Download a PDF of the 2013 Interim Semester Handbook.

Changing Lives with StairwayS05Puerto Galera,PhilippinesSERVICESponsorKris GanskeMichael PetrosinoPriceS$2,700Course Length7 daysPost-Interim Experience:Parent’s night / OnlineReflectionsDescriptionThis course will explore the issues surrounding street children in thePhilippines, including poverty, substance abuse and sexual abuse. Theseissues will be considered in the context of the UN’s Convention on the Rightsof the Child. The first two days will be spent in Manila where we will see thelives of street children firsthand and visit a couple of agencies that aim toassist this ignored population to learn what they are doing to try to help.We will then travel to Puerto Galera, a beautiful island, where we willlive, work and play with former street children who now receive training,emotional support and counseling at the Stairway Foundation, arehabilitation center for boys ages 10-17. We will interact with the kids invarious activities, including arts and crafts, hiking to a beautiful waterfall,kayaking and beach volleyball. We will also assist in the funding andconstruction of living quarters, as well as school facilities for children inresidence. Stairway Foundation is a child-care agency working for theprotection and the promotion of Children’s Rights. It was founded by LarsJorgensen and Monica Ray and has been in operation for the past 20 years.www.stairwayfoundation.orgThis course has been run by International School Manila for the past tenyears as part of their annual ICARE (Interim) week and is always one ofthe most popular courses among students. If you want a life changingexperience on a beautiful beach surrounded by interesting people, this isthe course for you!Objectives• To increase student awareness and understanding of the issuessurrounding poverty, substance abuse and sexual abuse as related tostreet children in the Philippines.• To have students interact with former street children and betterunderstand their backgrounds, challenges and personal issues, as wellas to gain an appreciation for their resiliency and optimism in the face ofadversity.• To assist in building a new library for the children attending StairwayFoundation.• To provide students the opportunity to gain an appreciation andgratification from doing service work.RequirementsDuring-Course requirements:• All students will be expected to maintain a daily journal to reflect upontheir experiences each day.• All students will be expected to fully participate in each activity and toremain open to new ideas, values and ways of life.• Students will work on gathering information and materials to completetheir project assignment.Pre-Course requirements:• Attend all pre-course meetings.• Students are expected to complete pre-course research on poverty inthe Philippines, as well as on the Stairway Foundation.• Each student will choose an assignment from the list provided by thesponsors and formulate a plan to complete the assignment during / aftercourse.• Gather all required items on kit list.Post-Course requirements:• Complete the chosen project assignment.• Attend and participate in the Parent’s night.70 interim semester HANDBOOKSINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL