Program Details
| Program Length | Approx. Start Date | Approx. End | 2009 Price | Age on Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Aug 19-21 | Jul 7-11 | $8,900 | 15 yr 6 mos - 17 yr 1 mo |
| Semester | Fall Departure Aug 19-21 |
Return Jan 28-30 |
$7,900 | 15 yr 6 mos - 17 yr 1 mo |
| Semester | Spring Departure Jan 28-31 '09 |
Return Jul 9-12 '09 |
$7,900 | 15 yr 6 mos - 17 yr 1 mo |
| Summer Community Service/Team Mission | Late June | Late July | $5,900 | 15 yr 0 mos - 18 yr 0 mos |
All programs to Panama depart from Miami.
Note about travel dates: Travel date ranges are provided to help with general scheduling. Please do not reserve any domestic travel based on these dates. AFS will notify confirmed participants with specific travel details approximately 45 days prior to departure.
About Panamá
The warm and hospitable people of Panamá’s 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 and rainforests with exotic animals and rare birds everywhere. 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 boasts sizable West Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and American populations. From the cosmopolitan financial center of Panamá City, to the Chiriqui Highlands cloud forest, to the isolated San Blas Islands in the Caribbean, there’s much to experience and learn in Panamá.
Year and Semester Programs
You’ll attend school from March through December, which will likely consist of 10 to 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) and dance, providing you with the opportunities to make friends. AFS offers several trips to sites around the country, including the beaches, and there are two optional trips at an additional cost to the San Blas Islands and the Emberá Drua Indian Reservation.
View PDF Brochure for Panama School Programs.
Summer Community Service and Language Study Plus Program
This program will help you understand the social, family, and cultural life of a small community in Panamá. 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 in Panamá City, participants are placed in host communities in groups of eight to ten. You’ll stay individually with a host family, perform community service at local elementary schools in the morning, and attend Spanish class in the afternoon. Spanish classes are only for the first two weeks, then you’ll get to use what you’ve learned. Service activities could include making physical improvements to classrooms and other facilities. There’s also a one-day outing to an ecological site near Panamá City.
All programs, prices, and travel dates are subject to change without notice.
