AFS Intercultural Programs - Panama High School Program

  Panama

• Other Cities in Panama: 
Panama City

Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Dates: Year (Fall); Semester (Fall/Spring); Short Summer Programs; inquire for dates

Description: Panama's warm and hospitable people will welcome you with open arms. The country's name comes from a Native American word meaning 'place of many fish', and here you'll find beaches of unparalleled beauty with coral gardens lining their shores, the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the south, and rainforests with exotic animals and rare birds. The people of this country are eager to share their festivals and events that celebrate their heritage. Mestizos, people of mixed Native American and European descent, make up 70 percent of the population, but the country is also home to seven different indigenous groups and also boasts sizable West Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and U.S. populations. From the cosmopolitan financial center of Panama City, to the Chiriqui Highlands cloud forest, to the isolated Sans Blas Islands in the Caribbean, there's much to experience and learn in Panama.

Highlights:
* Year and Semester:
You'll live with a Panamanian host family and attend school from March through December, which will likely consist of 10-14 subjects in the sciences, humanities, or business. Each day of the week offers a different schedule of subjects. You will attend mostly lecture-style classes. While homework is taken seriously, there are also many extracurricular activities like sports (baseball, soccer, and basketball primarily) and dance, providing you with the opportunities to make new friends. AFS offers several trips to sites around the country, including the beaches, and there are two optional trips at an additional cost to San Blas and the Bocas del Toro Island.

* Summer Homestay Language Study:
The summer program provides a well-rounded and wonderful way to immerse yourself in Panama through a homestay community service study program that also has scheduled language classes. You will grow to understand the social, family, and cultural life of a small community in Panama. You will volunteer in the community, learn Spanish, participate in recreational activities, and enjoy excursions to help you explore more of the country. After a two-day orientation to Panama City, participants are placed in host communities in groups of eight to ten. You'll stay individually with a host family and perform community service at local elementary schools in the morning, and attend Spanish class in the afternoon. Spanish classes are only for improvements to classrooms and other facilities. There's also a one-day outing to an ecological site and the option of visiting the Embera Indian Reservation, home to an indigenous group residing in the rainforest.

Cost in US$: Year: (USD 9,750); Semester- Fall: (USD 8,500); Semester- Spring: (USD 8,250); Short Summer: (USD 6,250)

This Program is open to American Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview Required
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

AFS Intercultural Programs/USA's Mission Statement: AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. AFS Intercultural Programs is a leader in intercultural learning and offers international exchange programs in over 50 countries around the world through independent, not-for-profit AFS organizations, each with a network of volunteers, a professionally staffed office, and headed up by a volunteer board.

Year Founded: 1947