I heard direct perspectives from a broad range of players – government policy-makers, small-scale farmers, and major exporters. The experience exceeded my expectations in intellectual rigor, emotional growth, and fun.

Virginia, 2013