The StoryBridge Global Learning Program
Field-Based Global Learning in Nepal
Faculty-led learning experiences rooted in storytelling, cultural exchange, education, and place-based partnership with local communities.
Now booking pilot university programs for 2026–2027.
Schedule a ConversationProgram Overview
The StoryBridge Global Learning Program is a faculty-led, field-based learning experience in Nepal designed for universities seeking immersive international education rooted in place, partnership, and academic engagement.
Developed by educator and program director Kristina Applegate, the program connects students with local schools, agricultural learning environments, and community-based cultural experiences in Kathmandu and Sindhupalchok.
Through a combination of storytelling, education, cultural immersion, and reflection, students engage directly with the people, landscapes, and institutions that shape daily life in Nepal.
Academic Focus Areas
- Media & Journalism
- Film & Digital Storytelling
- Global Studies
- International Development
- Environmental Studies
- Agriculture & Sustainability
- Education / TESOL / ESL
- Anthropology & Cultural Studies
- Religious Studies / Theology / Interfaith Studies
- Social Entrepreneurship
Programs may be customized with participating faculty to support academic credit and course objectives.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Develop cross-cultural communication skills
- Gain practical experience in ethical storytelling
- Explore rural development and agriculture in Nepal
- Understand religion and cultural heritage in Nepali society
- Produce creative media documenting community stories
- Strengthen global citizenship and intercultural awareness
Core Learning Components
StoryBridge combines storytelling labs, local school exchange, sustainable agriculture immersion, cultural and religious exploration, and collaborative media production within one integrated field-learning experience.
Community Storytelling Labs
Students learn ethical storytelling techniques while producing short films, visual media, and digital stories documenting local life, culture, and agriculture.
Cultural Exchange with Local Schools
Participants collaborate with Nepali students through conversational English practice, arts-based activities, and mutual cultural exchange.
Sustainable Agriculture Immersion
Students work alongside local farmers to explore traditional farming practices, food systems, and the role of agriculture in rural Himalayan communities.
Cultural & Religious Exploration
Participants explore Kathmandu Valley’s sacred sites while learning about the intersection of Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Nepal.
Collaborative Media Projects
Students produce short films, photo essays, digital stories, and may contribute to a collaborative documentary film documenting aspects of field learning in Nepal.
Program Format
StoryBridge programs are designed as flexible faculty-led field experiences, with a 12–14 day field learning format and a 22 day intensive field learning option.
Program Options
- 12–14 Day Service Learning Program – A compact faculty-led field experience combining Kathmandu orientation, rural immersion in Sindhupalchok, storytelling, agriculture, and cultural exchange.
- 22-Day Intensive Field Learning Program – An extended version allowing deeper community engagement, expanded storytelling projects, additional reflection time, and broader cultural exploration.
Program Calendar
StoryBridge operates during Nepal’s most favorable seasons for travel and field learning.
- Winter Programs: January 15 – March 14
- Spring Intensive Programs: Late April – Mid May
- Fall Programs: October 15 – December 15
Spring may place additional emphasis on university collaboration, agriculture, sustainability, and cultural heritage documentation.
Fall offers some of Nepal’s clearest weather and excellent conditions for field storytelling and agricultural learning.
Our Partners & Learning Sites
StoryBridge Nepal is shaped through collaboration with educators, hospitality partners, agricultural leaders, and cultural sites that together create a rich, place-based learning experience for students.
Shree Gyan Mandir Model Secondary School
In partnership with Principal Mr. Punya Prasad Gajurel, students take part in service learning at Shree Gyan Mandir Model Secondary School in Chautara Sangachokgadhi-7, Sindhupalchok. This collaboration includes English language exchange, learning Nepali, art installations and murals, and community walks with local students.
New Araniko Resort & Coffee Learning
In Chautara Sangachokgadhi-5, students stay immersed at New Araniko Resort while learning directly with Dipendra and his students through hands-on coffee cultivation, processing, and barista training. This agricultural partnership offers a deeply place-based experience and culminates in a certificate for full participation.
Nature & Adventure Excursions
During the program, students also connect with Nepal’s natural landscape through excursions such as Chautara Waterfall and a weekend rafting experience at Sukute River Resort. These moments create space for reflection, adventure, and deeper connection with the region’s rivers and mountain environment.
Kathmandu Cultural Exploration
Students begin their journey in Kathmandu with cultural orientation that may include UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Bagmati River, ancient Hindu temples, cable car excursions, botanical gardens, Buddhist monasteries, Monkey Temple, and New Road’s authentic handmade goods market.
Pashupati Boutique Hotel & Spa
Students begin and conclude their time in Nepal at Pashupati Boutique Hotel and Spa in Kathmandu. This welcoming base offers space for orientation, rest, reflection, and shared meals before and after field learning in the mountains.
Program Locations
Kathmandu Valley
Students begin and conclude their program in Kathmandu, with accommodations such as Pashupati Boutique Hotel & Spa. Activities may include cultural orientation, heritage visits, storytelling workshops, reflection, and media editing.
Sindhupalchowk District of Bagmati Province
Students travel to rural communities in Sindhupalchowk District of Bagmati Province, Central Nepal, where they collaborate with local schools, community members, and agricultural initiatives in an authentic field-learning environment.
Faculty-Led Partnership Model
StoryBridge is designed to operate as a faculty-led university partnership.
Participating faculty collaborate with the StoryBridge team to:
- Align the program with academic goals
- Develop course assignments and learning objectives
- Guide student reflection and field documentation
- Integrate field learning with university curriculum
Partnership Opportunities
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StoryBridge partners with universities, faculty leaders, and study abroad programs across disciplines to develop field-based learning experiences in Nepal.
About StoryBridge Nepal
StoryBridge Nepal is a field-based global learning initiative created by artist, educator, and program director Kristina Applegate.
Building on nearly two decades of work through Kids Share Workshops (est. 2008), the program brings that foundation into a university partnership model focused on storytelling, cultural exchange, and place-based learning in Nepal.
Explore a University Partnership
StoryBridge welcomes conversations with study abroad offices, faculty leaders, and institutional partners interested in ethical, field-based global learning in Nepal.
Kristina Applegate
Founder & Program Director
kristina@kidsshareworkshops.com
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