Villars Academies

The world does not need more passive learners.

It needs young people ready to lead change.

An exclusive experiential learning journey for students and educators who want to move beyond the classroom and into real-world impact.

Guided by expert expedition leaders, local practitioners, and educator-led school cohorts, Villars Academies combine systems leadership, immersive field experience, and meaningful action.

Next Villars Academy: Himalayas - Ladakh, India

October 9–16, 2026 Applications close July 15

Apply now

FAQ

Not tourism. Not volunteer travel.

This is systems leadership in action.

Today’s challenges — climate, energy, inequality, biodiversity, and community resilience — are deeply interconnected. They cannot be solved through theory alone.

Villars Academies place participants inside real-world systems where they learn directly from communities, experts, entrepreneurs, and practitioners working at the frontlines of change.

Participants develop the mindset, confidence, and leadership skills needed to navigate complexity and create meaningful impact.

Learn by doing.

Lead by understanding systems.

1. Systems Leadership Foundations

Build the tools to understand complexity, identify leverage points, and lead across diverse stakeholders and systems.

2. Immersive Field Expedition

Experience interconnected systems firsthand through direct engagement with communities, practitioners, and local initiatives.

3. Personal Impact Project

Transform learning into action through projects that create meaningful impact in schools, communities, or personal initiatives.

Designed for Leading Schools & Student Leaders

Designed for schools and students seeking transformative learning experiences, the academies bring together students and educators in cohort-based journeys that foster collaboration, reflection, resilience, and leadership.

The shared experience strengthens collaboration, reflection, leadership development, and long-term impact back at school.

Contributes toward the fulfillment of International Baccalaureate (IB) CAS requirements.

Villars Academy Partners

October 9–16, 2026

An immersive experiential learning journey exploring the intersection of energy access, environmental resilience, culture, and community development in the Indian Himalayas.

Participants will work alongside local communities and practitioners to better understand how interconnected systems shape everyday life — and how meaningful change happens in practice.

From solar energy initiatives to village immersion and reflective learning, Villars Academy: Himalayas is designed to cultivate the next generation of systems leaders ready to drive meaningful change.

Apply by July 15, 2026

Apply now

FAQ

Location: Ladakh, Indian Himalayas

Dates: October 9–16, 2026

Participants: School cohorts with accompanying educators

Program Fee: CHF 2,500 per participant

Application Deadline: July 15, 2026

A high-impact experiential learning journey for students and educators seeking deeper engagement with global challenges, systems thinking, and leadership development.

Apply now

Jaideep Bansal

Jaideep Bansal is an environmental entrepreneur and CEO of GHE, an award-winning organization advancing sustainable development across remote Himalayan communities.

His work has impacted more than one million lives and has been recognized globally, including through the UN Climate Action Award and acknowledgements from organizations such as the G20, UNWTO, and WTTC.

A graduate of IIT and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Jaideep brings deep expertise in sustainable development, systems change, and community-driven innovation.

Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) is one of the world’s first social enterprises using the power of technology coupled with tourism to bring clean energy access to the remotest communities in India. GHE merges sustainability, adventure tourism, homestays, clean cooking and solar-based electrification to combat climate change and create resilient mountain communities through its development interventions. GHE has brought development access to indigenous communities living in remote regions in India through solar electrification of villages, schools and health centres while creating tourism models to enable income generation and lift communities out of poverty. It also captures CO₂ emissions by deploying low-carbon solutions.

Find out more about GHE

Villars Academies