The Manila Program

The School of Public Service Manila-Philippines study abroad program (Manila Program) is the result of an ongoing institutional collaborative effort between DePaul University and Adamson University, the third largest Vincentian higher education institution in the world. In line with the Vincentian values of service learning, social responsibility and poverty reduction, the Manila Program is a unique learning experience for students interested in collaborative and applied research for poverty reduction, community development and systemic change. The program focuses on experiential learning and professional collaborations through adapted methods in Participatory Action Research (PAR), Participatory Poverty Assessments (PPA), and Appreciative Inquiry (AI) adapted to Vincentian urban poverty reduction. Given the expertise and interests of the graduate students in public service at DePaul University, the program offers opportunities to tackle poverty through social impact analysis of micro-savings and community-social entrepreneurship programs organized by the Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility (VCSR). The Manila Program reflects DePaul University’s commitment to educate students about international problems and to become ethically and socially responsible global leaders, as expressed in the Strategic Plan Vision Twenty12. In addition, the collaboration between our Vincentian universities contributes to DePaul University’s commitment to further institutionalize its Vincentian and Catholic identity by developing academic partnerships.