Give Your Students the Gift of Travel—Apply for a National Youth Day Out

For many students and teachers, the annual class field trip is a "rite of passage." But for far too many schools, budget cuts and limited resources make field trips—even a trip to the local museum—an impossibility. The mission of the SYTA Youth Foundation (SYF), the charitable arm of the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA), is to provide students and youth with the resources to travel and grow through experiential learning.

The SYTA Youth Foundation and SYTA are partnering with National Middle School Association (NMSA) to provide one-day travel experiences for deserving classes. SYTA members, who are tour operators and student travel experts, will develop exciting, educational trips for up to 25 middle school classes around the country.

"Our members plan student travel experiences every day," stated SYTA Executive Director Claudia Mansfield Sutton. "They have the knowledge and experience to develop exciting, educationally enriching, and fun travel experiences. What better way to put their expertise to good use than by providing deserving students with a 'Day Out.'"

"The goal of the SYTA Youth Foundation is to enrich the lives of students, one mile at a time," said SYF Chair Kasie Smith. "National Youth Day Out allows us to bring that mission to life and to reach large numbers of students at once. We’re thrilled to be working with NMSA to make this event happen."

If you feel your students deserve a Youth Day Out, visit the SYF website (sytayouthfoundation.org) and submit an entry of 200 words or less explaining why your class deserves an experiential learning day. Need is based on financial burden on your class or school district, and full entry rules are available on the SYF site. Representatives from national education organizations who are members of SYTA's Educational Advisory Board will review the entries and select 25 winning classes. Entries are due no later than June 15, 2010, and winners will be announced on Monday, August 30.

"I urge all teachers whose schools or classes can demonstrate need to take advantage of this worthwhile program," said Al Summers, NMSA director of conferences and events. "Travel is the best form of experiential learning, and this is a great way to supplement your students' education."

If you have any questions about the National Youth Day Program or the SYTA Youth Foundation, visit www.sytayouthfoundation.org or contact Sharon Keating, skeating@syta.org. Program rules and restrictions are provided on the SYF website, www.sytayouthfoundation.org.

We hope you will take advantage of this rewarding program to help give your students the gift of travel! It will be a day they—and you—will never forget!