Service Learning
#ISPGIVESBACK
Our life-long learning adventure takes our students beyond classroom walls and into the community for service so that we can learn by looking after each other.
Service-learning provides our students with many opportunities to bring authenticity to the curriculum content by responding to actual needs in the community. Students improve their academic skills by applying what they learn in school to the real world; they then reflect on their experience to reinforce the link between their service and their learning.
CAMP HOPE
Twice a year high school students and teachers volunteer at Camp Hope, a camp for children and adults who are differently-abled, mentally and physically. Volunteers travel to Santa Clara in the Province of Cocle for the weekend, where they partner with a camper for the duration of the weekend. Although the weekend is a challenging endeavor that takes students out of their comfort zone, student experiences reveal the power of the Camp Hope experience in challenging assumptions and changing mindsets.
SISTER SCHOOL SUPPORT
During the school year, ISP students help collect school supplies to be donated to our sister schools located in Las Trancas, Cerro Viento. We also extend invitations to special events such as PRISMA Dance and our theater productions. Helping us give back to the local community.
We are adventurous; our curiosity drives us to explore new ideas and ways to learn! ISP Dolphins dedicate many hours of service to help elementary students have better school facilities as well as materials to be able to go to school. Through several projects and visits student volunteers have helped refurbish a park, install a septic tank and shower, pave a sidewalk, and much more. Students have also helped plant gardens at several schools with the help of students and faculty. Dolphins have traveled to Veraguas, to visit schools in La Pena as well as a school in La Mesa located in El Valle of Anton. A yearly tradition, students help organize a school supply drive to deliver in person to the school ahead of the holidays. Students have also helped build bathrooms and refurbish the roofing for several classrooms at this school. Moreover, they have helped teach some mathematics, natural sciences, physical education, and English as part of their outreach.
MAKE A WISH
ISP Continues to support fundraising with Make A Wish Foundation. Students collaborate with the organization to raise funds and donate these to the foundation in hopes of helping make one of +1,100 wishes a reality.
FANLYC
We are joyful and bring joy to many! During the month of December, the elementary school conducts a toy drive. Thanks to the generosity of our families, a room full of toys is collected every year and donated to FANLYC, the association of children with leukemia and cancer. The collection makes possible that hundreds of children suffering from these illnesses have a happy holiday. ISP staff also donates their time and organizes games during the party.
The ISP Community supports the Fundacion Amigos del Nino con Leucemina y Cancer (Friends of Children with Leukemia and Cancer), through fundraising, volunteering, and participation in FANLYC's annual Relay for Life fundraiser.
SERVICE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
We are independent; we take initiative and are self- advocates. The Service, Engineering and Technology (SET), our award-winning project, it participated in an ASCA completion of service projects done in all the countries that belong to the association and probe to be the winner, is a long-standing tradition at ISP. The Service, Engineering and Technology (SET) Team is a student-lead
Organization at ISP that has a mission of helping the remote communities of Panama by providing them with access to energy and technology. The Engineering sub-team works on the design and construction of electrical circuits to install solar energy systems, an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to provide electrical power to isolated neighborhoods. The team installed solar panels for families in the community of Buenos Aires in Chepo. The Technology sub-team team works on fixing and resetting hardware and computers to donate for youth’s education in Panama. Their hope is to facilitate access to technology and share knowledge with others so they can be prepared to succeed in a society where opening a Word document is as elemental as reading and writing. The sub-team repaired, updated, and installed 15 desktop computers, created a high-speed network to share the internet, including a wireless network at “Hogar El Buen Pastor” A home for girls’ victims of abuse.
GLOBAL ISSUES NETWORK: We are principled; we do our best to do what is right! Green Paws is a Gin project that sells pre-loved clothes, accessories and household items to encourage a greener lifestyle and raise funds to pay for the medical bills that groups of animal rescuers have in their effort to help the straight dogs and cats. The project hopes not only to help animals in need but also to bring consciousness about reusing cloth and household items.
UNITED WOMEN: We are authentic; we empower others to celebrate each other’s individuality. United Women is a nonprofit student club at the International School of Panama, founded by an ISP student. The clubs goal is to raise awareness regarding gender inequality. Members grapple with the ideas of gender inequality while focusing on women’s rights and ways to stand up for them. “United for a Future of Equality”, student members and supporters work towards a future where men and women have equal opportunities. The club is divided into three branches focused on addressing justice through different approaches: “Combating Violence Against Women”, “Empowering Women”, and “Starting Conversations”.United Women also organizes a "United Women Conference" at ISP, helping raise awareness regarding gender discrimination beyond our school community.