ISP International Opportunities

It has been a busy year with three exciting ISP International Opportunities now available to our students - the ISP Buddy Exchange, the ISP Model United Nations and the ISP International Summer Camp.

The new ISP Buddy Exchange Programme has been a huge success and enabled around 50 students aged 14 – 17 years from 20 ISP schools in 7 countries (UK, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, UAE, Qatar) to take part in student exchanges and have an unforgettable experience in another country. It provided a unique international and cultural learning experience and helped the students to develop their language skills, share good practice and cultivate long-term friendships across the world.

The first ISP International Summer Camp hosted by Kehoe-France recently finished and the students had a fantastic time exploring the culture of New Orleans. Activities included:

• Visiting the immersive exhibits and multimedia experiences at the National World War II Museum;
• Touring The House of Blues which is dedicated to educating and celebrating the history of Southern Culture and African American artistic contributions to Music and Art;
• Visiting the Institute for Mammal studies (IMMS) and learning about the importance of taking care of the environment and the work they do to rescue, rehabilitate and release dolphins and turtles;
• Taking part in the Jean Lafitte  Swamp and learning more about the abundant wildlife and exotic plant life of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve as well as some alligator spotting.

Finally, the second annual ISP Model United Nations was hosted by St. Jude School and you can read all about it below!

Second Annual ISP Model United Nations - ‘Solving Issues - Building the Future’

The second ISP MUN entitled ‘Solving Issues – Building the Future’ took place from 23rd April- 1st May and was hosted by St. Jude School. Around 90 students aged 15-18 years from 11 ISP schools in Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain took part in a memorable international opportunity in Costa Rica.

The Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an extracurricular activity where students roleplay delegates of the United Nations and simulate UN committees. The MUN allows delegates the chance to join a real-life committee representing a country’s delegation. The task is to debate with other countries to solve an international issue in a diplomatic manner following the ideals from the Charter of the United Nations. The main objective of the MUN is to allow students to develop their research, public speaking, critical thinking and debate skills within a multicultural environment.

The ISP MUN was a unique learning opportunity for students to come together and improve their understanding of international issues and political affairs, prepare themselves for real-life situations, to make connections from around the world, meet people from different countries and cultures and explore the cultural diversity of the host country, Costa Rica.

“Students boost their self-confidence, being able to express their opinions and personalities in a respectful and polite atmosphere, being respected and respecting others regardless of their points of view. They enhance their public speaking and problem-solving skills. They also increase their knowledge of world issues and realise we are living in a linked world, so we have to work together”. Concha del Molino, El Altillo chaperone.

The Opening Ceremony of the MUN was very special as it was attended by Dr. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, former President of the Republic of Costa Rica and Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). His inspiring speech added incredible value for the student delegates.

For the three days of debates, the delegates were passionate about making the world a better place and came together to propose solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. Divided up into the Security Council, General Assembly, the OAS and the Economic and Social Council they discussed and debated the follow topics:

• Countering Illicit weapon trade and its links to terrorism in Eastern Europe.
• Use of peacekeeping forces in Venezuela to protect citizens during the political crisis.
• Misuse of personal information and the limits of privacy
• Mitigating the impact that emerging technologies have had on human trafficking.
• Resolving the ongoing political crisis in Nicaragua.
• Assessing the Regional Impact of Migrant Caravans in Central and North America.
• Ensuring the protection of children seeking asylum.
• Transitioning to Sustainable Energy: meeting growing energy demands.

“Worldwide issues require global perspectives to achieve a solution; the ISP MUN is the perfect opportunity to envision a peaceful world through the perspective of young students from multiple continents”. Esteban - ITJ delegate.

The extremely high standard of debate demonstrated by the delegates was truly amazing, the students were incredibly motivated, continually worked hard and were very proud of their achievements. They gained confidence, leant about leadership and responsibility, developed their research and communication skills, and met new people from other countries.

Another pillar of the success of the event was the involvement of students in the organisation and the preparation of the MUN. Guillermo and Javier, the two Secretary Generals, and the organising committee worked extremely hard planning and leading an incredible three full days of debates for their fellow students.

St. Jude School also ensured that delegates learnt about the traditions and culture in Costa Rica and gave them the opportunity to discover the wonderful wildlife and breath-taking natural beauty of the country by visiting Volcano Poás, la Paz Waterfall Garden and Sarchí. On the final day they had the opportunity for some down time and to relax at the Baldi Hot Springs.

“I am really grateful and happy to have taken part in this event, I had great experiences in social and academic areas. Having a connection with other schools around the world through ISP is an incredible tool that students can take advantage of, and this event really showed me that. Making friends and knowing that we have this connection is a really nice thing, and I feel excited about taking part in international interactions and events in the future”. Pablo - ITJ Palomar delegate.

To find out more about the ISP international programmes for your schools/students, please contact Bruno Ramos: bramos@ispschools.com