High Schoolers - Service, Training, & Adventure in Iten, Kenya!

My 14yo son participating in the Strive Kenya trip the summer before his freshman year in high school. It was a truly amazing experience that forever changed him. Not only did he become a much better runner (he made the varsity cross country team when he returned), but he grew as a person. I almost didn't recognize him when he got off the plane. He felt older and more mature, and he had a new-found confidence in his ability to accomplish challenging tasks. He loved his leaders, and they took great care of him. He also loved the volunteer experiences. Working with little kids at the school and the children's hospital were some of his favorite moments of the trip. And getting to meet Eliud Kipchoge and other world-class runners and coaches was an incredible opportunity for him. He was inspired by everyone he met there. I can't recommend this trip enough. It was life-changing!

Strive gives high schoolers a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience travel, athletics, and service. The leaders are phenomenal, and my experiences with other students were always fantastic. Students get to experience all sorts of activities, including teaching, training, learning about service, meeting the locals, and exploring the area. In my experience, teaching and training were two of the more rewarding parts of the trip. While I had fun giving lessons in math and English, the kids undoubtedly taught me more than I could possible teach them. As far as training goes, the altitude is tough, but the feeling of finishing a workout is unbeatable. As a side note, be sure to talk to the locals and listen to their stories (it’s always fascinating to hear about their life). I spent two summers with Strive, and would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Strive trips Kenya was an incredible opportunity to explore a country without being touristy, while doing meaningful work in the community. Iten is an optimal spot for runners and other athletes to train and get authentic advice from world champions. As a participant, you're given the independence to explore, without ever feeling unsafe, and options to tailor the experience to what you and your groupmates want to do. One highlight for me was the interactions and relationships I got to build, both with the community and the other travelers. I was able to make connections with people who live halfway across the world, and to Iten itself. The three weeks you're there allow you to fully immerse yourself, and in a short amount of time you may see Iten as a home away from home. Overall, could not recommend Strive enough!

Because I used to get bored easily, I sought after the unfamiliar and uncertain by trying new activities. Taking a break from my predictable prep school life, last summer I signed up for STRIVE, a running and service program in Iten, Kenya, a small town hang 8,000 feet above sea level at the edge of the Great Rift Valley.

Through training, I learnt to pay attention to the muscles at work and take conscious control of every single movement. In addition, I embraced other aspects of the program. While teaching, I embellished the material with humor and closely observed each student’s learning style to provide better assistance. During downtime, I stayed offline and engaged in thought-provoking conversations with runners from a myriad of backgrounds. From these experiences, I realized that I had kept myself from making mundane moments enjoyable.

By the time I departed from Iten, I had lost twenty pounds in weight, two minutes in 5K personal records. The moment when we started singing Circle of Life upon spotting the sunrise on Masai Mara will live in my dream forever. Sometime during college, I would love to run along the Great Rift Valley, learn from the amazing athletes, and bond with the local students again.