Graduation Service Trip

Celebrate this year's graduates!

RSVP by September 2 to join us February 18-23, 2025 to celebrate this year's Young Living Academy Kindergarten, 6th grade, and high school graduates and commemorate your sponsored students' achievements!

How to participate in graduation:

  • Join us in-person
    Join us in-person
    Join us in-person

    Celebrate with us in Chongón, Ecuador.

    Celebrate this year's Young Living Academy graduates with us in Ecuador from February 18-23, 2025. Below is a tentative agenda:

    Tuesday, February 18
    Arrive in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and travel to NovaVita at the Young Living Finca Botinca Farm for your stay. Please plan to arrive by 4 P.M.

    Wednesday, February 19
    Spend the day experiencing all that the Finca Botanica farm has to offer with your sponsored students and their families. Then in the afternoon, you'll have the opportunity to spend time with your student and their family. 

    Thursday, February 20
    Attend Kindergarten graduation to celebrate our youngest graduates in the morning followed by more community project presentations. After having lunch with your student, either attend the graduating class forum where our seniors share the impactful moments that shaped them, or participate in activities with the students!

    Friday, February 21
    Attend 6th grade graduation in the morning, followed by the remaining graduating class forums or activity time and a visit to the Chongón community center.

    Saturday, February 22
    Celebrate the graduating class of 2024 during the Academy's high school commencement and graduation celebration!

    Sunday, February 23
    Travel back to Guayaquil to catch your return flight.


    COMPLETE DETAILS

  • Join us Virtually
    Join us Virtually
    Join us Virtually

    Celebrate graduation from home.

    As much as we would love to have you join us in person, we understand that you may not be able to attend. If you can't make the trip, be sure to register for the live stream of this year's ceremony. An emailed invitation with more details will arrive closer to graduation.


Trip Details

Here are some general FAQs to help you prepare.

  • How do I RSVP and when do I need to RSVP by?

    To RSVP for in-person graduation, please email Michelle Inchiglema at minchiglema@youngliving.com no later than Monday, September 2, at which time you will receive more information about how to pay your deposit.

  • When is the trip and what does the agenda look like?

    Celebrate this year's Young Living Academy graduates with us in Ecuador from February 18-23, 2025. Below is a tentative agenda:

    Tuesday, February 18
    Arrive in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and travel to NovaVita at the Young Living Finca Botinca Farm for your stay. Please plan to arrive by 4 p.m.

    Wednesday, February 19
    Enjoy a welcome program at YLA, then spend the afternoon experiencing all that the Finca Botanica farm has to offer with your sponsored students and their families. 

    Thursday, February 20
    Attend Kindergarten graduation to celebrate our youngest graduates in the morning followed by community project presentations.

    Friday, February 21
    Attend 6th grade graduation in the morning, followed by the graduating class forums or individual activities with your sponsored student.

    Saturday, February 22
    Celebrate the graduating class of 2024 during the Academy's high school commencement and graduation celebration!

    Sunday, February 23
    Travel back to Guayaquil to catch your return flight.

  • How much does the trip cost? What does the cost cover?

    The cost of this trip is $1,300 USD for the primary guest and $800 for each guest and includes accommodations at NovaVita at the beautiful Finca Botanica farm, in-country transportation, meals, and activities for the duration of your stay. You will book your flights separately. 

    Paying in full: 

    • If paying in full, payment is due Monday, September 2. Log into your Young Living Foundation account and make a one-time payment to the Young Living Academy in the dropdown menu at YoungLivingFoundation.org/donate.
    • Please note, for those paying in full, the $300 deposit ($200 for guests) is nonrefundable in the event of cancellation.

    Paying in installments:

    • Please see next FAQ

    Any leftover funds, after all trip expenses are paid, will be donated to the Young Living Academy.

  • Can I pay in installments?

    You are welcomed to pay the trip cost in installments. Make payments and fundraise for your trip in one place by setting up a graduation trip fundraiser and selecting the Young Living Academy in the dropdown menu. You and your friends and family can contribute to your fundraiser directly through your unique fundraiser link!

    Here is the payment schedule: 

    • September 2 - $300 nonrefundable deposit due ($200 for guests)
    • October 7 - $500 due ($300 for guests)
    • January 20 - $500 due ($300 for guests)

    Any remaining funds after all trip expenses are paid will be donated to the Young Living Academy expansion.

  • Who handles flights and accommodations?

    The Young Living Foundation will organize your accommodations, in-country transportation, meals, and activities for your time in Ecuador!

    You will book your flights separately from the trip cost, giving you the freedom to fly with your preferred airline to José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE).

  • If I can't make it to Ecuador, will the graduation be live streamed?

    As much as we would love to have you join us in person, we know that personal circumstances may not allow you to travel during this time. If you can't make the trip, be sure to register for the live stream of the graduation. An emailed invitation with more details will arrive closer to graduation. 

  • What are the current entry requirements for Ecuador?

    Ecuador eliminated its COVID-19 entry requirements effective October 20, 2022. International travelers are no longer required to present COVID-19 vaccination cards or proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to entering Ecuador. 

    International travelers are still required to present a declaration of traveler health. You can fill this declaration out on the plane or ahead of time on the Ministry of Public Health website.

    Please note, procedures may change at any time. For the latest entry guidelines to Ecuador, visit the website of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador. To receive important updates, U.S. citizens should register their travel in Ecuador in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

  • Who can I contact for more information?

    Please email our events manager Michelle Inchiglema at minchiglema@youngliving.com with any specific questions you may have.

  • Can I extend my stay in Ecuador beyond the trip dates?

    If you'd like to extend your stay beyond the trip dates, you will be personally responsible for any additional expenses incurred. Please contact Michelle Inchiglema at minchiglema@youngliving.com.

RSVP by September 2, 2024


Interested in joining us in-person? Please email Michelle Inchiglema at minchiglema@younglivingfoundation.org no later than Monday, September 2!



         

         

“This great journey has come to an end, but it is only the beginning of a great life—a life of sacrifices, tears, happiness, laughter, achievements, and failures—and I feel ready to face it. I want to thank all my teachers, the Young Living Foundation, and my classmates and sponsors. Now, little by little, I will achieve my dream.”

—  Billy Huacón | Young Living Academy Graduate

Privacy Preference Center

We utilize JavaScript and cookies throughout our site to provide you with the best digital experience and to measure anonymous data on how users interact with our websites. We feel that it is important that you know what cookies our website uses and for what purposes. This will help to protect your privacy, while ensuring that our website remains as user-friendly as possible.

Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference.


Your cookie settings

These cookies are essential for our website to work properly and are used for things such as navigation, saving your preferences, allowing images to load, and processing donations. We cannot switch them off in our systems. Some parts of our website will not work if you set your browser to block these cookies. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

These cookies are used to analyze and evaluate the performance of our website; providing information on how our site is used. Data collected with these cookies is used to improve our site design, performance, or stability. We receive this information aggregated and anonymized.

These cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.

These cookies enable you to share the content you find interesting. This allows us to provide seamless integration between our websites and the social media networks and tools you like.