Squads Abroad

What Squads Abroad does

Squads Abroad (legal name: GB Academy) is a 501c3 non-profit organization operating as the high school division of Global Brigades. Founded in 2004 under the parent organization, it delivers faculty-led and individually enrolled experiential learning programs for high school students in six countries: Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Ghana, and Greece. The portfolio is organized into four academies — Business Academy, Impact Academy, Medical Academy, and STEM Academy — each targeting specific UN Sustainable Development Goals through WASH projects, medical clinic mobilization, business plan support, and educational workshops. Supplementary tools include Empowered Points (a participation tracking system), Faculty Site Visits, an online Plan a Program tool, and a Global Medical Challenge program component. The organization operates under a Holistic Model that emphasizes year-round in-country staff, deep community partnerships, and a model designed to transition communities toward sustainable impact monitoring.

The business model is built on student program fees collected via Faculty-Led Institutional Programs and Individual Student Enrollment, with marketing and recruitment distributed through the Partner Schools program, content marketing, and GTM partnerships with HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and Business Professionals of America. Squads Abroad does not have a disclosed proprietary technology platform; the offering is a service-based model where program quality, in-country operational infrastructure, and community partnerships are the primary value drivers. No pricing tiers, per-student fees, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

The organization is credentialed through IVPA accreditation, a Candid Platinum Seal (2026), a Charity Navigator four-star rating (2024), and a GreatNonprofits 2020 top-rated designation, and holds strategic partnerships with international institutions including UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IFRC, Rotary International, Lions Club International, World Vision, and United Way. Ownership and control rest with parent non-profit Global Brigades, with no equity, venture funding, or individual ownership stakes disclosed.

Name

Squads Abroad

Legal name

GB Academy

Website

https://squads.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Squads Abroad (GB Academy) is a 501c3 non-profit high school division of Global Brigades that delivers fee-based, faculty-led experiential learning programs in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Ghana, and Greece across Business, Impact, Medical, and STEM academies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Service-Learning Programs

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

Keywords

• Experiential learning programs
• International service learning
• High school study abroad
• Global volunteer programs
• Educational travel programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Student Program Fees: Revenue is generated through fees paid by students participating in experiential learning programs abroad. Programs include Business Academy, Impact Academy, Medical Academy, and STEM Academy, offered online or in-person internationally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Squads Abroad (also known as GB Academy) is the high school division of Global Brigades, offering online and in-person international service-learning programs for high school students. The organization runs four named academies—Business Academy, Impact Academy, Medical Academy, and STEM Academy—in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Ghana, and Greece, where students work alongside local teams on health, WASH, business development, and education projects. Programs are delivered through faculty-led student groups and individual student enrollment via the Partner Schools program.

Product overview

Squads Abroad (also known as GB Academy) is a non-profit organization offering experiential learning programs for high school students. The portfolio consists of four academies—Business Academy, Impact Academy, Medical Academy, and STEM Academy—which are online or in-person international service-learning programs with skill-based focuses that support health and economic development objectives. The programs operate under a Holistic Model targeting UN Sustainable Development Goals, with additional support tools including Empowered Points (a tracking system) and Faculty Site Visits. The organization mobilizes students abroad to participate alongside local teams in Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Ghana, and Greece.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business Academy: Online or in-person international service-learning programs focused on supporting small business owners with business plans and teacher financial literacy.
• Impact Academy
• Medical Academy
• STEM Academy

Products and services

• Business Academy Online or in-person international service-learning program that improves business outcomes by supporting small business owners with business plans and teacher financial literacy in partner communities.
• Impact Academy Program that improves children's health and well-being through WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) projects, health screenings, and educational workshops in schools in partner communities.
• Medical Academy Program that improves access to essential medical services by helping to mobilize clinics in rural and refugee communities, with sessions available in Panama, Greece, and Belize.
• STEM Academy Program that improves WASH outcomes by designing and building water and sanitation infrastructure in underserved schools and communities alongside local teams.
• Global Medical Challenge Program component focused on medical service delivery in international communities, supporting the Medical Academy portfolio.
• Faculty Site Visits Site visit program offered to faculty leaders to experience Squads Abroad program operations firsthand before organizing student groups.
• Partner Schools Program Institutional partnership program that allows high schools and universities to register, access a dedicated portal, and enroll faculty-led student groups in Squads Abroad academies.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 70,000 international volunteers mobilized since 2004
• +1 more outcomes

