ENCINITAS -- An Encinitas resident is one of only 31 students across the country going to a global humanitarian conference in Costa Rica this month.

David Hines, an incoming junior at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, said he applied for the 10-day Global Youth Forum Humanitarian Conference because he's interested in understanding foreign cultures and exploring the world.

"I'm particularly excited about the international community service that I'm going to be partaking in," he said this week.

While in Costa Rica from this Thursday through July 26, the students will learn about sustainable energy, study indigenous cultures and work on humanitarian projects.

The conference is put on by People to People International, a nonprofit group started more than 50 years ago by President Dwight Eisenhower.

Hines got involved with People to People International four years ago, when he joined its sports ambassadors program so he could compete in international soccer games. He attended the organization's Global Youth Forum in Denver last year and had so much fun that he wanted to take the trip to Costa Rica.

"There's no other program that I've been to that balances tourism with learning and community service," he said.

Though he has done plenty of traveling, this is the first time Hines has been to the Central American country.

He said that some day he would like to work to help the people of developing nations improve their standard of living.

"Whatever I do, I would like service to play a part in it," he said.

In total, 52 students applied for the conference, and organizers selected 31 based on their application and a phone interview.

"We are looking for students that have a really strong social conscience," said Katherine Hubbard, a conference coordinator with the organization.

Hines was one of only three California students picked and the only one from San Diego County, Hubbard said.

The students have to pay $3,500 for the 10-day trip, which includes lodging, travel and three meals a day.

Each year the conference is held somewhere different with a new theme. in the past, it has been held in Egypt, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Eisenhower formed People to People International in 1956 to increase friendship with other countries through education and humanitarian activities. The organization started holding international conferences for students four years ago.

"The mission is peace through understanding," said Liz Wegman, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit group. "Basically, it's all about cultural exchange."

Call staff writer Stacy Brandt at 760-901-4009.