All adult leaders go through sensitivity training with an emphasis on how words and actions may impact a different race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. We have a zero tolerance policy for hate speech and acts of bigotry. Name tags include preferred pronouns. Gender neutral rooms are available for nonbinary, gender fluid, two spirit, and trans participants. (Please see the housing section for more information). Adult leadership is always learning and we are open to feedback so that we can make our experiences even more affirming.

We are happy to accommodate medical conditions, such as diabetes. The trip will most likely not be adaptable for severe medical conditions such as chronic fatigue. If you have specific questions please send an email to ashleyg@lifechangertrips.com. If a participant takes medication, adult leaders can administer the medication according to instructions or if the participant prefers to do it themselves, adult leaders will just check in and make sure they remembered to take it. Parents can check the option they prefer in the medical paperwork that will be sent after registering. We are happy to accommodate wheelchairs, crutches and other limited mobility students. If there is a specific limited mobility you'd like to discuss please send an email to ashleyg@lifechangertrips.com.

We are happy to make adjustments for participants with developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome. We require an adult to accompany the participant and be their buddy. At this time, the cost of the trip for this adult must be paid out of pocket. This can be a parent or other adult in the person's life. We understand that the cost for two people might be a hindrance and we hope in the future we will be able to pay for the extra adult. Until then, thank you for your understanding. If you'd like to send a group on a trip specifically for those with developmental disabilities, please send an email to ashleyg@lifechangertrips.com.

Life Changer Trips is not responsible for loss of or damage to luggage or any other passenger/participant belongings.

- You will receive your confirmation email. - You will receive an email about the payment plan you chose. - In January you will receive additional waivers and forms to fill out. - Payment updates will be emailed as necessary. - Any trip updates such as Adult Leader announcements and itinerary updates will be emailed. - In May you will receive the detailed itinerary, packing list, and any other information.

All meals are provided and covered in the cost of the trip. Backstage Day Camp: lunch all 5 days Kenya: 3 meals a day and all meals that are during travel Allergies and dietary needs can be listed on the registration form.

We have 8 spots available for the Kenya Center Stage experience. In Kenya, there will be 8-12 local teens joining us.

The cost includes everything on the trip and day camp: - round trip airfare (includes checked luggage) - all meals (see food question in general section for more details) - lodging in Kenya (see housing section for more details) - transportation in Kenya - all activities in Kenya - t-shirt & water bottle - misc. supplies (things like lanyards, notebooks, etc.) - costs for Kenyan teens at lodgings - business fees - wages for adult leaders Not covered: - souvenirs - snacks - travel insurance - travel vaccinations DCPA Add-On: - behind the scenes tour - DCPA show *transportation not provided* Safari Add-On: your safari planner through The Wild Source will let you know what is included and what isn't

Here are a few benefits that make this trip experience worth the cost: Personal Growth. These trips are planned to provide personal growth opportunities; from basic travel skills to communicating with strangers to growing empathy to figuring out who they want to be and beyond! Studies show that traveling enhances a teen's global understanding "making them more empathetic toward cultural differences and helping them adapt to changing situations." Social-Emotional Development. Traveling with other teens supports the further development of resiliency, independence, confidence, and empathy. In a Student & Youth Travel Digest study on the social impact of travel on students, they found ten social effects like better self-expression and increased sense of tolerance and respectfulness. Making a Difference. These trips focus on making an impact on local communities. Teens will understand how theatre can inspire change. The camp is also free for the Kenyan teens, allowing them an opportunity they rarely or never get. Whitney Houston sang that "children are the future" and while this is true, children also have the power to make a difference in the present. Life Changer Trips equips teens to make a difference in the here and now as well as in the future. College Connections. These trips look great on college and job applications. The Kenyan portion of the experience is actually community service because the camp will be free for the students. A survey of over 200 college admissions officers said that 58% of them agreed on the importance of community service and 53% actually looked at community service as a tie breaker between applicants! You can read more about the importance of community service to colleges here. Small Group Sizes. Unlike other group trips with 20+ students, we cap our trips at 12 students. This smaller size fosters stronger connections and allows everyone to participate. Expertise. Our trip leader has 10+ years of experience and a degree in performing arts, and 7+ years of working with teenagers. We partner with The Wild Source, a renowned safari planning company, for all things Kenya and travel related. You can learn more about The Wild Source here.

