Dates, Fees, Discounts, Financial Aid, Late Arrivals, etc.
DATES
The Songs of Hope™ 2023 session will run from June 18 to August 1. If your child has a conflict with either the beginning or ending date of this session, please read below about late arrivals, early departures, and missed school. IMPORTANT: It takes time to order passports and obtain a U.S. visitor's visa. International participants are responsible for airfare to and from the United States and for obtaining all needed passports and visas. We suggest you contact the U.S. Embassy early to check on dates and processing times and requirements.
PARTICIPANT FEE
For the 2023 summer, the fee for new, first-time participants is $3,950 total. This is approximately $600 per week for housing, meals, and all activities. There is an automatic 15% fee discount for any additional participants from your family if you have a brother or sister who is a Songs of Hope™ participant. The discount applies to second, third, and any other additional siblings attending in the same year from the same family.
COVID POLICY
For Songs of Hope 2023, all participants and staff will need to have and provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 infections, with boosters as advised by U.S. health agencies. All public health guidelines in effect at the time of the camp will be followed. Participants' safety is our highest priority.
FINANCIAL AID
Participants should inquire about financial aid, if needed. Financial aid is based entirely on need and requires an application. Assistance is limited so you should apply early. Financial aid decisions for international participants may consider costs of travel and other factors that may result in additional Fee reductions. Send us an email immediately if you would like a financial aid application.
LATE ARRIVALS, EARLY DEPARTURE, AND MISSED SCHOOL
Because Songs of Hope is a global camp, it is impossible for us to schedule the project to fit all the school schedules of all the schools in the world. Therefore, we understand that some participants may need to arrive late or leave early. Don't let that stop you from applying! We are happy to make special arrangements to the extent we can. Just send us an email to explain your scheduling challenges. Also, we have had many participants who miss some school to be in the camp. We are happy to arrange a study room for participants to keep up with studies while attending Songs of Hope™. Also, if you think some learning may qualify for off-campus credit, we can supply written information to schools about the learning activities during Songs of Hope™. And it relatively easy for us to arrange video-conferences with faraway teachers, so be sure to ask us about arrangements, if needed
MORE ON FINANCIAL AID
Our commitment is to make Songs of Hope™ available to worthy children everywhere regardless of economic circumstances. Therefore, we offer scholarships based on need, and in 2023 we will continue to award scholarships until the financial aid money runs out. But the money always does run out, so be sure to apply early!
ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
All participants should arrange flights to arrive anytime on Sunday, June 18. Your return flight should be arranged to depart on August 2. Local airport transportation, meals, and lodging for the arrival and departure days are included in your Fee. We suggest that children under the age of 18 traveling internationally carry a notarized letter of permission from your parents. This is not required but it is helpful. If you are traveling on an airline's Unaccompanied Minor program, you should contact us about arranging for your airport pick-up.
If you need to arrive early, you will need to make your own arrangements for transportation and lodging before the June 18 arrivals day when the Songs of Hope dorm opens for participants. You are also responsible for your own transportation and lodging after the August 1 departure day.
FEE DETAILS
The total Fee for new participants includes the camp registration, airport pick-up and drop-off, room and board, all artistic aspects of the program, staff supervision, craft materials, bed linens, regularly scheduled computer and internet access, use of laundry machines, program trips, museum visits, and other admissions to scheduled activities. The Fee also includes transportation to and from SOH-sponsored activities, activity materials and equipment, and three Songs of Hope T-shirts.
Because Songs of Hope™ creates a single concert tour performed by all participants, it is not possible to attend substantially less than the entire session.
The Fee does not include medical and dental insurance, spending money, transportation to and from Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA to attend Songs of Hope™, personal clothing and other personal items, cultural costumes for performance, and the required performance clothing. These matters are the separate financial responsibility of each participant.