Impact Programme Handbook

Direct Service International

Direct service (international) allows students to see themselves as members of a global community, in which they are valuable contributors. Through participation in these international service opportunities students will travel overseas to work hand-in-hand with our community partners and make valuable contributions to the communities and projects that our partners are engaged with on a daily basis. Greater than any contribution students could make to these communities they visit, however, is the lasting impact that their interactions with these communities has on them. Students who return from these international service opportunities will be deeply challenged about their own personal priorities and lifestyle choices and will become young people who truly embody the concept of international mindedness. As students witness firsthand the impact of prior injustices and the severity of present day inequality they will be moved to become advocates for social justice. Student participation in international direct service opportunities is highly beneficial and encouraged. International Service Opportunities Thailand (Chiang Mai and Bangkok) In partnership with the Huay Pong Hilltribe School and the Vien Ping Orphanage in Chiang Mai, students will have the opportunity to interact with other young people from cultural backgrounds quite unlike their own, as well as contribute practically to a variety of organisational and community needs. Educational outcomes for this service opportunity include developing an awareness of a world different to their own, responsibility to change that which is in their power, empathy with those who are different and/or less privileged and skills to work collaboratively with others. This international service opportunity occurs biennially during the Term Three holidays. The target Year Levels for this service opportunity are exclusively Years 6 to 9. For more information on this service opportunity in Thailand please email Mrs Michele Sauer.

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Somerset College Impact Handbook 2019