When you register you will be charged a $100 non-refundable deposit. The remaining balance can be paid in one of the following ways: Pay remaining balance in one payment before January, 16, 2024 Pay remaining balance in three payments as follows: January 16, 2024 - $2,000 March 15, 2024 - $1,125 May 24, 2024 - $1,125 3. Pay remaining balance in monthly payments beginning in October 2023. This would be $531.25 per month. OR beginning in September 2023 which would be $472.22 per month. Payment can be made online with a credit/debit card. Or a check can be mailed but will take 2-3 weeks to process. The $100 non-refundable deposit upon registration must be paid by a credit/debit card. If you choose the monthly plan, automatic payments will be made. You will receive an email after registration to set up the automatic payments. This plan can only be paid with a credit/debit card. The 3 time payment plan can be set up for automatic payments or manual invoices. The choice is yours. You can only pay by check if you choose manual invoices. If you choose to pay the full sum, an invoice will be emailed after registration.

While we don't offer fundraising through Life Changer Trips, there are many ways you can fundraise on your own! Check out these 8 fundraising ideas!

The cancellation policy outlined below takes into consideration the costs Life Changer Trips incurs before trips ever depart. Notice of cancellation from a trip will only be accepted from the participant or their legal guardian. The date of cancellation will be determined by the date on which Life Changer Trips receives notice. In order to qualify for refunds, all payments must be received on time. – 150 days or more prior to departure: Full refund less the $100 non-refundable registration fee and a $100 cancellation fee. – 149 to 110 days prior to departure: Full refund less the $100 non-refundable registration fee and a $300 cancellation fee. – 109 to 45 days prior to departure: Full refund less the $100 non-refundable registration fee and 25% of the trip price. – 44 days or less prior to departure: No refund will be issued. REPLACEMENT CANCELLATION POLICY Cancellation with replacement refers to a participant who cancels but finds a person to replace them for the same trip. The replacement’s Registration Form must be submitted at the same time as the notification of cancellation. – 150 days or more prior to departure: Full refund less the $100 non-refundable enrollment fee. – 149 to 110 days prior to departure: Full refund less the $100 non-refundable registration fee and a $50 substitution fee. – 109 days or less prior to departure: Replacements can no longer be accepted and the Standard Cancellation Policy will apply. CANCELLATIONS REQUIRED BY EXTERNAL EVENTS BEYOND LIFE CHANGER TRIPS LLC’S REASONABLE CONTROL Life Changer Trips shall not be liable to any participant for the need to cancel, modify, or postpone the trip as a result of events that are beyond Life Changer Trips’s reasonable control. These matters include such “acts of God” or force majeure events as actual or threats of: epidemics or pandemics, or other public health issues or emergencies (such as but not limited to the current COVID-19 pandemic); severe weather events or natural disasters such as but not limited to hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, fires, floods, volcanic activity, or landslides; war (whether declared or undeclared); terrorist activities; instability in a destination location; incidents of violence, riot, sabotage, civil commotion, or nationalization; strikes or labor disputes or lockouts; government orders, sanctions, actual or potential quarantines, or other restrictions affecting travel in, to, or around a location; disruption to transportation; chemical or radioactive contamination; or any other reason that makes it actually or potentially impossible or illegal for Life Changer Trips to conduct the trip as originally contracted. Life Changer Trips incurs substantial non-recoverable costs and expenses of its own in planning, preparing, and pre-paying amounts for such trips. Accordingly, if a trip cannot depart as originally scheduled or is interrupted for any such reason, participants will receive a Life Changer Trips Future Travel Voucher in the amount of all monies paid less the non-refundable registration deposit. In the event of a delayed or interrupted trip, the amount of the Future Travel Voucher will be pro-rated for the missed portions of the trip. Cancellation, modification, or postponement by Life Changer Trips for causes described in this section shall not be a violation of its obligations to any participant and will not be deemed a “failure” to provide travel services. COVID-19 CANCELLATIONS, MODIFICATIONS, OR REQUIREMENTS In the event external events beyond Life Changer Trips’s reasonable control have not rendered a trip impossible or illegal to depart as scheduled yet Life Changer Trips reasonably decides in its sole discretion that the program must nevertheless be cancelled, modified, or postponed due to health or safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic or because issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic would affect the quality of the program, participants acknowledge that Life Changer Trips’s sole obligation to them will be to issue a Life Changer Trips Future Travel Voucher in the amount of all monies paid, less the non-refundable registration deposit. In the event of an interrupted trip, the amount of the Future Travel Voucher will be pro-rated for the missed portions of the trip. Life Changer Trips and the enrolled participants agree that a cancellation, modification, or postponement by Life Changer Trips for causes described in this section shall not be a violation of its obligations to any participant and shall not be deemed a “failure” to provide travel services. Life Changer Trips is not responsible and shall not be liable to any participant for any destination- imposed travel entry or exit requirement, supplier-imposed requirements, or other travel related requirement related to COVID-19, including but not limited to vaccination, testing, or other public health requirements. Customers who are unwilling or unable to comply with such requirements and who choose to cancel their tour are subject to Life Changer Trips’s Standard Cancellation Policy. Life Changer Trips also reserves the right in its sole discretion to, in good faith efforts to protect against health concerns, exceed destination-imposed travel or entry requirements and require full vaccination against COVID-19, pre-trip and on- trip testing for COVID-19, and other public health measures for participants to certain destination. Participants who chose to cancel their registration upon notification of such requirements are subject to Life Changer Trip’s Standard Cancellation Policy.

