ISKL’s Global Action Program (GAP) 2025

A highlight is the satisfaction and pride that came from being able to help a family that treated me so well while I was there. It was really a great inspiration for me to become a better person, worker, and student.  Grade 10, Vietnam GAP Trip 2025

Combining community service and outdoor learning, ISKL’s unique High School Global Action Program (GAP) gives students in Grades 9 to 11 the opportunity to deepen their connection to our school’s Vision and Mission through real-world experiences.

Bringing learning to life through a mix of service, cultural awareness, and adventure, GAP is an unforgettable week for our High School students to take part in meaningful community projects around the region. Designed to challenge students and strengthen their collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills, GAP encourages them to step outside their comfort zones.

From November 10 to 15, more than 480 students took part in GAP 2025, traveling in twenty-six teams across nine Asian countries. Each student left campus ready to make a positive impact, however big or small, on the communities around them. As one student told us: “GAP showed me that service isn’t about helping for a week - it’s about understanding people and being willing to learn from them.” Another shared, “I came back more confident, more open-minded, and more grateful for the connections we made.”

ISKL’s GAP Director Brian Hall reflected on the impact of this year’s GAP: “We’re lucky to be in a school that truly invests in experiences like GAP because the impact on students is so clear. Students loved being with friends, making new ones, and throwing themselves into outdoor adventure, cultural learning, and service. While you might expect some anxiety about being away from phones, they weren’t as anxious as you’d think—and many told us how much they enjoyed being device-free. We asked students to give us one adjective to describe their GAP Week experience, and their response was unanimous: unforgettable. When a whole cohort comes back saying that, you know something special has happened”.

GAP is an experience that stays with students long after they return home. Asked about the highlights, students shared:

A full overview of the 2025 destinations was:

 

 

 

 

About GAP

Since 2009, GAP has been a mandatory and defining component of ISKL’s High School curriculum and is frequently cited by students as one of the most memorable and transformative experiences for them.

In line with the program’s goals of service learning, outdoor adventure, cultural immersion, and personal growth, students use the Global Citizen Framework to deepen their understanding of the environment, develop cultural awareness, and strengthen essential life skills such as collaboration, resilience, and self-confidence.

Over the last 16 years, whilst the itinerary offerings have grown, and the GAP Learning Goals are constant:

• Be aware of the natural environment and take action to preserve and protect it
• Gain an appreciation for new and diverse cultures
• Increase their awareness of individual responsibility to others and the world
• Grow in individual self-confidence and independence
• Develop their personal and team leadership skills
• Understand that humans have intrinsic worth regardless of differences
• Work and communicate effectively and sensitively with people from diverse backgrounds, lifestyles and cultures

Find out more about how ISKL extends learning beyond the classroom here.