Service Trip to Philippines

Cultivating Tomorrow’s International Leaders

This 14-day experiential learning program invites students from Vancouver to embark on a transformative journey through the Philippines, a nation celebrated for its warmth, resilience, and deep sense of community. This program is designed to develop global awareness, leadership, and intercultural competence while fostering a sense of responsibility through community service and sustainability projects. Participants are fully immersed in local communities, and cultural traditions, gaining hands-on experience in meaningful projects that make a real-world impact.

Students work alongside Filipino professionals, youth leaders, and local organizations, gaining authentic insight into how leadership, collaboration, and shared responsibility are expressed in a Southeast Asian context. Through these experiences, participants explore key Filipino values such as bayanihan (community cooperation) and pakikipagkapwa(shared humanity), discovering how these cultural principles shape leadership styles, teamwork, and community life.

As part of the 35 hours of service learning, students contribute to sustainability and community development initiatives that respond to real and emerging challenges. Recent earthquakes in the Philippines have had a profound impact on local communities, highlighting the urgency of collective action, environmental awareness, and global citizenship. Participants take part in projects such as ocean cleanups, community rebuilding and social programs. Each project fosters an understanding of resilience and highlights how communities unite to recover and rebuild in the face of adversity.

Throughout the journey, 2 Degrees educators facilitate guided reflections that connect daily experiences to global themes of responsibility. Students explore their personal growth, develop cultural awareness, and begin envisioning their own initiatives for positive change in their schools and communities. Experiential learning fosters critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving while giving students space to reflect, build empathy, and understand the impact of collective action on creating a sustainable world.

By the end of the 14-day journey, students will return home with strengthened leadership abilities, an expanded worldview, and a deeper appreciation for how communities, cultures, and ideas are interconnected across the globe.

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