Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder

What Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder does

Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder (SStS) is a private, mission-driven nonprofit educational organization founded in 2007 and headquartered in Edwards, Colorado. It operates 15 immersive global field study programs for high school students across North America, Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia (including Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Kenya, and Nepal, plus U.S. domestic sites), placing participants alongside grassroots nonprofit leaders in public health, conservation, marine biology, education, and sustainable development. Programs run 10–14 days with 60–100 service hours, tuition ranges from $4,390 to $5,190 depending on program and partner-school status, and a $1,000 deposit plus April 1 balance payment structure governs enrollment.

The organization does not operate proprietary technology. Program coordination relies on third-party tools: Airtable for applications and stakeholder forms, and Camp Management software for the parent portal and enrolled student directory. The Travel Journal Platform functions as a student reflection/content asset rather than a technology product. SStS instead differentiates through curated, multi-year partnerships with vetted international NGOs (Hands On Peru/CESAPU, Llama Pack Project, CONAPAC, Explorama, Give and Surf) and through its Global Schools Coalition network of 20 partner schools, 16 business/philanthropic partners, and a 1,200+ alumni community served via the alumni network at sstsnetwork.com.

SStS makes money through a fee-for-service tuition model (recognized on program delivery), tiered by partner-school status, with airfare collected separately as a pass-through. Ancillary revenue comes from school membership fees, business and philanthropic partnerships, and donations. The organization operates under Executive Director Bob Bandoni with a staff of 11–50 employees, and no institutional investors, parent company, or M&A activity is disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder

Legal name

Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder

Website

https://shouldertoshoulder.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder is a Colorado-based nonprofit that runs 10–14 day immersive summer field study programs for high school students across 15+ countries, placing them alongside grassroots NGO leaders and operating the Global Schools Coalition of 20 partner schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Education / Global Service Learning

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Overseas Summer School Programs (Secondary) (EDAIAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Extended Learning Time Programs (After-School/Summer Intervention) (EDAJAGAK)

Keywords

• Experiential education programs
• Global service learning
• High school study abroad
• Ethical leadership curriculum
• Field study programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Vail

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Summer Program Tuition: SStS generates revenue primarily through tuition fees charged to students participating in its global field study programs. Tuition is tiered by partner-school status (students from partner schools receive a $200 discount) and varies by program destination and duration. Tuition covers program delivery, accommodations, in-country transportation, and curriculum. Airfare is charged separately. Financial aid is available (up to 50% of tuition) for qualifying students. This is a fee-for-service model where revenue is recognized upon program delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder (SStS) delivers immersive summer field study programs that place high school students alongside grassroots nonprofit leaders in North, Central, and South America, Africa, and Asia. Programs span 10–14 days, combine service work, cultural immersion, Spanish language practice, and structured ethical leadership reflection, and are priced as tuition-based enrollments. The organization also runs the Global Schools Coalition, a membership network for schools integrating SStS programming into their curricula.

Product overview

Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder (SStS) is an educational organization offering immersive global programs for high school students. The core offering consists of summer study abroad programs that place students shoulder-to-shoulder with inspirational nonprofit leaders worldwide. Programs span multiple locations (North America, Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia) and focus themes including Healthcare, Education, Conservation, Entrepreneurship, Human Rights, Sustainability, Spanish Immersion, and Climate Change. The organization also operates the Global Schools Coalition, a network of schools committed to ethical leadership programming. Related offerings include a Travel Journal Platform for student reflections and Parent Portal/Student Dashboard for program management. SStS is not a technology product company but rather a service-based educational organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Schools Coalition: A network of like-minded schools interested in ethical leadership programming
• Ethical Leadership Forum

