Challenge New Zealand: Leadership Development

Location: Auckland, Rotorua, Tongariro National Park Area, Wellington - New Zealand
Dates: January 2014
Course: Liberal Studies 331 & 336 (4 credits total)
Accommodation: youth hostels; outdoor pursuit center
Program Model: Direct Enroll through a Provider; course professor from UW Oshkosh
Contact: Melissa Schmidt, 920-424-3354

This short course emphasizes leadership, personal development, and team building. The Outdoor Pursuits portion of the program encourages students to bond together, trust one another, and learn how to work as a team through hands on outdoor activities.

Program Highlights

Admire the pristine, breathtaking scenery of New Zealand’s North Island.

Build upon leadership skills through immersion in one of the world’s most innovative, culturally-diverse and beautiful countries.

Five-day outdoor recreation program builds leadership insights and expertise through experiential education in the breathtaking Tongariro Mountains.

New Zealand speakers, a volunteer service project and local tours to key attractions offer students an immersion into the unique Maori culture and Kiwi way of life.

Experience personal transformation and self-awareness as students work together with their leadership classmates. 

Academic Focus

Auckland/Rotorua
Students will be immersed into the New Zealand culture, with a specialized focus on the native Maori Culture through lectures focusing on New Zealand culture and traditional leadership.

Outdoor Pursuits Center
Students will take part in fun, yet challenging outdoor adventure programs while working in small groups with one another. The OPC is a great resource to teach leadership, group dynamics and theory through outdoor education. The course objectives are to equip participants with the knowledge and practical skills to deal effectively with others and to be able to recognize and assume leadership styles necessary to assist in their development. The Center offers secondary school programs, adult industry/corporate training programs, small group adventure weekends, and navigation workshops. Programs interact with the New Zealand environment through activities such as kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, and ropes courses.

Wellington
The program concludes in New Zealand’s vibrant capital city with activities that will bring students’ leadership experience full circle, including: lectures from various local business and government leaders, a volunteer service project with a local school, group tours to the fantastic Te Papa Museum and New Zealand House of Parliament, as well some free time to explore this hub of New Zealand art and culture.

Our Partner

Globalinks "strives to provide students with the highest level of essential services for successful adjustment and integration without adding unnecessary elements that may “Americanize” their experience."

The UW Oshkosh Office of International Education has affiliated with Globalinks because of this organization's commitment to student support. Globalinks provides program selection counseling, pre-departure webinars, in-country and U.S.-based 24-hour-a-day emergency services and overall pre-departure, during-the-experience and post-experience care.