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

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerHOSA is the Official International Service Learning Program partner, providing access to students interested in health and medical careers. This partnership supports the Medical Academy programs and helps recruit student participants.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational humanitarian network partner supporting global health and disaster response initiatives.
• UNICEFflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency working for children's rights and well-being, aligned with Squads Abroad's health and education programs for children.
• Lions Club InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService club network partner supporting humanitarian efforts and community development programs.
• Rotary InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal service network partner supporting international humanitarian and educational initiatives.
• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN development program partner working on sustainable development goals aligned with Squads Abroad's mission.
• World VisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian humanitarian organization partner focused on children's well-being and community development.
• Vitamin AngelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit providing nutrition support, aligned with health programs for children.
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultilateral development bank partner supporting economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• World BankflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational financial institution partner supporting development projects in Honduras, Panama, and Ghana.
• United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity services network partner supporting local health and education initiatives.
• PATHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal health organization partner working on health innovation and access.
• Stone Creek CoffeeminorOthersCoffee company partnership supporting fundraising and cause marketing initiatives.
• Business Professionals of AmericacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCareer and technical student organization partner supporting Business Academy programs.
• International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccrediting body for international volunteer programs ensuring quality standards.
• Global WAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Washington organization partner supporting international development initiatives.
• Giving CompassminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhilanthropy platform partner connecting donors with nonprofit organizations.
• MAP (Medical Alert Publishers)minorOthersNonprofit alliance partner in the humanitarian sector.
• BlessingsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational relief and development organization partner.
• EskalaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting development programs.
• MedSchoolCoachminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedical school admissions consulting partner supporting student pathways.
• Shemmassian ConsultingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdmissions consulting partner supporting student academic preparation.
• Guna (Kuna/Yala Region)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous community partner in Panama, with local governance partnerships in the Guna Yala region supporting community-driven development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways is the closest direct peer — a private operator of high school and college service-learning travel programs across multiple countries. It competes head-to-head with Squads Abroad for faculty-led cohorts and individual student enrollments in international experiential learning.
• ME to WE / WE Charity: WE Charity (formerly ME to WE) operated youth-focused international service-learning trips linked to charitable causes. It was a direct competitor in the high-school international volunteer travel space before restructuring.
• Amizade (Global Service-Learning): Amizade is a nonprofit facilitating short-term international service-learning programs in partnership with universities and high schools. It overlaps with Squads Abroad on the faculty-led student group model.
• Cross-Cultural Solutions: Cross-Cultural Solutions provides international volunteer programs for students, families, and professionals in developing countries. It directly competes with Squads Abroad in the experiential-learning-for-students space with similar country footprints.
• Global Volunteers: Global Volunteers is a 501c3 nonprofit operating volunteer service programs in multiple countries, including youth and family trips. It overlaps with Squads Abroad on the nonprofit international volunteer model and target audience of student/family participants.
• Projects Abroad: Projects Abroad is a leading international volunteer organization offering high-school-specific service programs alongside broader offerings. It competes for the same high-school international volunteering cohort with comparable medical, business, and community tracks.
• International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ): IVHQ is one of the world's largest international volunteer placement organizations with programs for teens and high school students. It competes on the affordable, broad-country, skills-based service-learning thesis that Squads Abroad also pursues.
• Global Vision International (GVI): GVI runs international volunteer and intern programs for students and young professionals focused on community development, conservation, and public health. Its high-school teen programs overlap directly with Squads Abroad's academy offerings.

Emerging players

• Global Health Corps: Global Health Corps focuses on health equity fellowships and youth leadership programs with international placement. It intersects with Squads Abroad's Medical Academy via health-focused experiential programming for young participants.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity Youth Programs: Habitat for Humanity operates large-scale youth volunteer and service-learning programs, including international builds. While much larger and broader in mission, it competes for the same high-school international service-learning audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/squads-abroad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Squads Abroad