Educational travel experiences
Growth Circles benefits low-income middle and high school students from Marin City, CA, many of whom have never been on an airplane or even traveled beyond California, and most of whom live in subsidized housing and below the poverty line. It was formed to inspire Bayside MLK’s students to think bigger, encouraging students to move out of their comfort zones into life-expanding “growth circles” and achieve more.
Growth Circles addresses a significant gap in the preparation of Marin City students of color to help students envision greater personal potential and motivate their middle and high school achievements. Student engagement in the program is demonstrated by improved school attendance and GPA in the following years.
Growth Circles trips are led by community and school mentors taking students to explore destinations from New York City to Washington, D.C. to Houston, TX to Sacramento, CA on Growth Circles trips. Students learn about possible career paths from Wall Street to Broadway; they visit college campuses, as well as museums and historical sites. Summer programs on college campuses and team-building retreats are also part of their program. These trips allow students to connect with one another, strengthen their self-esteem, explore college and career opportunities, and deepen their understanding of our history.
A grant from Marin Charitable will directly fund twenty student travel expenses for a trip to Washington, D.C. for 7th and 8th-grade students to visit culturally relevant sites and museums including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Howard University, for example.
We believe that every child deserves the opportunity of education through travel. Can we count on you?
You can help us with our continued support of Growth Circles by:
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Photo credits: Growth Circles