SEAMEO-Japan ESD Award PART I: Details of Your School 1. Name of your school: South Hill School, Inc. 2. Full address: IPB Road, Brgy. Putho-Tuntungin, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines 3. Postcode: 4031 4. Country: Philippines 5. School’s telephone number (country code+city code+telephone number): +63 49 5365465 6. School’s fax number (country code+city code+fax number): +63 49 536 5465 7. School’s email Address: [email protected] 8. Name of the Head Master/ Principal/ School Director: Carmencita T. Nolasco 9. Name of Teacher Coordinator: Amando Perfecto DLC. Molin 10. Email address of the Coordinator: [email protected] 11. School website (if available): dofe.azurewebsite.com 12. Educational level (Such as Kindergarten 1 to Grade/Year 9): Preschool to 4th Year High School 13. Number of teachers in your school: 32 14. Number of teachers participated in this programme: 9 15. Number of students in your school: 604 PART II: Information about the School’s Programme The information of part II from no.1 to 13 should be no longer than nine (9) pages long of A4 in total. The information should be written in Times New Roman font, 11-12 point size. 1. Title of the school’s programme The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Youth Exchange Program 2. Summary of the programme (a half to one page A4) The Youth Exchange Program (YEP) is an offshoot of the Adventurous Journey prescribed by The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. Students from SHSI and their counterparts from Sanulim Youth Center in South Korea, travel to each other’s countries, work together as teams overcoming challenges, and explore unfamiliar environments. Participants learn self-reliance, independence, and life skills while immersed in a new culture and environment. Since the program's inception in 2012, the Philippine leg is conducted annually in August while the South Korean leg is in October. A student begins by enrolling in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DEIA) and embarks on a commitment to improve himself for a period of 3 to 6 months. Teachers, trained as Award Leaders, support and guide students in setting personal goals in the 4 aspects of the Award: Skills, Physical Recreation, and 1 Community Service. By July, Award Leaders prepare for the YEP. A student who intend to participate in the YEP undergoes a stringent selection process. Once he has qualified as among the 13 participants, he undergoes preparatory activities for the YEP Philippine leg and the YEP Korean leg. The YEP takes the participant on an expedition in an unfamiliar environment, working together harmoniously to attain a common goal, with peers from a different cultural background. The program develop life skills such as self-reliance, independence, critical thinking and decision making and a values system that respects diversity, non-discrimination and cultural differences. Over a period of three years, the DEIA-YEP has made a tremendous impact on individual students’ achievements, improved relationships between students and Award Leaders, raised the Award Leaders’ quality of work to global standards, and positively influenced the community through its service activities. 3. Background information or reasons why the school created this programme SHSI adopted The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (also known as the Award) in 2012 because it complements the school’s vision and mission of bringing out the best in each student and developing them into well-rounded individuals who actively contribute to improving their communities and society, in general. It is rooted in the belief that an individual contributes greatly to society and the world by becoming the best version of himself. SHSI’s strength in developing individual students is complemented and broadened by the Award’s emphasis on community service. Moreover, the Award enables our students to participate in an internationally recognized program for extra-curricular activities that they undertake in our school. SHSI pushed the Award’s impact farther with the Youth Exchange Program (YEP). Acting on the knowledge that young people are naturally drawn to travel and adventure, the YEP exposes students to personal, cultural, and social realities other than their own. SHSI strongly believes that as students coming from a Third World country, travel to a foreign country, especially a progressive one, will empower our students to dream, not just for themselves, but for their country as well. 4. Objectives/goals of the programme 1. To go on an expedition in an unfamiliar environment, a foreign country, in a spirit of adventure and discovery 2. To work together cooperatively in teams despite language barriers and cultural differences 3. To learn life skills such as making decisions, self-reliance, perseverance, and respect 4. To establish friendships and learn about another culture and way of life. 5. Core competencies of students (e.g. knowledge and understanding, cognitive skills, non-cognitive skills and behavioural capacities) that the school aims for within the programme. 