Many college students dream of travel, and one program gives them the chance.

Camp Adventure Youth Services will host an informational session at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Gold Room of the Memorial Union. The session will allow students to learn about the University of Northern Iowa-based program that allows students to travel and work with children.

This program is available to students who are “caring, committed and competent individuals” who are dedicated in their service to children and youth, according to the program’s website.

By joining the summer or winter session, students can participate in several programs, including a day camp, which works with children ages 5 to 12; aquatics, which gives students the opportunity to instruct Red Cross swim lessons and lifeguard; and child development centers, where students provide care for children ranging from newborns to 5-year-olds. 

Contracting with U.S. military installations in Europe, Asia and the United States, Camp Adventure can send students to places such as China, Germany, Italy and Japan.

“With the program, it really taught me a lot, especially with leadership skills, communication skills, and [it] gave me the opportunity to work with kids all around the world,” said Sara Claman, ISU Camp Adventure trainer. 

Claman participated in the program for five summers before eventually becoming a trainer.

The program, which recommends that students have experience working with children, offers benefits unlike most abroad programs.

These benefits include paid airfare and housing, 12 transferable UNI credit hours and a living stipend of approximately $175 a week to cover summer expenses such as food.

The entire trip costs about $1,200, Claman said. The trip can be offered at this price because of the fact that it is through Northern Iowa along with a contract the company has with the military installations.

“Most of the bases do already have workers in place, we’re just there to either assist or replace their staff because a lot of those installations are short-staffed due to the high-turnover because people are always moving with the military,” Claman said.

Tiffany Allen, senior in child, adult and family services and president of the ISU chapter of Camp Adventure Youth Services, became involved with the program because she knew she wanted to go abroad and enjoyed working with children. She hoped that it would help her get out of her comfort zone.

Allen has participated in two summer programs in Japan, one in Yokosuka another in Okinawa, with two winter break programs in Bamberg, Germany, and Vicenza, Italy.

The summer programs typically last about 10 weeks.

“My favorite experience thus far is when I spent 10 weeks in Okinawa, Japan, at the Air Force Base teaching swimming lessons,” Allen said.

Completely different from her first experience, where she was on a staff of 12, her experience in Okinawa only consisted of a staff of three.

“It was a completely different experience being with such a small number of co-workers, and we all taught our own level of swim lessons,” Allen said. “My Camp Adventure staff got along really well, and it was great to form very close relationships with the children and their parents, who I still keep in touch with today.”

Allen also said she loved experiencing Japanese culture while living on the island, where she was even able to get open water scuba certified.

“I think having a program like this is so important because it really challenges you as a person,” Allen said. “Camp Adventure is not for the weak. You are working with children who could be going through many different things at home — a parent could be deployed, or they could have just moved for the third time in their life.”

Students who are hoping to apply for the program must have 200 to 400 hours working with children in groups along with a minimum 2.5 GPA.

The program will also have an information session at 6 p.m. Nov. 18 in room 3219 of the Memorial Union.