Global Community Institute

Global Community Institute (GCI) is a nonprofit educational organization formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1988. Global Community Institute dba Explorations Academy ignites a passion for learning that inspires participants to collaborate effectively and take responsibility for positive global change. Our vision is to cultivate diverse communities of healthy, creative, and engaged learners and leaders, working toward a socially just and ecologically balanced world.

Explorations Academy is a top-quality, experientially oriented school operated by the Global Community Institute since 1995. The school has a 16-year history of linking experiential education, service learning and environmental education and leadership with academic challenge in a fully accredited high school setting. We began incorporating international programs for youth into Explorations’ curriculum in 2002 and have sponsored ten international trips over the past decade .

Explorations Academy changes lives. "Our fully accredited, experiential independent school gives capable young people an education that matters. Those who feel isolated find a sense of community. Those who had “checked-out” from their education re-engage. Those who were resigned and discouraged gain a new sense of their capacity to make a positive difference. Families are excited to see the gap between their kids’ potential and their actual performance disappear. Community support is what makes this possible.” - Daniel Kirkpatrick, Explorations Academy Director