1. Critical Thinking and Decision-Making – to acquire information through observation and use data to make sound judgments when faced with challenging situations, and managing limited time and resources; 2. Respect for Diversity – to work harmoniously in a team with peers from different backgrounds, language, and culture to attain common goals 3. Self-reliance and Independence – to acquire awareness of personal safety and confidence in using own abilities and resources 6. Period of the time when the programme was or has been implemented SHSI started running The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award program in February 2012. Then the Youth Exchange Program started in August 2012. The Philippine leg of the first YEP was in August 2012 and the Korean leg was in October of the same year. It was the same in 2013. This 2014, the Philippine leg was moved in July although the Korean leg will still be on October 25 – 28, 2014. 7. Activities (Actions and strategies of implementation) A. Participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Program 1. Starting February of each year, students ages 14 and above enrol as participants to the Award program. They accomplish an enrolment form that is duly signed by their parents and undergo medical examination by the school physician. 2. Students design their individual development plans that cover 4 aspects: Skills, Physical Recreation, Community Service, and Adventurous Journey. They set challenging goals for each aspect and commit one hour a week for each activity for at least 3 to 6 months. 3. Teachers, trained and referred to as Award Leaders, support the students in setting challenging 2 personal goals for acquiring a Skill, engaging in Physical Recreation, and volunteering for Community Service. Award Leaders also coordinate with activity coaches and organizations if students’ chosen activities are not available in the school. 4. Each Award Leader is assigned 4 – 6 students to monitor, guide, and encourage, for a period of 3 to 6 months while they are working towards attaining their personal goals. An Adventurous Journey goal is also identified. 5. An Award Leader is assigned to organize Community Service activities that students may engage in. Community service activities have included the following: • Bulilit Eskwela in December 2012 – March 2013. This was a literacy readiness program for underpriviledged, preschool-aged children from communities near our school. Students engage the children in pre-literacy activities for 2 hours every Saturday. • Relief operations for typhoon and flood victims. Since our country is frequently visited by strong typhoons, relief operations are done at least twice a year. Through the leadership of the Student Government organization, students collect, sort, and deliver relief goods where they are needed. In the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, our students sent relief goods and supported a mobile kitchen that fed victims. They raised about Php 150,000 (US$4000) through various activities, most notable of which is an innovative people’s flea market program conducted with the University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation. • Blood-letting activity. In May 2013, the students warmly supported a blood-letting activity for a school mate who was afflicted with leukemia. This effort earned a Certificate of Recognition from the Philippine Red Cross in August 2014. • In May 2014, students volunteered in a school research project entitled, “Accelerating Plant Growth and Yield Through Enzymatic Composting.” While some students are involved in the research process, some students extend community service by collecting and processing organic waste materials such as leaves from the school grounds, food from the school canteen, and animal manure from a nearby farm. In September 2014, students are starting a vegetable garden in the school ground to test the efficacy of the compost. Ultimately, the outcome of this research will be made available for free to other schools and municipalities as a model for composting. • Throughout the school year, students volunteer within the school community mainly through the Student Government organization. They spearhead activities that strengthen camaraderie among students across grade and year levels, like the annual Acquaintance Party and the biennial Youth Camp. They actively support the school’s anti-bullying campaign by monitoring corridors and playgrounds during lunch and recess, and initiating an anti-dengue information campaign. Some volunteers are engaged according to their inclinations, as library assistants during their vacant periods, while others volunteer by tutoring younger students in Math. 6. Students record their weekly activities in a Record Book. These Record Books are duly signed by their Award Leaders or activity coaches on their weekly meetings. 7. By June or July, Award Leaders prepare for the Adventurous Journey. Students may opt to conduct their Adventurous Journey in Palawan, an island on the western part of the Philippines, or compete for a slot in the Youth Exchange Program.