Spend a summer abroad learning about social justice movements and LGBTQ and gender issues in the Netherlands during this program for high school students.
Discover the Netherlands’ longstanding history of upholding and fighting for human rights and social justice while being immersed in Dutch culture. Gain new perspectives on Dutch approaches to gender issues, sexuality, and LGBTQ rights. Together with your group, spend time in The Hague, visiting the Peace Palace and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). You also visit Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port city and the historic site of Dutch emigration to the US. While there, witness the city’s modern architecture, strong working-class roots, and multicultural vibe.
Deepen your immersion in Dutch culture and share in the daily lives of your homestay family in Amsterdam. Gather new perspectives on Dutch life when you participate in a community service project, such as assisting at an urban farm in Amsterdam, throwing a fundraiser for Dance4Life, or volunteering at a counseling and free HIV-testing center. At different stages of the program, attend workshops on gender and transgender issues, marriage equality, and other social justice topics, while visiting a fascinating array of organizations engaged in these areas. Participate in a spoken word workshop hosted by a Dutch-Moluccan artist, and experience how poetry and spoken word can serve as powerful tools in the struggle for equality and social justice.
Finally, bask in the wind, water, and nature of Friesland during your rural stay in Sneek, a town beloved for its outdoor activities. During your stay in Sneek, participate in a homestay with an LGBT family. Try your hand at the traditional Frisian sport of Fierljeppen, explore one of the province’s many lakes on a pedalo (paddle boat), or sail on a skûtsje, a traditional Frisian boat. The program begins and concludes in Amsterdam.
This program is designed for participants who are currently engaged in LGBTQ and allied communities and are comfortable discussing topics related to gender and sexuality.
About The Experiment
The Experiment in International Living is a non-profit organization that has been offering immersive experiential learning programs abroad since 1932. Today, The Experiment offers three-, four-, and five-week summer programs for high school students in more than 20 countries around the world.
Programs are designed to equip participants not only with essential cultural skills and, in many cases, language skills, but also with a deeper awareness of and sensitivity to critical global issues shaping the diverse communities and regions we visit. Each year, hundreds of Experimenters come away from their summer abroad with invaluable new skills, connections, awareness, and knowledge that help them to thrive—and lead—in diverse, intercultural environments.
The Experiment is committed to providing participants from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds with access to The Experiment’s immersive cross-cultural programs through its partnerships, scholarships, and other initiatives.
The Experiment places the highest priority on health, safety, and security. Each program follows a comprehensive structure designed to maximize the well-being of all participants while they engage in dynamic cross-cultural experiences. We have implemented specific risk management strategies that include a 24-hour emergency on-call service and regular safety reviews. We hire and train experienced adult group leaders and maintain longstanding partnerships with in-country offices to support each of our programs.
