International Service-Learning: Philippines

  Philippines

• Luzon: 
Quezon City

Term: Fall, Spring, Summer 
Durations of Program: 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 3-6 months
Dates: Spring, Fall, Summer

Description: You will spend a semester, summer, or year at Trinity University of Asia in Metro Manila, living on campus; studying Filipino language and Philippine society and culture; taking electives from the regular university offerings; and serving approximately 15 hours per week in a nearby service agency or program. Your volunteer service immerses you in the culture and deepens your understanding of Philippine society in a way that goes beyond that experienced in traditional study abroad programs.

Academic Study

The program is based at Trinity University of Asia. The fully accredited university serves over 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students. English is the language of the classroom. English, Filipino (the national language, based on Tagalog) and the major provincial languages are spoken by students on campus. The semester program includes two required courses and 2-3 electives. You may earn 12-15 credits per semester. A transcript is issued by Trinity University of Asia upon successful completion of the program.

Volunteer Service

Trinity University of Asia has a deep and long commitment to community service, for which it has gained international recognition. The university operates a variety of programs to serve the neighboring communities, and the Filipino students of the university are regularly engaged in community outreach as a requirement for graduation.

For your service of approximately 12-20 hours per week, you might:

- teach pre-school or tutor reading and basic skills to poor children and teens
- befriend and assist the indigent elderly
- teach basic business skills to jobless adults
- assist in community health care and health education projects
- work with physically disabled Trinity University students
- serve in other areas.

Highlights: Long a crossroads for Asian, European, and American societies, the Philippines is strategically placed for introducing you to the issues, concerns, and hopes of Asia and the Pacific Rim. In the Philippines, you will experience a society that has a strong sense of its own identity combined with a varied and multicultural history. As you live and serve in the Manila metropolitan area, you will learn about and encounter firsthand the problems facing developing societies: urbanization, a growing population, economic and political contrasts, the making of a nation from scattered and diverse ethnic groups, and the position of small countries living in the shadow of economic giants.

Qualifications: IPSL welcomes applicants from all nations and backgrounds. Language requirements for selected programs. Minimum age is 18. College students and graduates are encouraged to apply.

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: IPSL participants are typically U.S. undergraduate students who want to study and volunteer abroad. They generally take 3-4 academic courses (12-15 credits) and do community service (12-20 hours per week). Participants want an integrated experience where learning and service work together.

Age Range: 18-30+

This Program is open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Philippines Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership's Mission Statement: The International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership has two related missions: 1) offering programs uniting academic study and volunteer service to the community in international/ intercultural settings that are models for the practice of service-learning, and 2) promoting the theory and practice of service-learning through research, publications, conferences, and training.

Year Founded: 1982