Bridges to Nepal is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates in sports management, leadership, and related fields such as international relations, tourism, and mountain studies.

The cost of the Bridges to Nepal academic/volunteer program is $4700. This covers:

• $50 non-refundable application fee
• instruction and administrative support
• accommodations and meals from Feb. 12 through June 6, 2010
• group travel within Nepal (including Kathmandu-Jiri bus roundtrip, Kathmandu-Lukla flight roundtrip)

The $4700 program fee does not include:

• airfare to and from Nepal (currently $1100-$1500)
• passport, entry visa, visa extensions
• comprehensive insurance (trip cancellation, medical, emergency evacuation, theft)
• personal gear and books
• optional excursions
• shopping for gifts and souvenirs (frequently a major item)

Who should apply?

Bridges to Nepal is designed for but by no means limited to university students. There are no age restrictions, but participants must be physically capable of backpacking up and down hills. No mountaineering experience is required. Knowledge of Nepali and/or English (our language of instruction) is useful but not required. English is an official language in Nepal, and all educated people are more or less fluent in English; even uneducated Nepalis, if they come into regular contact with Westerners, are quite frequently competent in English and sometimes other languages as well.

This is not a vacation trek. There will be formal assignments and discussion sessions throughout the program. Advanced students or professionals in pertinent fields such as community development, civil engineering, marketing, geology, tourism, anthropology, park management, and ecology, may undertake research or development projects compatible with their interests and skills in addition to our core agenda. It should be understood that the group will be working together on projects as a team; all results will be shared and available to all participants.

Safety and productivity depend on a high degree of coordination. Participants are expected to comply with instructions from Bridges staff except when specific arrangements or exemptions are in effect.

Application Procedure

There is no specific deadline for applications. However, places in Bridges Open are limited to 15. Furthermore, preparation for the expedition requires time and thought. The more time you leave yourself, the more you will get out of this opportunity.

The application will not be considered complete until all of the following have been received:

1. Application fee of $50. This fee is only refundable if we refuse your application. The application fee counts toward the $4700 program fee.
2. Completed online application form, or hardcopy application [.pdf file]
3. Proof of a full medical exam, including a physician's certification that the applicant has no physical condition that would make participation in this project hazardous; the medical form can be printed out and returned by mail.
4. Application fee of $50. This fee is fully refundable if (and only if) the applicant is refused. If the application is accepted, the $50 will be applied toward the $4700 program fee. You may pay by PayPal, MoneyGram, personal check (drawn on U.S. banks only) or money order may be made out to "Mountain Legacy" and mailed to:

Credit Facilitation

Students who plan to request their departments to grant academic credit for work in Bridges should submit at least one but preferably two letters of reference from professors in related field. The letters are intended only to facilitate credit requests: applications can be processed without them. They are not required.

After acceptance

Once an application is approved, students should immediately forward, within 2 weeks of notification by email, an additional $450 deposit in order to secure their place.

Full payment must be received by December 10, 2009 (two months prior to departure).

We offer incentive discounts for early payment:

• $200 discount for payment in full by September 1, 2009
• $100 discount for payment in full by October 1, 2009

Contact

For further information, contact Dr. Seth Sicroff
BridgesPRTD@gmail.com
Bridges-PRTD
511 W. Green St.
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA
Tel: (607) 256-0102