Products and services

• Peru Public Health Program A 12-day summer program in Peru pairing high school students with physicians from Hands On Peru to support community health campaigns, nutrition monitoring, infant development classes, and healthy cooking workshops.
• Peru Andes Conservation & Llama Trekking A 14-day program in Peru's Sacred Valley in which students trek alongside indigenous llama farmers, support environmental education, and participate in the Llama Pack Project's sustainable tourism program.
• Peru Amazon Rainforest Conservation A program in the Peruvian Amazon in which students stay at Explorama ecolodges, work with CONAPAC on rainforest conservation, install clean water filtration systems, and participate in sustainable agriculture.
• Panama Marine Biology & Community Education A 10-day program in Bocas del Toro with Give and Surf covering marine conservation (sea turtle protection, coral reef restoration) and after-school programming for over 1,000 youth in island communities.
• Global Schools Coalition A school membership program providing tuition discounts for students, professional learning resources for faculty, custom program design, and access to the Ethical Leadership Forum for partner schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 field study programs across 15+ countries with 80-100 service hours per program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Give and SurfcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGive and Surf is a nonprofit organization operating in Bocas del Toro, Panama. It serves as SStS's primary host partner for the Panama Marine Biology & Community Education program. Students work alongside Give and Surf to deliver after-school programming for over 1,000 youth in remote island communities, participate in marine conservation activities including sea turtle protection and coral reef restoration, and engage with local conservationists. The Executive Director of Give and Surf is Neil Christiansen. SStS has worked with Give and Surf for multiple program years (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024).
• Hands On Peru (CESAPU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHands On Peru is a nonprofit co-founded in 2013 by global health advocates as a response to deep inequities in access to medical care in Peru. Through its Center for Public Health (CESAPU), the organization delivers essential health services in vulnerable communities. SStS students on the Peru Public Health program shadow physicians during home visits, assist with nutrition monitoring, conduct door-to-door health education campaigns, support infant development classes, and co-facilitate healthy cooking workshops. The program also engages with Chimuk, a social enterprise affiliated with Hands On Peru.
• Llama Pack ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Llama Pack Project works to recover the ancestral use of llamas as pack animals to protect fragile mountain ecosystems and create sustainable livelihoods for indigenous high-Andean communities in Peru's Sacred Valley. SStS students on the Peru Andes program work directly with llama farmers, participate in multi-day llama treks, support environmental education in local schools, and assist the Sustainable Tourism Program. The project exemplifies ethical leadership through community-embedded conservation.
• CONAPACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCONAPAC is a Peruvian nonprofit whose mission is to promote rainforest conservation through education of the people living along the Amazon and Napo Rivers. SStS students on the Peru Amazon program work with CONAPAC on conservation and community development projects, visit remote river communities through the Adopt-A-School program, install clean water filtration systems, and participate in sustainable agriculture projects. CONAPAC also runs the ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden.
• ExploramacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExplorama is an Ecuadorian/ecotourism operator with unique jungle lodges along the Amazon and Napo Rivers, including the Canopy Walkway (one of the longest elevated walkways in the world). SStS students on the Peru Amazon program stay at Explorama lodges, travel by boat between lodge destinations, and experience Explorama's ecotourism model as a case study in sustainable tourism. Explorama provides accommodations, transportation, and guided excursions in the Amazon.
• Cornerstone Safety GroupminorOthersCornerstone Safety Group is referenced as a safety partner on the SStS website, displaying their member badge. The organization likely provides safety certification or risk management support for SStS programs.
• One Percent for the PlanetminorOthersOne Percent for the Planet is an environmental pledge organization that SStS participates in as a member, demonstrating commitment to donating one percent of revenue to environmental causes. The organization's logo appears on the SStS website.
• Global Schools Coalition (Partner Schools)coreOthersThe Global Schools Coalition is a network of 20 like-minded schools interested in ethical leadership programming. Partner schools receive tuition discounts for their students, access to professional learning resources, and the ability to nominate students for programs. Schools collaborate on custom programming and participate in the Ethical Leadership Forum. This is SStS's primary school partnership model for student recruitment and curriculum integration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways runs community-driven summer service and travel programs for high school students across dozens of countries, with a comparable focus on ethical leadership and grassroots NGO partnerships. It is the closest direct competitor to SStS in target customer, program structure, and price point.
• Global Leadership Adventures: Global Leadership Adventures offers 1-3 week summer service-learning programs for high school students in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, centered on leadership development. Its mission framing and program portfolio overlap closely with SStS's Global Schools Coalition positioning.
• Putney Student Travel: Putney Student Travel designs experiential summer programs for high schoolers focused on community service, cultural immersion, and language learning across multiple continents. Its per-program pricing, duration, and target demographic closely mirror SStS's offerings.
• Where There Be Dragons: Where There Be Dragons runs immersive summer programs for high school students emphasizing cultural immersion, homestays, and engagement with local leaders in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It targets the same family demographic as SStS and competes for partner school referrals.
• GVI (Global Vision International): GVI operates teen-focused service-learning and conservation programs across multiple continents, including marine biology and community development tracks that overlap with SStS's Panama and Peru offerings. Its teen division targets the same experiential education segment.
• Projects Abroad: Projects Abroad runs volunteer and service-learning programs for high school students in over 30 countries, including public health and conservation tracks. It is a broader global competitor in the high-school service-travel segment that SStS operates in.
• Broadreach: Broadreach offers summer programs for middle and high school students centered on marine biology, conservation, medicine, and community service in destinations including the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. Its program themes overlap directly with SStS's healthcare and marine biology tracks.
• School Year Abroad: School Year Abroad offers semester and academic-year immersion programs for high school students in multiple countries, often partnering with U.S. independent schools. While its core offering is longer duration, it competes for the same partner school audience and global citizenship curriculum positioning.
• Travel For Teens: Travel For Teens operates summer programs for high schoolers focused on community service, cultural immersion, and adventure across multiple continents. Its target customer, pricing, and program structure are directly comparable to SStS.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Student Expeditions: National Geographic Student Expeditions runs high school summer programs focused on photography, conservation, and cultural immersion, leveraging the National Geographic brand. It targets the same affluent, college-bound cohort and competes for partner school referrals in the experiential education market.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/handsonperu
• Instagraminstagram.com/studentsshouldertoshoulder
• Xx.com/sstsglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder