International Partnership for Service-learning and Leadership

Description: IPSL programs unite academic study and volunteer service, giving students a fully integrated study abroad experience.

The service enlivens the formal learning, and the learning informs the service. Both students and the host communities benefit from the substantial service each student gives. By studying at a local institution and serving 12-20 hours per week in a school, orphanage, health clinic or other agency addressing human needs, students find their knowledge of the host culture--and of themselves-- take on greater depth and meaning.

Highlights: Benefits of IPSL Programs

* Integrated study abroad experience
      Your whole program studies, service, living, and excursions is designed to give you a complex and varied experience of the culture while making your learning immediate and relevant, and therefore more meaningful.

* Making a difference to people in need
      Whether your service helps improve health or education, assists in community development, or alleviates suffering, your service addresses human needs which would otherwise go unmet, and is valued by the community.

* Full cultural immersion
      As an IPSL student, you are not just an academic tourist. You are immersed in several levels of the society, and contribute to the host culture through your service. For example, you might attend an elite university; live with a middle-class family; and work with destitute street children.

* Real cultural understanding
      Through the combination of classroom theory and practical experience serving in a social agency, IPSL students develop a broad knowledge of the forces that shape the culture; an intimate understanding of its peoples, customs, and traditions; and deep insight into the complex social issues and realities of the society.

* Meaningful growth and personal insight
      You will develop skills, discover talents, and gain meaningful personal insight about who you are, what you are capable of, and who you want to become. IPSL students often say their program experience stays with them for many years, helping to shape their values, aspirations, and career paths.

Qualifications: Students must be at least 18 years of age to participate. Each program has individual requirements.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: Please inquire

Experience Required: no

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

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to - Multi-Country Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Scholarships are Available.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership's Mission Statement: IPSL 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. IPSL endeavors to engage students, educators, and community members in the union of service and learning so that all may become more civically engaged, interculturally literate, internationally aware, and responsive to the needs of others.

Year Founded: 1982