Where applicable, refunds for overpayment will be issued upon request and after the most recent payment has been in the participant’s account for 21 days. Refunds will be issued back to the original form of payment unless that is no longer valid, in which case a refund check will be issued in the name that appears on the participant’s account. All refund checks are mailed 4-6 weeks after the request has been processed. There will be a non-refundable $25 stop-payment fee for lost refund checks.

We will be staying at Pace University all 6 nights of the trip. Pace University is located in the financial district of downtown Manhattan. This is a very safe location in the city and campus is within 2-4 blocks (depending which building your in) from a police station and a hospital. This area is quiet, especially at night, compared to most of Manhattan. It also has a relatively low crime rate. No city is 100% crime free but when it comes to areas in NYC, this neighborhood is very safe and we also have strict safety guidelines to keep all participants safe. (see safety section for more information).

The dorm rooms are 4 people to a room with a bathroom. The beds are extra long twins and participants will need to bring linens and a pillow for the beds. (don't worry, we have packing hacks for this). The rooms do have wifi and AC. Wheelchair accessible rooms are available.

Gender neutral rooms are available for those who identify as nonbinary, gender fluid, two spirit, trans, or are questioning. Cisgendered participants may also stay in gender neutral rooms with parent permission. If none of the registered participants need to be in a gender neutral room, then there will only be gendered rooms. There will be at least one adult leader in each gender neutral room but this adult will never be in the room one on one with a participant. There is a strict rule that changing clothes must happen in the bathroom. Participants who are dating will not be placed in the same room.

When you register, you'll see there are 3 different room options: boy rooms, girl rooms, and gender neutral rooms. You can select any of the rooms the participant is comfortable staying in. If you do not select a gender neutral room it is guaranteed that you will be in the gendered room you selected. If you choose multiple options, we will assign the room based on need. In the registration there's also a place to list people you'd like to room with. If you have friends going and you write them in we'll do our best to place you in the same room. Dating participants are not allowed in the same room. Room assignments will go out before the trip, so if there are any concerns we can adjust the assignments.