H-RISE Leadership Program
Human Rights International Service-Learning Education
H-RISE Leadership Program
Human Rights International Service-Learning Education
A Transformational Global Leadership Experience for Students
H-RISE is a yearlong journey for high school students ready to lead with courage, compassion, and a global perspective.
Blending rigorous learning, international immersion, and community-based leadership, H-RISE equips students to become human rights leaders—youth who not only understand injustice, but are prepared to respond to it and help build a world where human rights are a lived reality for all.
H-RISE is for students who are ready to rise—to step forward as thoughtful, informed, and committed leaders in a complex and interconnected world.
Overview
- Join an inspiring group of local high school students who are ready to learn, serve, and lead for human rights
- Engage in a hybrid course to earn the Wassmuth Center’s International Human Rights Leadership Certificate
- Travel to Cambodia from May 28 – June 11, 2026 (two weeks)
- Design and lead an impactful human rights initiative when you return to Idaho
Not Your Typical Travel Experience
The journey begins in the Fall of 2025 with a hybrid online and in-person certification course that introduces students to the foundations of human rights. Through the lens of Cambodia’s rich culture and complex history, students explore key frameworks such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Spiral of Injustice. They engage with the legacy of the Khmer Rouge genocide, as well as Cambodia’s ongoing efforts toward justice, healing, and reconciliation. Along the way, students develop essential skills in critical thinking, cultural understanding, and ethical leadership. Upon completion, they earn an International Human Rights Leadership Certificate.
Then, in the early Summer of 2026 students will take part in a life-changing, two-week international experience in Cambodia.
While abroad, students embark on a powerful two-week journey through Cambodia, exploring its history, culture, and ongoing pursuit of justice. Along the way, they engage in hands-on service, connect with local leaders, and experience the resilience of communities rebuilding after conflict.
Dates of Travel | May 28 – June 11, 2026
Where You’ll Go
Siem Reap: Home of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat
Battambang: Distribute bicycles through the Pedals and Packs Program
Phnom Penh: Explore Cambodia’s capital and its path toward healing and justice
What You’ll Do
Visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Landmine Detection Center
Meet with community leaders, NGO staff, and government officials
Experience Cambodian culture:
Traditional dance school
Silk farm and silver village
Cambodian cooking class with local chefs
The Impact Continues at Home
The impact doesn’t stop there. When students return home, they carry with them a broadened worldview, a deepened sense of empathy, and a renewed commitment to human rights.
Drawing on what they’ve learned, each student will design and lead a service project addressing a human rights issue in their own Idaho community.
Ready to Rise?
Apply Now
- Rolling admissions begin May 28
- Rising 9th – 12th grade Treasure Valley students are invited to apply
- Program is limited to 18 students and will be led by 3 highly qualified educators
- Cost is $4,995— includes roundtrip airfare from Boise to Cambodia, 4.5 star hotel accommodations, all meals, entrance fees, private tour guide, certificate course, and post-trip human rights project support)
- All students who are accepted before August 1, 2025 will receive a $500 scholarship, bringing the cost down to $4,495
- A $495 deposit is required to hold your spot and the remaining payments are spread out over the next year
Ready to Rise? Apply Now
- Rolling admissions begin May 28
- Rising 9th – 12th grade Treasure Valley students are invited to apply
- Program is limited to 18 students and will be led by 3 highly qualified educators
- Cost is $4,995— includes roundtrip airfare from Boise to Cambodia, 4.5 star hotel accommodations, all meals, entrance fees, private tour guide, certificate course, and post-trip human rights project support)
- All students who are accepted before August 1, 2025 will receive a $500 scholarship, bringing the cost down to $4,495
- A $495 deposit is required to hold your spot and the remaining payments are spread out over the next year
What is Pedals and Packs?
Thirty years ago, Cambodia emerged from a brutal regime that resulted in complete destruction of schools. Since then, rebuilding the country’s educational system has been a top priority and considerable improvements have been made.
However, despite these efforts, Cambodia’s education sector remains blemished by limited access to quality instruction, inadequate school facilities and high dropout rates. Access to and completion of primary school remain a pressing dilemma. Getting to a school where students can complete upper primary grades may mean traveling far from home. Having a bicycle is more than a child’s wish; it is a student’s transportation to his or her future.
Each $75 donation to Pedals and Packs will provide one student in Cambodia with a bicycle and backpack – and one less obstacle on the road to an education.
Featured Video
Donate a Bicycle
Each $75 donation to Pedals and Packs will provide one student in Cambodia with a bicycle and backpack – and one less obstacle on the road to an education.
I knew that education could change lives, but I had never seen it so clearly before. Watching these kids climb onto their bikes, knowing they now had a way to reach school, made me realize how much I take for granted and how hard I want to work to make education accessible for more kids.
-Idaho High School Student